Alouettes’ Tyson Philpot believes CFL single-season receiving record plausible amidst hot start

Photo: Raphael Williams-Claudio/RWC Photography/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The CFL’s single-season receiving record has gone unchallenged for over 30 years, but Tyson Philpot’s fast start in 2026 might finally make Allen Pitts sweat.

The native of Delta, B.C., has exploded out of the gates with 36 receptions for 587 yards and three touchdowns through his first four games. That impressive production has given him a 149-yard lead in the CFL receiving race and puts him on pace for 2,641 yards this season — over 600 yards more than the all-time record set by Pitts in 1994.

Keeping up that pace may be an ambitious proposition, but Philpot doesn’t believe it’s impossible.

“I’m never gonna say no because the ultimate competitor in me is gonna tell you I’m gonna continue on this path,” he told the Montreal media this week. “When I first started playing this game, it was always to be the best. Obviously, if I were able to finish with those kind of stats, I think I would be up there with the best or one of the best seasons. Not to say that’s my goal, but my goal is to keep producing the way I have and help this team get wins.”

The 25-year-old is no stranger to a hot start. In 2024, Philpot was in the thick of the receiving race through the first nine games, putting up 779 yards and five touchdowns before suffering a season-ending injury. After battling injuries again last season, he’s taken production to new heights in the early going.

“Obviously, confidence is up. I would say I’m back to kind of where I was in 2024, just playing fast and not really thinking about any injuries or anything like that. I think props just go to the coaches and (Anthony Calvillo), especially, with the way he’s drawn up plays to get me open this year,” Philpot explained, throwing some credit in the direction of quarterback Davis Alexander as well.

“It’s so nice when you know that all you have to do is get to a position and Davis is going to put the ball right where it needs to be. If it doesn’t need to be there, he’s not going to put it there. You never have to worry about getting your head taken off or anything like that. It just lets you play fast, lets the game slow down for you, and that’s just credit to him.”

Alexander joked that he hasn’t seen a receiver pop off like Philpot since his days playing high school football in Washington state, but isn’t surprised by his receiver’s output. In fact, he called the potential explosion back in training camp, when he witnessed a more mature target arrive in Quebec City

“He’s been amazing. I called it in camp. I said he’s been better than he’s ever been before, and that’s hard to believe. And there’s still some out there; he’ll tell you,” the quarterback said.

“He’s just learning more about space and leverage. When he’s running his routes, he always plays with confidence, but when the ball’s up, and it’s one-on-one, it’s more like an 80 percent chance he catches it than your traditional 50/50. He’s just playing with a different fire, and he’s ready to put it all out there.”

Philpot needs to only average 103.5 yards per game the rest of the season to match Pitts’ all-time record. If he averages 94.8 yards, he’ll still surpass Hal Patterson for the Alouettes’ franchise record set in 1956. He’ll need just 76.8 yards per game to beat the Canadian record that Terry Evanshen established in 1967. The University of Calgary product is also on pace to beat Derrell ‘Mookie’ Mitchell’s single-season receptions record of 160.

Head coach Jason Maas isn’t certain how to place Philpot’s opening weeks in the historical context, but describes it as both exceptional and utterly mundane for the former Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian.

“I’m sure there’s been (others who have done similar things). I know there’s been a lot of great receivers play in this league; Montreal has had them. But to do what he’s doing, it is special. It does not happen all the time,” he said.

“It’s kind of an expectation with him because we’ve seen it literally since day one of training camp. What he’s doing in these games, he does it every day in practice. He does it in training camp, and he’s done it throughout his career. These stretches of games, when his number’s been called, he’s come through. That will be the expectation the rest of the year as well for him. He’s got that much ability.”

Through 240 minutes of action, Philpot has done it all. He’s twice surpassed the 190-yard mark in games and has logged several early candidates for catch of the year, spectacular feats he describes as simply “in (his) DNA.” The tricky aspect will be the staying power, as Philpot hasn’t completed a full 18-game campaign since his rookie season.

Until he shows signs of slowing down, Philpot will continue to be the focal point for opposing defences. But if you can’t stop him in single coverage, be forewarned. Don’t attempt to test him with two.

“At the end of the day, if you start double-teaming me, that just means Tyler Snead’s one-on-one. That means Alex Hollins’ one-on-one, and it just means other guys are open for more opportunities too,” he said. “If teams decide to do that, that’s just going to be a disservice to themselves. But I’ll be ready for it when it comes.”

The Montreal Alouettes (3-1) will host the Calgary Stampeders (2-2) at Percival Molson Stadium on Saturday, July 11, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. It marks the third career meeting between Tyson and his identical twin brother, Jalen, who has recorded 18 catches for 245 yards and three touchdowns this year.

The weather forecast in Montreal calls for a high of 29 degrees and sun. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 770 CHQR in Calgary and TSN 690 (English) or 99.5 Montreal (French) in Montreal.

J.C. Abbott is a University of British Columbia graduate and high school football coach. He covers the CFL, B.C. Lions, CFL Draft and the three-down league’s Global initiative.