EDMONTON – The Edmonton Elks have signed Americans Reynard Ellis (LB), Justin Rankin (RB), and Tony Tate (WR), the club announced Thursday.
The 25-year-old Tate spent the 2023 season with the Wroclaw Panthers in the European League of Football, where he recorded 895 receiving yards and ranked second in the league in touchdowns with 16 in 10 games.
The native of DeKalb, Ill., spent four seasons at Western Illinois University. As a senior he was named MVFC All-Academic First Team and All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Honorable Mention in 2021. In 37 career games for the Leathernecks, Tate totalled 157 receptions for 1,755 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Ellis appeared in 13 games for the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2022, recording 53 total tackles. The Alabama product previously played at Georgia Southern University from 2019 to 2021, where he was a first-team All-Sun Belt Conference selection by Pro Football Focus and named Fourth-Team All-Conference by Phil Steele in 2020. Ellis also spent one season at Furman University in 2017 before sitting out the 2018 season per NCAA transfer rules.
Rankin is coming off a standout 2023 campaign in the Indoor Football League, where he was a big part of the Bay Area Panthers first IFL National Championship title, while finishing second in the league in both rushing yards (923) and touchdowns (45). The Ohio native has spent three seasons in the IFL, playing with the Frisco Fighters in 2022 and the Bismarck Bucks in 2021.
Ummm… Didn’t we just post about RB Justin Rankin?! OH WELL!!
TOUCHDOOOWWWWNNN!#gameday | @meriwest | #BayArea | #goIFL | #football | #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/OBCjeiNtJX— Bay Area Panthers (@PanthersIFL) May 21, 2023
Collegiately, Rankin played for Northwest Missouri State in 2019, rushing for 1,050 yards and 13 touchdowns in 14 games for the Bearcats. He also spent three seasons at Kent State University from 2016 to 2018.
The Edmonton Elks will return to the field in 2024 for the club’s 75th CFL season.
The Edmonton Elks are proud members of the Canadian Football League, playing their home games at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta.
The club, officially renamed the Elks in June of 2021, has a tradition of excellence having won 14 Grey Cup championships (1954-56, 1975, 1978-82, 1987, 1993, 2003, 2005, 2015). Since its founding, the club has been community-owned and remains focused on providing outstanding football memories for Edmonton and all of Northern Alberta.
Elks Football…Our Team. Our City.