The ex-Pitt guard will get a chance to earn a spot on a team that played in the 2021 CFL Western final
Former Pitt guard Bryce Hargrove signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL earlier this week. The Pitt product previously signed with the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL after going undrafted but spent just three months with the team in the summer of 2021.
The 6’4”, 320-pound left guard out of Akron, Ohio, came to Pitt as a three-star prospect in 2016, after he was recruited by then-Pitt offensive coordinator Jim Chaney. Hargrove only began playing football in his junior year at Coventry High School, and he was known by recruiting analysts for his work as a defensive lineman. However, he proved to be even more talented on the offensive line and eventually became a regular starter for the Panthers.
After two years of general inactivity at Pitt, Hargrove saw action in all 14 of the team’s games in the 2018 season and started in the final three, including the ACC championship game and the Sun Bowl. In 2019, he started in all 13 of Pitt’s games and did not give up a single sack. Hargrove then reprised his starting role at left guard in 2020, essentially forming a brick wall in front of Kenny Pickett with Pitt center and current pro Jimmy Morrissey.
After the 2020 season, Hargrove decided to make the jump to the professional ranks and saw some preseason action with the Falcons. However, what he showed the team was not enough to secure a himself roster spot.
Given the shallower pool of talent the CFL has to draw from relative to the NFL, Hargrove may get a longer look during his time in Regina than he did in Atlanta. He will also get to audition for a team coming off a strong season, as the Roughriders went 9-5 in the 2021 regular season and 10-6 overall, with their final loss coming to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Western final. That team would go on to defeat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Grey Cup.
The Roughriders will play their first preseason game of 2022 on May 23, when they host the Blue Bombers at Mosaic Stadium. They will get their regular season underway on June 11, when they take on the Tiger-Cats in Regina.