| Nic Cross | |
| Team: | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| Image Upright: | 0.9 |
| Status: | Active |
| Import: | no |
| Birth Date: | 22 June 1999 |
| Birth Place: | Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Number: | 39 |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 10 |
| Weight Lbs: | 210 |
| Cfldraftedyear: | 2021 |
| Cfldraftedround: | 1 |
| Cfldraftedpick: | 9 |
| Playing Years1: | –present |
| Honours: | U Sports First Team All-Canadian (2019) |
| Cfl: | nick-cross/166243/ |
Nic Cross (born June 22, 1999) is a Canadian professional football linebacker for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Cross first began his U Sports football career with the Regina Rams in 2017.[1] [2] After a strong performance in training camp, he started at sam linebacker for the Rams in their season opener and played in all eight regular season games as a rookie. He led the team in tackles with 33 and had 26 assisted tackles, a sack, an interception, and a forced fumble.[1] He also had six solo tackles and two assisted tackles in the team's Canada West Semi-final loss to UBC.[1] At the end of the season, he was named a U Sports Second Team All-Canadian and won the Peter Gorman Trophy as U Sports football's rookie of the year.[3] However, the awards were removed on June 20, 2018, after it was confirmed that he had failed a drug test due to testing positive for cannabis (a banned substance at the time).[3] He was also given a two-month suspension and was not eligible to return to play until January 4, 2019 (long after the 2018 season would have concluded).[4]
Cross joined the Okanagan Sun of the Canadian Junior Football League for the 2018 season.[5] [6] He played in four games where he had eight tackles, two assisted tackles, and one fumble recovery for a touchdown.[7]
Upon becoming eligible to return to play in U Sports, Cross transferred to the University of British Columbia to play for the Thunderbirds in 2019.[8] That year, he led the nation in total tackles with 66.5 and also had a sack and an interception.[9] Cross was subsequently named a U Sports First Team All-Canadian at linebacker.[9] He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the 2020 U Sports football season and remained draft-eligible for the Canadian Football League in 2021.
Cross was drafted in the first round, ninth overall, by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 2021 CFL Draft and signed with the team on May 21, 2021.[10] He made the team's active roster following training camp in 2021 and played in his first career professional game on August 5, 2021, against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, where he recorded two special teams tackles.[2] Cross played in 12 regular season games where he had two defensive tackles and led the team in special teams tackles with 17.[2] He also played in his first playoff game that year, in the East Semi-Final against the Montreal Alouettes, where he had one special teams tackle.[2]