Quentin Moten joins Ottawa Redblacks after standout Northern Arizona season

Ottawa did not sign Quentin Moten for upside alone. It signed him for proof. The Redblacks added the former Northern Arizona cornerback on May 18, and the case for the move is sitting right in his 2025 stat line: four interceptions, nine pass breakups, 33 tackles and a Big Sky-best 1.18 passes defended per game.

That kind of production travels. Moten’s four interceptions tied for fourth in the Big Sky and 17th in the FCS, but the detail that should matter most to Ottawa is where three of them came, inside the opponent’s 5-yard line. That is not padding. That is a defensive back changing games where offenses expect to breathe. In a league where field position and hidden possession swings decide playoff races, Ottawa is betting on a player who already showed he can steal points, not just collect tackles.

Moten’s one-year run in Flagstaff also says something bigger about Northern Arizona and the Big Sky pipeline. He started nine of 11 games for the Lumberjacks, earned All-Big Sky first-team honors, was named an FCS Football Central third-team All-American and picked up AP honorable mention All-America recognition. For a program trying to sell itself as a launch point for pro defensive backs, that is the exact résumé it wants to point to in living rooms and transfer conversations. One season, immediate production, and a direct jump to the CFL.

Ottawa’s own roster page lists Moten as a 24-year-old defensive back at 6-foot-0 and 185 pounds, born in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and wearing No. 33. The Redblacks’ transaction report showed he was one of five players added that day, alongside Zachary Barlev, Paul Geelen, Bryce Ramirez and Tyce Westland, while kickers Jayden Fielding and defensive backs Gavin Holmes and Cam Lockridge were released.

The signing comes as Ottawa’s 2026 camp returned to TD Place on May 10 and moved into open practices May 18-23, which gives Moten a quick runway before the Redblacks’ home opener June 6 against Edmonton at 7 p.m. ET. Ottawa is not waiting to see if his Northern Arizona tape translates. It is moving like a team that already believes the answer. Moten has already shown he can turn one strong FCS season into pro leverage, and Northern Arizona now has a cleaner recruiting pitch because of it.