Ticats receiver Myron Mitchell’s persistence pays off with first CFL touchdown

HAMILTON — Myron Mitchell never doubted himself or the process.

The 28-year-old receiver recorded his first CFL touchdown last week in the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ 26-19 home win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. It came not only in his 14th career regular-season game but also in his third season in Canada and with his second team.

“For me, (trusting the process) was everything,” Mitchell told ticats.ca Wednesday. “Just keeping a positive mindset to just keep going, knowing my opportunity will come.

“I don’t know exactly when, but as long as I just show up to work every single day, I’ll be prepared for whenever that moment presents itself. I could’ve easily given up two years ago, even a year ago, but I just knew (there) was something at the end of the tunnel … so now I just have to keep going, best foot forward and build off of that.”

Scoring in a second straight game would be big considering Hamilton (4-6) visits archrival Toronto (4-5) on Saturday night. With a win, the Ticats would not only earn sole possession of second in the East Division but also clinch the season series with the Argonauts.

Mitchell began his CFL career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2024, seeing action mostly on special teams over four games. He returned 11 punts for 62 yards and had eight kickoff returns for 144 yards.

He attended Winnipeg’s training camp in 2025 but was among the final cuts. Mitchell signed with Hamilton just over three months later but finished the season on the practice roster before being re-signed Nov. 26.

Mitchell’s football odyssey began long before he reached the CFL.

After graduating from high school in Alabama, Mitchell attended Butler Community College, where he spent two seasons before transferring to the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2018. After being bypassed in the 2021 NFL draft, Mitchell signed with the Minnesota Vikings and spent time on the practice roster before suiting up for a regular-season game that year.

Mitchell was released by Minnesota on Aug. 29, 2022 and signed with the USFL’s Michigan Panthers but was dealt to the Birmingham Stallions shortly afterwards. Mitchell came to Canada after being waived March 22, 2024.

Mitchell has registered 21 catches for 307 yards and a touchdown this season. He has also recorded six punt returns for 52 yards and four kickoff returns for 111 yards.

Mitchell had five catches for 51 yards versus Saskatchewan. Harrison Frost’s 27-yard TD strike to Mitchell in the first quarter opened the scoring.

And Mitchell knew even before the snap he was going to score.

“I actually scored in practice on that play,” he said. “I felt like once we showed it in practice day after day, it just gave everybody confidence, so as soon as we heard the call, we immediately knew it was going to be a touchdown.

“(Ticats receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr.) actually told me he’d meet me in the end zone. I got into the league in 2024; it’s 2026, so that should just tell you the type of work I put in … it felt like I worked for this exact moment, everything paid off, and my teammates were there to cheer me on.”

Mitchell is part of a deep Hamilton receiving corps that’s anchored by Canadian Kiondre Smith (37 catches, 537 yards — both team highs) and veteran Kenny Lawler (33 receptions, 452 yards, team-leading five TDs). The unit also includes Keric Wheatfall (34 catches, 492 yards, TD) and Gittens (33 catches, 339 yards, two TDs).

“This is a very unselfish receiver room,” Mitchell said. “Each receiver wants to see the other win.

“If Kenny goes for three touchdowns and we have two or three catches, we’re excited like we scored the three touchdowns. We know all five receivers can’t score every game, so whoever gets off we’re rooting for them, and when it’s our turn, it’s our turn.”

Last week’s victory was Hamilton’s first in three games. Now the trick is for both Mitchell and the Ticats to carry that momentum into BMO Field and earn a win over a division rival.

“I feel like just keep everything the same,” Mitchell said. “Don’t do too much, don’t do too little … just go out there and do your job, dial in on the details and just execute the play.

“I mean, it’s just football at the end of the day. We’ve been doing it for years.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2026.

The Canadian Press