CALGARY — A pair of Calgary Stampeders are finalists for 2026 CFL Awards, as defensive end Clarence Hicks is up for Most Outstanding Defensive Player and returner Tyreik McAllister is a finalist for Most Outstanding Special Teams Player.
Hicks started all 18 games at defensive end and finished with 24 defensive tackles, four tackles for loss, 12 sacks, three knockdowns and two forced fumbles. His 12 sacks won the league's sack title and matched the personal season high he set last year. He recorded at least one sack in 10 different games, with two-sack outings in Week 3 and Week 15, and according to Pro Football Focus he led the league in quarterback hits (23), hurries (67) and total pressures (96).
The UTSA product just completed his third CFL season, all with Calgary. The Stampeders' most recent finalist for the defensive award was Shawn Lemon in 2022, and their most recent winner was Alex Singleton in 2017.
McAllister played all 18 games as Calgary's primary returner in his first season with the club. He returned 69 kickoffs for 1,570 yards and 64 punts for 791 yards and a touchdown, and added six missed-field-goal returns for 330 yards and two scores. His 2,691 return yards ranked second in the league, and his three return touchdowns tied for the league lead.
His biggest day came in Week 8, when he was named a CFL Player of the Week after becoming the first player in league history to record a rushing, a receiving and a return touchdown in the same game, all of them in the first half. His 120-yard missed-field-goal return in Week 3 was the seventh-longest play in franchise history.
Calgary's most recent finalist for the special teams award was René Paredes in 2021, and its most recent winner was Roy Finch in 2017. McAllister is up against Edmonton kicker Vincent Blanchard and Winnipeg returner Trey Vaval.
This year the league moved to three finalists per award regardless of division, with voting by members of the Football Reporters of Canada. Winners will be revealed through surprise presentations as the season draws to a close and during the postseason.