The Roughriders lead all West Division teams with nine total all-star selections, as Milligan earned halfback and special teams honours.
Eight members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders have been named West Division all-stars as the CFL announced on Wednesday.
Quarterback Trevor Harris, receiver Samuel Emilus, guard Logan Ferland are among the offensive all-stars while defensive tackle Micah Johnson, linebacker Jameer Thurman, cover linebacker C.J. Avery, halfback Rolan Milligan Jr. and cornerback Marcus Sayles earned defensive honours. Milligan was also named the top special teams player.
With Milligan earning two all-star nods — which are now called as all-CFL selections by the league — the Roughriders lead all West Division teams with nine. The Toronto Argonauts also had nine in the East Division.
In his 11 starts, Harris guided the Riders to a 7-4 record while throwing multiple touchdown passes in eight games while eclipsing the 300-yard mark in six games. He joins Kent Austin (1990), Kerry Joseph (2007) and Darian Durant (2009, 2013) as Roughrider quarterbacks to earn West Division all-star honours since Ron Lancaster earned the recognition seven times from 1966 to 1976.
The 27-year-old was third in the league with 132 targets while ranking fourth with 87 receptions, as he racked up 1,064 yards, which was fourth among all West Division receivers. This season, Emilus had four receptions of 50-plus yards, which is the most since Derick Armstrong in 2002.
While making 11 starts this year at guard, Ferland has also lined up at tackle and centre this season but earned all-star honour at his natural position.
The 27-year-old Melfort product played all 18 games for the Green and White as the team gave up just 35 sacks, which ranks first among all CFL playoff teams and fourth overall. Ferland was also named the Roughriders’ top offensive lineman.
On the defensive side, Johnson earned his seventh career divisional all-star nod after another strong season where he put up 28 tackles, including four for a loss. His six sacks led the team and helped the Riders to the second most in the CFL with 38.
Anchoring the middle of the defensive line, the 36-year-old Johnson was part of a unit that allowed an average of just 80.3 rushing yards per game, which ranked first in the league.
In his first year with the Roughriders, Thurman made a huge impact helping lead a defensive unit that was among the CFL’s best. In 17 games, the 29-year-old middle linebacker racked up 78 tackles, three fumble recoveries, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one sack.
Beside Thurman, Reavis, 28, also had a strong season on the way to earning his first all-star nod as he racked up 106 total defensive plays.
The third-year linebacker led the team in defensive tackles (89), which was a career high. He also racked up five tackles for a loss, four sacks, three pass deflections, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
It’s the third divisional all-star nod for Sayles, who also earned honours in 2019 and 2022.
The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.
With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark leaderpost.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.