ALEXANDER REACHES THE TOP AS GEORGE REED MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER; PHILPOT SHINES AS MOST OUTSTANDING CANADIAN
Record-setting season earns major accolades for the Alouettes duo
TORONTO (November 5, 2026) – Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander has received the highest honour in the Canadian Football League (CFL) – the George Reed Most Outstanding Player, while his primary target, wide receiver Tyson Philpot, is the Most Outstanding Canadian. The duo led the way as the Alouettes marched to a league-best 14-4 record.
Alexander entered rarified air in his second year as the full-time starter in Montreal, becoming the second Alouette to pass for 5,000+ yards, joining legend Anthony Calvillo. Across 16 starts, he compiled 5,257 yards and a 72.1 completion percentage, while throwing 35 touchdowns to just four interceptions. The Gig Harbor, Wash., native led the league with 37 completions of 30+ yards. The former Portland State Viking is the seventh Montreal player to capture the honour, alongside Pat Abbruzzi (1955), Hal Patterson (1956), George Dixon (1962), David Green (1979), Mike Pringle (1998) and the team’s current Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach, Calvillo (2003, 2008-09).
Philpot rewrote CFL history in his fifth season. In 16 games, he set new Canadian records in receiving yards (1,809) and receptions (124, which also ranks third-most all-time). With 13 touchdowns, the former Calgary Dino more than doubled his previous career-best of five, while recording seven 100-receiving yard+ games. The native of Delta, B.C., is the sixth Alouette to be named top Canadian, joining Terry Evanshen (1967), Gerry Dattilio (1980), Nick Arakgi (1984), Ben Cahoon (2002-03) and Henoc Muamba (2019).
During Montreal’s annual team photo, the pair surprised one another with the news, while knowing nothing of their own achievement. The moment is part of the CFL’s refreshed approach to recognizing award winners in lieu of a traditional awards ceremony, offering fans a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the people and stories behind the statistics and accomplishments.
As part of a revamped awards process, every player who received a vote for team awards advanced to the final ballot for the corresponding CFL Award. The finalists were voted on by the same pool of local members of the Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) who determined team award winners, as well as national members of the FRC. In total, 52 votes were counted. Complete ballots can be downloaded below.
2026 MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER – COMPLETE RESULTS
(Name | 1st-2nd-3rd votes | Total points of a max 260)
- Davis Alexander (MTL) | 40-12-0 | 236 points
- Tyson Philpot (MTL) | 12-30-4 | 154
- Cody Fajardo (EDM) | 0-4-11 | 23
- Nathan Rourke (BC) | 0-1-18 | 21
- Vernon Adams Jr. (CGY) | 0-1-6 | 9
- Chad Kelly (TOR) | 0-2-3 | 9
- Trevor Harris (SSK) | 0-1-3 | 6
- Brady Oliveira (WPG) | 0-0-4 | 4
- Adarius Pickett (TOR) | 0-1-0 | 3
- Clarence Hicks (CGY) | 0-0-1 | 1
- Justin Rankin (EDM) | 0-0-1 | 1
- Tyler Snead (MTL) | 0-0-1 | 1
2026 MOST OUTSTANDING CANADIAN – COMPLETE RESULTS
- Tyson Philpot (MTL) | 48-1-2 | 245 points
- Nathan Rourke (BC) | 4-29-7 | 114
- Brady Oliveira (WPG) | 0-16-26 | 74
- Jalen Philpot (CGY) | 0-2-4 | 10
- Tyrell Ford (EDM) | 0-1-3 | 6
- David Ungerer III (TOR) | 0-1-1 | 4
- Vincent Blanchard (EDM) | 0-1-0 | 3
- Geoffrey Cantin-Arku (MTL) | 0-0-3 | 3
- Joel Dublanko (EDM) | 0-0-3 | 3
- Kian Schaffer-Baker (SSK) | 0-1-0 | 3
- Mathieu Betts (BC) | 0-0-2 | 2
- Kevin Mital (TOR) | 0-0-1 | 1