University of Guelph running back Johnny Augustine has been added to the Saskatchewan Roughriders negotiation list.

The Riders grabbed Augustine during the double secret neg list draft in December – it’s rare to see a Canadian taking up a neg list spot, which means Saskatchewan clearly has a strong interest.

Augustine had a strong performance at the CFL Combine in Regina last March in which he excelled in the pass protection and one-on-one receiving sessions. He was ranked No. 17 in the final version of the CFL Scouting Bureau, but after going unselected in the 2017 CFL draft, Augustine attended training camp as a non-counter with Edmonton. Each team can bring two Canadian players to training camp as long as they have not played a down in the CFL. Just like CFL draft picks, those players do not count as part of the team’s 75-man roster.

The 5-foot-10, 210-pound ball carrier returned to the Gryphons for his fifth and final USports year. Augustine rushed for 690 yards and nine touchdowns on 122 carries (5.7 yards-per-carry average). He played in 35 games for Guelph producing 2,742 yards and 28 touchdowns with 483 rushes.

Augustine saw more time on special teams in 2017 which should help his chances of making a pro roster.