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Former Old Town High School and University of Maine standout wide receiver Andre Miller has headed north of the border.
Miller signed with the Canadian Football League’s Ottawa Redblacks and is in their training camp as CFL teams prepare for next month’s season openers.
Miller, who had training camp stints with the NFL’s New York Giants and Green Bay Packers the past two years, is one of eight former Black Bears currently on either CFL or NFL rosters.
Headlining the list is Baltimore Ravens fullback and four-time NFL Pro Bowl selection Pat Ricard, who is beginning his eighth season with the Ravens after being an All-American and All-Coastal Athletic Association defensive lineman for the Black Bears.
He was a rare two-way player for the Ravens for three seasons before switching over to the offensive side of the ball full-time.
The others in NFL camps are running back-wide receiver Zavier Scott (Indianapolis) and tight end Shawn Bowman (Jacksonville), who were undrafted free agents like Ricard was.
In addition to Miller, the other ex-Black Bears in the CFL are Ottawa linebacker Deshawn Stevens, Winnipeg offensive lineman Liam Dobson, Toronto defensive lineman Justin Sambu and British Columbia linebacker Terrence Ganyi. Defensive back Sherrod Baltimore, who played six seasons with Ottawa, is a free agent and was looking to sign with another CFL team.
Scott was a third-team All-CAA selection in 2022 when he led the team in receptions with 42 and in receiving yards with 434, both career-highs. He was also the team’s second-leading rusher with 371 on 39 attempts for a league-best 9.3 yards per carry.
The UConn transfer signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent last year but suffered a knee injury that sidelined him for the season.
Bowman was a two-time third team All-CAA tight end at UMaine before transferring from Football Championship Subdivision UMaine to Rutgers (N.J.) of the Football Bowl Subdivision. He was used primarily as a blocking tight end at Rutgers, where he finished with four receptions for 24 yards.
He had averaged nearly four catches per game at UMaine in 2022 as he finished with 31 receptions in eight games for 377 yards and five touchdowns, all career-highs. He appeared in 34 career games at UMaine and had 86 catches for 960 yards and 11 TDs.
Miller was transformed from wide receiver to tight end by the Giants but suffered a broken arm in training camp two years ago. He signed a free agent deal with the Packers and returned to wide receiver but he was released in late August last year.
Miller was a two-time All-CAA selection at UMaine and finished his career ranked 14th on the all-time receiving yards list with 1,848 yards. He caught 104 passes including 14 for touchdowns. He averaged 17.5 yards per reception his senior year.
Dobson and Stevens were chosen in the first round of the CFL draft in 2021 with Dobson being selected third by Winnipeg and Stevens going to Ottawa with the sixth pick.
Dobson is in his third season with Winnipeg and is vying for a starting guard spot after being a reserve his first two seasons.
Stevens is also in his third season in the league and had five tackles in 12 games for Ottawa a year ago after being involved in 13 in 18 games his rookie season.
Stevens averaged 7.3 tackles per game at UMaine and was a two-time All-CAA selection and named to the Sophomore All-American team. In 2018, he helped lead the Black Bears to the CAA title and first ever berth in the FCS semifinals by registering 120 tackles including 17 for loss and nine sacks.
He transferred to FBS school the University of West Virginia and had 12 tackles in 10 games.
Dobson was a third-team All-American and first team All-CAA tackle in 2019 before transferring to FBS team Texas State.
Sambu was involved in 59 tackles, including 10 for loss and 5.5 sacks, in 28 games during his four-year UMaine career. He transferred to Baylor where he had two tackles in 12 games last fall.
Ganyi, a sixth-round pick of British Columbia, transferred to UMaine from the University of Connecticut and had 13 tackles in 12 games including a career-high four tackles in the season finale against New Hampshire last fall.
Ricard, who had 208 tackles in 44 games at UMaine including 47.5 for loss and 18 sacks, has caught 45 passes for 293 yards and six touchdowns in 104 regular season games with the Ravens. He had five catches for 52 yards and a TD last fall.
Ricard, who turns 30 on Monday, is considered one of the best blocking backs in the NFL.
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