Stamps recruit offensive linemen

Retirements have left plenty of holes to fill on the offensive line of the Calgary Stampeders.

So the CFL club is looking for talent to make up for the big losses.

On Thursday, the club signed a pair of o-linemen it hopes can make the team out of training camp later this month.

Nila Kasitati, a 6-foot-4, 315-pounder from Euless, Texas, attended training camp with the NFL’s Washington Redskins in 2016.

He later joined the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad.

In college, Kasitati made 25 starts in 42 games over four seasons with the NCAA’s Oklahoma Sooners. As a senior in 2015, he started all 13 games at right guard for the Sooners and was named first-team all-Big 12.

Josue Matias, a 6-foot-5, 304-pounder from the Dominican Republic, spent the 2015 season on the Tennessee Titans’ practice squad and was placed on the injured reserve list in 2016.

Collegiately, he played 47 games over four seasons with the NCAA’s Florida State Seminoles.

A fixture at left guard, he became just the fifth true freshman in Seminoles history to start a game on the offensive line and he earned all-Atlantic Coast Conference recognition in 2012 (honourable mention), 2013 (third team) and 2014 (second team).

He was part of the Seminoles’ BCS national championship team during his junior season.

On Wednesday, the Stampeders added six defensive backs to their roster.

Devin Butler is coming straight out of the NCAA’s Syracuse Orange program, with whom he recorded 20 tackles including two tackles for a loss, one sack and two pass breakups in 12 games during his senior season.

Tay Glover-Wright, out of the NCAA’s Utah Utes, played one game with the Stamps last season, recording a pair of tackles against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 20.

Gump Hayes attended the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals training camp last summer after playing 25 games over two seasons with the NCAA’s Arizona State Sun Devils.

Tre Roberson, out of the NCAA’s Illinois State Redbirds, signed with the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and spent time on the club’s practice squad. He played quarterback in college including two seasons at Illinois State, establishing school records for career rushing yards (1,806) and touchdowns (22) by a quarterback.

Mark Roberts attended training camp with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2017 and spent four weeks on the Roughriders practice roster during last season after an all-star career as a defensive back/receiver with the NCAA’s Lamar Cardinals.

And Julian Wilson returns to the Stamps after appearing in two games with the club, recording one tackle, last season.

In four seasons with NCAA Oklahoma, he had 99 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, four interceptions and 15 pass breakups.