Staten Island, NY - Former Seahawk defensive lineman
Julian McCleod has re-signed with the Canadian Football League's (CFL) Toronto Argonauts, the team announced on its website.
McCleod signed with the Argos in 2020 and spent time on the team's practice squad in 2021 before an injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.
McCleod finished the 2019 season with 38 total tackles and three sacks, including consecutive games with sacks against Robert Morris and Duquesne. The Florida native played in all 45 games of his Seahawk career and finished with 102 total tackles, setting new career highs each season.
All four members of Wagner's 2019 defensive line signed professional contracts, as McCleod joined
Cam Gill (Tampa Bay Buccaneers),
Chris Williams (Indianapolis Colts), and
Tevaughn Grant (Edmonton Football Team).
In January, former Seahawk defensive tackle
Charbel Dabire, a three-year fixture up front for the Wagner College football team and 2018 team captain, signed a contract extension with the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Following the 2019 season, McCleod also competed in the FCS Bowl and was one of nine former Seahawks to participate in Wagner's Pro Day on March 10.
The Toronto Argonauts are already familiar with the Wagner football program, as they drafted former Seahawk linebacker
Mathieu Loiselle in the seventh round (60
th overall) of the 2018 CFL Draft. The "Argos" finished the 2019 season with a 4-14 overall record.
The longest-tenured former Wagner standout to ever play in the CFL was linebacker/fullback
C.O. Prime, a 2013 third-round pick (19
th overall) of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats where he went on to enjoy a five-year year career (2013-17) and helped lead his team to Grey Cup appearances (equivalent to the NFL Super Bowl) in 2013 and 2014.
McCleod continues Wagner's success in professional football, as Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo '90 coached in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday.
Last year, former Wagner All-American
Cam Gill won the Super Bowl following a convincing 31-9 victory over Kansas City.
Gill made a tackle on a kickoff with 7:25 to play in the third quarter, before combining with defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in taking down Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes for a sack with five minutes remaining in the game. Gill was also credited with a forced fumble on the play. Gill finished with 11 total tackles and 1.5 sacks in his second year in the NFL for the Buccaneers this past season.
In 2020, former two-sport standout
Greg Senat was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl team.
Apart from Gill's impressive season, former Wagner defensive tackle
Chris Williams was part of the Colts' practice squad, but was active for eight games. In the Colts' loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Jan. 2, Williams made his second tackle of the season and appeared in nine defensive plays. In Indy's loss to Jacksonville in week 18, Williams contributed a season-high two solo stops.
Senat signed with the New York Jets at the end of the 2021 regular season after spending a majority of the season on the Colts' practice squad.
Lastly, veteran linebacker Julian Stanford wrapped up his ninth NFL season and second year with the Carolina Panthers. This past season, Stanford recorded 14 tackles and one forced fumble while appearing in every game for the Panthers.
