Traditionally, during the CFL Global draft, teams focus on loading up on specialists. However, in recent years, the Tiger-Cats have bucked that trend and selected at least one positional player in the last few Global drafts. On the other hand, the Tiger-Cats came into the 2026 CFL Global draft with a wealth of offensive and defensive linemen from the 2026 CFL draft the day before, and they had an immediate need at punter.
Therefore, it makes sense that the Tiger-Cats used both of their Global draft picks to select punters who made their mark at Power 4 schools in college. The Tiger-Cats have essentially set up a 1-on-1 competition for their punting job during training camp, and Hamilton benefits from both players being classified as Global players rather than needing to use a Canadian or American player. Both of the punters selected by the Tiger-Cats are from Australia, and Australian punters are traditionally known for their pinpoint accuracy on punts to control field position.
1st Round, Pick 5: Punter Nick Haberer, Vanderbilt
Punter Nick Haberer comes to the CFL after spending time in the SEC while playing at Vanderbilt University. While playing at Vanderbilt, Haberer demonstrated the ability to produce elite hang-time on his punts and an exceptional ability to control the direction of his punts to pin opponents back deep in their own end of the field. Coming into training camp, Haberer is the front-runner to take over punting duties for the Tiger-Cats.
In the second round of the Global Draft, the Tiger-Cats selected another punter similar to their first-round pick. Like Haberer, McCarthy grew up in Australia playing Australian rules football. This background has enabled him to execute both a traditional “pro-style” punt and a “rugby-style” punt. McCarthy gives the Tiger-Cats confidence they will find a full-time punter in training camp. With competition between these punters, camp will likely yield even better performances from both.
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Aaron Sauter is a 23-veteran high school football coach that is also an fan of all levels of football. He is especially interested in alternative football leagues like the CFL, UFL, and IFL. Aaron enjoys analyzing innovative schemes on offense and defense during his free time.
