Elks add NFL veteran, Golden Bear alum O’Donnell to offensive line

The Edmonton Elks have added a former University of Alberta Golden Bears player to their offensive line ahead of the Labour Day rematch Saturday.

The Edmonton Elks have added more Canadian content – a refugee from the National Football League who played college football for the Alberta Golden Bears – to its offensive line.

The Canadian Football League squad announced Tuesday it has signed Red Deer native Carter O’Donnell, who joins a unit that sports four Nationals, one of them (Mark Korte) a former Alberta teammate. The terms of O’Donnell’s contract were not given.

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“Carter O’Donnell is a significant addition to our offensive line,” Ed Hervey, the Elks’ general manager, said in a media release. “His toughness, physicality, and relentless style of play are exactly what we seek in the trenches. Carter isn’t just here to compete. He’s here to push for a starting role and make an immediate impact on our roster.”

The Elks acquired the rights to O’Donnell three years ago, trading the first overall pick in the 2022 CFL draft to the Montreal Alouettes for him and the fourth overall pick that year. The Alouettes had drafted O’Donnell in 2020.

O’Donnell, 26, spent four seasons in the NFL, first signing in 2020 as an undrafted free agent with the Indianapolis Colts, with whom he spent two seasons on the practice roster before missing the 2022 campaign injured.

He joined the Arizona Cardinals in 2023, playing five games, three of which were starts. The Cardinals waived him in July last year.

The six-foot-six, 305 lb. O’Donnell, who played high school football at Red Deer’s Lindsay Thurber, spent four years at the University of Alberta under then-Golden Bears head coach Chris Morris, now the Elks’ chief executive officer and a former star o-lineman for the franchise.

O’Donnell was twice named a Canada West all-star, in 2018 and ’19. He is not related to Matt O’Donnell, the offensive lineman who spent nine seasons with Edmonton from 2012-21.

The Elks could use the help on the offensive line. The unit surrendered four sacks to the host Calgary Stampeders in Edmonton’s 28-7 Labour Day Classic loss. The Alberta rivals will meet on Saturday (5 p.m.) at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium for the rematch.