Keelan White
White with the Ottawa Redblacks in 2025 | |||||||||
| No. 81 – Ottawa Redblacks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||
| CFL status | National | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | October 3, 2001 North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Handsworth Secondary (North Vancouver, BC) | ||||||||
| College | Montana (2019–2024) | ||||||||
| CFL draft | 2025: 1st round, 3rd overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career CFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Keelan White (born October 3, 2001) is a Canadian professional football wide receiver for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). White previously played college football for the Montana Grizzlies.
Early life
White was born on October 3, 2001, in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[1] He was a member of U16 and U18 Team Canada squads that competed in The United States.[2] White was a two-star recruit out of high school before enrolling at the University of Montana.[3]
College career
White played college football for the Montana Grizzlies from 2019 to 2024.[4] He walked-on to the team as a freshman before going on scholarship in 2020.[2] White played in three games as a true freshman but would see more playing time the following year, recording 22 receptions for 156 yards.[4] In 2022, he played in all 13 games and started in 12, scoring five touchdowns and 237 receiving yards on 23 catches.
In 2023, against Sacramento State, White scored a 97-yard touchdown from quarterback, Clifton McDowell, setting a school record for the longest play from scrimmage and touchdown in school history.[5] He was named the team's Offensive MVP for the 2023 season.[4] In his final year, White had 57 receptions for 628 yards and four touchdowns, leading the team in those categories.[4] He earned second-team All-Big Sky honors and was an honorable mention for the Jon Cornish Trophy for the most outstanding Canadian student-athlete in NCAA football.[6][7]
| Season | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Lng | TD | ||
| 2019 | Montana | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020–21 | Montana | 2 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | Montana | 11 | 1 | 22 | 156 | 19 | 0 | 1 | -11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Montana | 13 | 12 | 23 | 237 | 36 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Montana | 15 | 15 | 54 | 798 | 97 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Montana | 13 | 13 | 57 | 628 | 26 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 57 | 41 | 161 | 1,862 | 97 | 14 | 1 | -11 | 0 | 0 | |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0.2 in (1.83 m) |
190 lb (86 kg) |
9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.60 s | 4.10 s | 6.78 s | 32.5 in (0.83 m) |
9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) |
12 reps | ||||
| All values from Pro Day[8] | ||||||||||||
Entering the 2025 CFL draft, White was ranked as the fifth best prospect by the CFL Scouting Bureau.[9] He was then drafted in the first round, third overall, by the Ottawa Redblacks and signed with the team on May 8, 2025.[10][11] White made his professional debut against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on June 6, catching four passes for 41 yards.[1] He recorded his first touchdown on July 12 against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.[12]
Personal life
White's father, Richard, played two seasons in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and BC Lions.[13]
References
- ^ a b "Keelan WHITE". CFL.ca. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ a b Hansen, Kyle (October 10, 2024). "A walk-on from Canada, Keelan White 'proved a lot' in carving standout path with Montana Grizzlies". MontanaSports.com. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ "Keelan White, Handsworth , Wide Receiver". 247Sports. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Keelan White - Football". University of Montana Athletics. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ Hoffman, Alex (November 4, 2023). "UM takes controlling lead against Sacramento State". KECI. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ "BIG SKY FOOTBALL: Montana State headlines all-conference selections". Coeur d'Alene Press. November 28, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ "White earns an honorable mention for the 2024 Cornish Trophy". University of Montana Athletics. December 18, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ "Former Griz show out on Pro Day". University of Montana Athletics. April 3, 2025. Archived from the original on July 17, 2025. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ "Rourke maintains hold of top spot in Winter edition of CFL Scouting Bureau". CFL.ca. January 22, 2025. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ "Former Grizzlies White, Harris drafted to CFL". Daily Inter Lake. April 29, 2025. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ Heilman, Michael (May 8, 2025). "Ottawa Redblacks sign seven players from the 2025 CFL Draft". BGMSportsTrax. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ "REDBLACKS fall short in narrow loss to Tiger-Cats". Ottawa REDBLACKS. July 15, 2025. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ^ Nuanez, Colter (January 2, 2024). "NORTH TO SOUTH – Canadian walk-on White is a breakout playoff star for Griz". Skyline Sports. Retrieved August 18, 2025.