Former Texas Tech football standout Jaylon Hutchings will enter the Canadian Football League free agent market this winter with plenty of attention.
The Calgary Stampeders defensive tackle earned All-CFL honors after leading all CFL defensive tackles with 8 sacks this season.
Hutchings was named to the All-CFL team released last week, finishing tied for fifth among all players in sacks.
Pro Football Focus rated Hutchings as the highest-graded defensive player in the league with an overall grade of 90.7.
His run-defense grade of 86.7 and pass-rush grade of 86.1 made him the only player above 80.0 in both categories.
“I think I performed very well,” Hutchings told Stampeders media after a season-ending playoff loss.
“There’s always certain plays here or there where I wish I could’ve done better, but for the most part, I feel like I definitely made a name for myself.”
He added that he wants to continue building on his breakthrough season.
Calgary finished 11-7 and lost to British Columbia in the Western semifinal.
Hutchings started 17 games and recorded 39 defensive tackles, including 3 tackles for loss.
He signed with the Stampeders in October 2024 and appeared in two games late in the 2024 season.
Hutchings turns 26 on New Year’s Eve, and his next destination remains uncertain.
“I’m going to talk to my agent,” he told Stampeders media.
“Going to see how things go from there, but it’s kind of up in the air right now.”
The CFL season concludes Sunday, November 16, with the Saskatchewan Roughriders facing the Montreal Alouettes in the Grey Cup.
Kickoff is 5 p.m. CST in Winnipeg.
Former Texas Tech defensive back DaMarcus Fields, in his second year with Saskatchewan, is the Roughriders’ third-leading tackler with 68 total tackles.
He also recorded 2 interceptions and will compete for the championship.
Two other former Tech players dominated the tackles category this season.
Linebackers Micah Awe and Tony Jones finished one-two in the CFL in tackles.
Awe, playing for the British Columbia Lions, recorded 114 defensive tackles and 3 special-teams tackles.
He also grabbed 2 interceptions during the season.
Jones, with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, tallied 102 defensive tackles and 2 special-teams tackles.
He added 3 sacks and 2 interceptions to his impressive stat line.
Awe previously led the CFL in tackles two years ago when he made a franchise record 134 for Calgary.
His consistent production makes him one of the league’s most reliable defensive players.
Former Tech defensive back Adrian Frye was the Ottawa Redblacks’ sixth-leading tackler with 38 stops.
He contributed 3 forced fumbles and a sack to his defensive efforts.
The strong showing by former Red Raiders highlights Texas Tech’s ability to develop professional talent.
Five former players made significant impacts across the CFL this season.
Hutchings faces an interesting decision about his future as teams will likely pursue the All-CFL performer.
His dominant season gives him leverage in negotiations and multiple options for 2026.
Fields gets a chance to cap his season with a Grey Cup championship appearance.
The defensive back has been a key contributor to Saskatchewan’s playoff run.
The success of these former Red Raiders shows the pipeline between Texas Tech and the CFL remains strong.
Their performances prove that college stars can transition successfully to professional football north of the border.
