Not long after Michigan State saw its first player selected in the 2026 CFL Draft, a second Spartan defensive back was announced.
Starting cornerback Malcolm Bell was selected No. 9 overall in the first round by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, getting an opportunity to return back to Canada where he grew up to play professional ball and chase a second straight Grey Cup with the reigning champs.
Just 16 picks later, Michigan State defensive back Devynn Cromwell was selected by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Like Bell, Cromwell has a chance to return back to Canada, where he grew up in Toronto, to play professional football.
Welcome to Hamilton, Devynn Cromwell 🔨 #CFLDraft | @PlayToonieBet pic.twitter.com/b2xfFXbKAA
— Hamilton Tiger-Cats (@Ticats) April 29, 2026
If the name doesn’t sound familiar, it’s because Cromwell didn’t play as much as he expected after transferring over from Texas Tech. With the Red Raiders, he recorded 20 tackles over nine games but he missed four due to an injury. He then committed to Jonathan Smith and Michigan State as the No. 129 safety in the transfer portal.
Cromwell played primarily special teams at Michigan State but spent some time at safety, too, appearing in all 12 games with one start. Most of his snaps came on special teams, but he had almost 100 in the defensive backfield.
It appears that he’s going to head back home to play for the Tiger-Cats who haven’t won the Grey Cup since 1999 but have played for one several times since.
Devynn Cromwell joins other Spartans in the CFL
Michigan State has sent several players to the CFL over the years, most notably BJ Cunningham who was one of the most decorated receivers in Spartan history. He played seven years in the league before retiring back in 2022.
Arjen Colquhoun played in the CFL for five seasons as well and so did star running back Jeremy Langford who’s a Big Ten and Rose Bowl champion. He spent a year in the CFL.
However, there’s one current Spartan in the CFL outside of the recently-drafted Bell and Cromwell, and that’s offensive lineman Jarrett Horst who’s signed with the Montreal Alouettes for the 2026 season. He was one of those linemen in East Lansing that played with a mean streak and it often got him in trouble with the refs. He was known to get a couple unnecessary penalties every game.
Cromwell’s decision to play in the CFL should be easy seeing as he didn’t have any NFL opportunities awaiting. Bell faces a more difficult choice as he holds a minicamp invite from the Browns.
Soon, there could be three Spartans in the CFL.
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