CALGARY – Three former members of the University of Calgary Dinos football team continue to make their mark in the Canadian Football League, earning unanimous division all-star recognition.

Jalen Philpot was a key component of the Calgary Stampeders offence in 2026. The 26-year-old Philpot was durable, starting all 18 contests and accumulating 91 receptions and eight touchdowns. This past year he had his first 1,000-yard season in receptions and led the Stampeders in nearly every statistical category, including targets, receptions, total yards and touchdowns.

Jalen was a member of the Dinos' 2019 Vanier Cup Championship team and joined the Dinos in 2018 from Seaquam Secondary in Delta, British Columbia.

Jalen's twin brother Tyson had an incredible 2026 season with the Montreal Alouettes of the East Division, so much so that he is a finalist for the CFL's Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian. Tyson led the CFL with 1,809 receiving yards, nearly 400 more than the next closest player, along with 124 receptions (third most ever in CFL history) and 13 receiving touchdowns. He accumulated these statistics in 16 regular-season games.

He surpassed the CFL record for most receiving yards in a single season by a Canadian player, previously held by Terry Evanshen, who recorded 1,662 yards in 1967. Tyson also broke the league record for most receptions in a single season by a Canadian player, a mark held by Brad Sinopoli since 2018, and shattered the Alouettes' single-season receptions record of 112, set by Ben Cahoon in 2003 and matched by Jamel Richardson in 2011.

Tyson, like Jalen, was a member of the University of Calgary's 2019 national championship team, and both were U SPORTS All-Canadians with the Dinos.

The third member of the trio named a divisional all-star was Toronto Argonauts centre Peter Nicastro.

The 27-year-old Nicastro earned his second all-star nod after starting all 18 games for the team for the third straight season. He has missed just one game in the past four years. A graduate of St. Francis High School in Calgary, he did not give up a sack in the team's pass-heavy offence. He was a finalist for CFL Rookie of the Year in 2021.

Peter was also a starting member of the 2019 national championship team.

"It's always great to see former players go on and have success at the next level. Their accolades are well deserved, and I am very proud of them," states University of Calgary Head Coach Ryan Sheahan.

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Doing What It Takes to Become a Football Coach

Keegan Linwood wants to be a football coach. He has coached all over North America. He is now back home where it all started, Calgary.

A native Calgarian, Keegan played high school receiver at Henry Wisewood High School for former University of Calgary player and coach Cody Ehrmann.

The 30-year-old Linwood attended Mount Royal University from 2015 through 2019, graduating with a degree in sports management. While attending MRU, Keegan helped coach at his high school alma mater. He spent the 2020 COVID-19 year with the Calgary Colts of the Prairie Junior Football Conference.

The following year, Keegan secured an intern position with the University of Minnesota Gophers. As a defensive intern, he broke down film and helped with practice plans and defensive cards. At Minnesota, he was part of the 2021 team that won the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, defeating West Virginia 18-6 in Phoenix, Ariz.

Not one to stand still in his goal of becoming a better coach, Linwood moved to Division III Heartland Conference member Bluffton University in Ohio as a graduate assistant receivers coach. He spent the next two seasons at Kent State University as a defensive graduate assistant, helping with linebackers in 2023 and defensive backs in 2024.

In 2025, Keegan secured his first full-time job in the profession. He became the running backs and tight ends coach at Muskingum University, a small private school in NCAA Division III football that competes in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

"My education visa ran out, so I reached out to Coach Sheahan about being able to coach. Coming back to Calgary made the most sense as I am back with my family," stated Linwood, who joined the Dinos this year as assistant receivers coach and an offensive assistant who helps run the scout team.

"My goal is to take this profession as far as it will take me," Linwood said about his future, adding that he furthered his experience by attending numerous coaching clinics when time and finances permitted.

"I want to work hard to see the players grow," said Keegan, whose parents fully support his career goal of being a full-time football coach.

Sheahan is delighted to have Linwood on the staff.

"Keegan is a football coach, period. He's got the skills, savvy, and the drive to be great. He has been a tremendous addition to our program this year," said Sheahan.

Keegan Linwood, an example of doing what it takes to make himself a better coach and grow in the football coaching profession.

-UC-