Photo courtesy: Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed Global kicker Alex Hale to their training camp roster
The native of Gosford, Australia played six seasons (2018-2023) at Oklahoma State University, battling through a torn ACL suffered in 2020. In 29 career games, he connected on 43-of-54 field goal attempts (79.6 percent) with a long of 53 yards, while hitting 63 extra points. He also handled kickoffs, averaging 61.5 yards for his career. He was named second-team All-Big 12 as a senior
Hale went unselected in both the 2024 NFL Draft and 2024 CFL Global Draft, but signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent under the International Player Pathway exemption. He spent the 2024 season on the practice roster, but was released in July of 2025 after suffering a freak eye injury in training that left him sidelined for several weeks.
The six-foot-one, 203-pound Aussie is expected to compete for Saskatchewan’s vacant placekicker position with Americans Michael Hughes and Jonathan Kim.
The Roughriders kept most of their big names in free agency but still suffered some key losses, including quarterback Jake Maier (Ottawa Redblacks), receiver Tommy Nield (Winnipeg Blue Bombers), defensive lineman Malik Carney (Edmonton Elks), linebacker A.J. Allen (Ottawa Redblacks), and strong-side linebacker C.J. Reavis (Ottawa Redblacks). Micah Johnson retired to become the team’s defensive line coach, while receiver Dohnte Meyers departed for an NFL shot with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Saskatchewan holds the ninth overall pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. Saskatchewan will play its first preseason game against the Calgary Stampeders on Monday, May 18 and its first regular-season game against the B.C. Lions on Saturday, June 13.
In 2025, the Riders finished first in the West Division standings with a 12-6 record. The team went on to defeat the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg, marking the club’s first championship in 12 years.
