| No. 41 –Hamilton Tiger-Cats | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | (1997-04-03)April 3, 1997 (age 27) Saginaw, Michigan, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight: | 213 lb (97 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Heritage (Saginaw, Michigan) |
| College: |
|
| NFL draft: | 2020: 7th round, 249th pick |
| Career history | |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Roster status: | Active |
| CFL status: | American |
Stats atPro Football Reference  | |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
Brian Keith Cole II (born April 3, 1997) is an American professionalfootballlinebacker for theHamilton Tiger-Cats of theCanadian Football League (CFL). He playedcollege football atMississippi State.
Cole grew up inSaginaw, Michigan and played three games atMichigan as awide receiver and onspecial teams. He was released from the team in January 2016.[1] Cole transferred toEast Mississippi Community College and switched to defense, compiling 54 tackles, with 3 forced fumbles, 3 blocked kicks, a sack, and a fumble returned for atouchdown. He came to Mississippi State and sat out a season as an academic redshirt. During his junior season, he played five games before a torn pectoral muscle ended his season after five games As a senior in 2019, Cole tallied 67 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 pass breakups, and one interception.[2]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft1+3⁄4 in (1.87 m) | 213 lb (97 kg) | 31+3⁄8 in (0.80 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 4.52 s | ||||||||
| All values fromNFL Combine[3] | ||||||||||||
Cole was selected by theMinnesota Vikings in the seventh round with the 249th pick of the2020 NFL draft.[4] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Vikings on July 27, 2020,[5] and activated from the list on eight days later.[6] He was waived on August 26, 2020.[7]
On September 7, 2020, Cole was signed to thepractice squad of theMiami Dolphins.[8] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Dolphins on January 5, 2021.[9] He was waived on July 16, 2021.[10]
On August 5, 2021, Cole was signed by theCarolina Panthers.[11] He was waived on August 27, 2021.
Cole was signed by theSaskatchewan Roughriders on February 2, 2022, but was released with the finaltraining camp cuts on June 5, 2022.[12]
Cole was added to thepractice roster of theEdmonton Elks on June 28, 2022.[13] However, he was released from the practice roster on July 10, 2022.[12]
On July 13, 2022, Cole signed a practice roster agreement with theWinnipeg Blue Bombers.[12] He played in 37 games over three seasons with the Blue Bombers where he recorded 27 defensive tackles, 24 special teams tackles, one interception, and four forced fumbles.[14] He became afree agent on February 11, 2025.[15][16]
On February 11, 2025, it was announced that Cole had signed with theHamilton Tiger-Cats.[14]