Ali Saad (Canadian football)

Ali Saad

Saad with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2025
No. 96 – Saskatchewan Roughriders
Position	Defensive lineman
CFL status	National
Roster status	Active
Personal information
Born	(2002-09-22) September 22, 2002 (age 22) Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight	280 lb (127 kg)
Career information
High school	Dearborn High
College	Bowling Green
CFL draft	2025: 1st round, 4th overall pick
Drafted by	Saskatchewan Roughriders
Stats at CFL.ca

Ali Saad (born September 22, 2002) is a Canadian professional football defensive lineman for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

College career

Saad enrolled at the University of Minnesota in 2020 to play for the Golden Gophers, but he used a redshirt season and did not appear in any games. ^[1] He then transferred to Bowling Green State University where he played for the Bowling Green Falcons from 2021 to 2024. ^{[1] [2]} He played in 44 games where he had 78 tackles, including 14 tackles for a loss, six sacks, four forced fumbles, and one blocked kick. ^{[1] [2]}

Statistics

Year	Team	Games		Tackles				Fumbles				Interceptions
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	FF	FR	Yds	TD	Int	Yds	TD	PD
2020	Minnesota	Redshirt
2021	Bowling Green	10	0	9	7	2	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2022	Bowling Green	8	0	5	1	4	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2023	Bowling Green	13	13	24	13	11	1.5	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2024	Bowling Green	13	13	40	19	21	6.0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career		44	26	78	40	38	6.0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Professional career

In the final Canadian Football League's Amateur Scouting Bureau rankings for players eligible for the 2025 CFL draft, Saad was listed as the 11th-best player available. ^[3] He was then selected in the first round, fourth overall, in the draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders and signed with the team on May 12, 2025. ^[4] He made the team's opening day roster in 2025 and played in his first professional game on June 6, 2025, against the Ottawa Redblacks, where he had one defensive tackle. ^[2]

References

1. "Ali Saad". Bowling Green Falcons . Retrieved July 22, 2025.
2. "Ali Saad". Saskatchewan Roughriders . Retrieved July 22, 2025.
3. "Elic Ayomanor Vaults to Top Spot in Spring Edition of CFL Scouting Bureau". Canadian Football League. April 28, 2025.
4. "Riders 1st round selection Ali Saad arrives in Riderville". Saskatchewan Roughriders. May 12, 2025.

External links

• Saskatchewan Roughriders bio