Hamilton Tiger-Cats add former first-round pick with Ajax ties to offensive line
Published February 10, 2022 at 5:26 pm
Canadian offensive lineman Alex Fontana, a former first-round draft choice who sat out the 2021 CFL season due to personal reasons, has signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The Tiger-Cats announced Thursday (Feb. 10) that the 26-year-old Fontana has signed to a two-year contract. The six-foot-two, 300-pound Toronto native was Ottawa’s first-round choice, No. 7 overall in the Canadian college draft in 2019. Fontana dressed in all 18 games for Ottawa in 2019.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the CFL cancelling the 2020 season. In June, Fontana opted not to return to the Redblacks for the 2021 season.
Fontana’s formative years included attending Pickering High School in Ajax. He left Canada at age 16 to pursue his pro football dream, attending a Connecticut prep school. As a collegian, he played 27 games across four seasons at New Mexico Military Institute (2014-15), the University of Houston (2016-17) and the University of Kansas.