Ayers To Begin Second CFL Season In Winnipeg

Michael Ayers, former Ashland University All-American linebacker, will begin his second Canadian Football League season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers when their 2025 season opens on June 12.
 
In 17 games during the 2024 regular season (two starts), Ayers recorded 11 defensive tackles, 17 special teams tackles, a sack and an interception. He finished the season fourth in the league in special teams tackles, and scored his first professional touchdown on a fumble return on Aug. 24 vs. the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
 
The Blue Bombers' 38-22 home win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western Final saw Ayers record one special teams stop. He played in the 111th Grey Cup (CFL championship game), and in a 41-24 loss to the Toronto Argonauts, also had a special teams tackle, and had a blocked punt negated by penalty.
 
With nine teams in the CFL, Winnipeg has a bye in Week 1, and will start the new campaign at home on June 12 at 8:30 p.m. vs. the British Columbia Lions.
  
Ayers signed with Winnipeg on Feb. 2 after being drafted by the then-XFL Houston Roughnecks in June of 2023, and spending time with the National Football League's Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent.
 
All of that came after an impressive senior season in 2022 at Ashland in which he amassed 81 total tackles (48 solo), 10½ tackles for loss, three sacks, an interception, eight pass breakups, 11 quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
 
His 28½ career tackles for loss are tied for seventh-most in program history.
 
The long list of Ayers senior-season honors included:

• First-team American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-America selection, Ashland's first first-team All-American in five years and Ashland's first first-team All-American linebacker in 31 years.
• First-team linebacker on the 2022 D2Football.com Elite 100 Team.
• First-team All-Super Region 1 from the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA).
• Great Midwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
• First-team All-Great Midwest.
• Finalist for the Cliff Harris Award. 

Ayers twice led the Eagles in both total tackles and tackles for loss, and was the 2021 Great Midwest Defensive Player of the Year.