Jaelon Acklin
Acklin with the Ottawa Redblacks in 2024 | |||||||||||||
| No. 80, 23[1] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | August 10, 1995 Springfield, Missouri, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Liberty (Mountain View, Missouri) | ||||||||||||
| College | Western Illinois (2014–2017) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2018: undrafted | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| Career CFL statistics | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Jaelon D. Acklin (born August 10, 1995) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for five seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Western Illinois. Acklin was a member of the Baltimore Ravens, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Ottawa Redblacks.
Early life
Jaelon D. Acklin was born on August 10, 1995, in Springfield, Missouri. He attended Liberty High School in Mountain View, Missouri.
College career
Acklin played college football for the Western Illinois Leathernecks from 2014 to 2017. He caught 84 passes for 1,369 yards and 10 touchdowns his senior year, finishing with career totals of 105 receptions for 1,733 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Professional career
Baltimore Ravens
Acklin was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent and participated in their 2018 training camp; however, after a hip injury near the end of camp, Acklin was released by the Ravens.[2]
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
On March 20, 2019, Acklin signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.[3][4] He participated in both of the Ticats' preseason games, recording 10 receptions for 85 yards.[5][6] Following preseason and training camp, Acklin began the 2019 season on the team's practice roster.[7] Following an injury to Luke Tasker, Acklin was made a starting wide receiver and played in his first professional game on June 22, 2019 against the Toronto Argonauts where he had five catches for 59 yards.[8] He scored his first CFL touchdown on July 4, 2019 against the Montreal Alouettes.[9] Acklin was voted the team nominee for the Most Outstanding Rookie award for the East Division champion Tiger-Cats.[10] Acklin re-signed with the Tiger-Cats on January 2, 2021.[11] He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 8, 2022.[12]
Ottawa Redblacks
On February 9, 2022, it was announced that Acklin had signed with the Ottawa Redblacks.[13] Acklin enjoyed a breakout season in 2022 with the Redblacks, despite inconsistent quarterback play he posted career highs in receptions, targets and yards. Acklin missed a few games at the end of the season after suffering head and shoulder injuries after an illegal hit from Montreal Alouettes’ linebacker Micah Awe.[14] Following the season Acklin had a workout with the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL).[15] On May 12, 2023, Acklin signed a two-year contract extension with the Redblacks.[16] On August 24, 2024, Acklin was forced to leave the game against the BC Lions on a stretcher after he went up for a catch and then crashed awkwardly to the turf. [17] However, On the morning of August 25, 2024, the Redblacks sent out a message on social media saying Acklin had been released from the hospital and all scans were negative.[18] He played in 16 games in 2024 where he had 69 receptions for 739 yards and four touchdowns. He announced his retirement on February 4, 2025.[19]
Career statistics
CFL
| Season info | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | GP | Rec | Tar | Yds | YPC | TDs |
| 2019 | Hamilton | 17 | 58 | 74 | 708 | 12.3 | 3 |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||
| 2021 | Hamilton | 14 | 50 | 77 | 678 | 13.6 | 4 |
| 2022 | Ottawa | 15 | 75 | 116 | 1,169 | 15.6 | 2 |
| 2023 | Ottawa | 18 | 67 | 99 | 892 | 13.3 | 1 |
| 2024 | Ottawa | 16 | 69 | 108 | 739 | 10.7 | 4 |
| Career totals | 80 | 319 | 474 | 4,186 | 13.1 | 14 | |
College
| Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | GP | Rec | Yds | TDs |
| 2014 | Western Illinois | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 2015 | Western Illinois | 13 | 12 | 168 | 2 |
| 2016 | Western Illinois | 11 | 8 | 192 | 0 |
| 2017 | Western Illinois | 12 | 84 | 1,369 | 10 |
| Totals | 44 | 105 | 1,733 | 12 | |
Personal life
Acklin is the son of Darin and Tina Acklin. His dad played football at Carthage College. His uncle played football at Missouri and another relative played football at Avila.[21]
In May 2024, Acklin welcomed a daughter into the world with his girlfriend Aynsley Cameron named Poppy Marie.[22] The couple met in 2022 when the Redblacks were in Hamilton for a game. She was a server at Moxie's.[23]
References
- ^ "Jaelon Acklin". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ Matthew Stevens (August 7, 2018). "Ravens release WR Jaelon Acklin". Ravens Wire.
- ^ "Tiger-Cats sign thee players on offence". ticats.ca. March 20, 2019. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
- ^ Anthony Urciuoli (March 20, 2019). "Hamilton Tiger-Cats add 3 international free agents on offence". Global News.ca.
- ^ "Ticats edge Redblacks in close pre-season battle". June 2, 2019.
- ^ "Bethel-Thompson, Argos top Ticats to close out preseason". June 7, 2019.
- ^ "Tiger-Cats transactions". ticats.ca. June 8, 2019.
- ^ "Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs Toronto Argonauts". cfl.ca. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
- ^ "Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs Montreal Alouettes". cfl.ca. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
- ^ "CFL announces 2019 team award winners". CFL.ca. October 30, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
- ^ "Tiger-Cats re-sign wide receivers Acklin, Tucker and Marshall". TiCats.ca. January 2, 2021. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "Redblacks sign receivers Jaelon Acklin and Shaq Johnson". Ottawa Redblacks. February 9, 2022.
- ^ 3Down Staff (October 20, 2022). "Ottawa Redblacks rule out Jaelon Acklin for pivotal game against Hamilton Tiger-Cats". 3DownNation. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ 3Down Staff (December 6, 2022). "Six CFL players attend NFL workouts, including four receivers". 3DownNation. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "REDBLACKS extend East All-Stars Jaelon Acklin and Jacob Ruby". Ottawa REDBLACKS. May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ "Redblacks WR Jaelon Acklin exits game on stretcher, has full movement in all extremities". August 24, 2024.
- ^ "Jaelon Acklin released from hospital after leaving in ambulance, Ottawa Redblacks beat B.C. Lions". August 24, 2024.
- ^ "Jaelon Acklin announces retirement". Canadian Football League. February 4, 2025.
- ^ "Jaelon Acklin - Stats". GoLeathernecks.com.
- ^ "Jaelon Acklin - Football". Western Illinois University Athletics. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "Mom's the word: Ottawa Redblacks receiver Jaelon Acklin has reasons to be thankful". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved July 23, 2024.