VANCOUVER — The BC Lions Football Club announced Monday evening that it has agreed to terms on a contract with international linebacker Micah Awe.

Awe (6’0”, 220) returns to the Leos after a notable and productive rookie campaign with the club in 2017. Appearing in all 18 regular season games, the final nine of which were as a starter at the outside linebacker position, the hard-hitting defender tallied 54 tackles with another 16 on special teams along with a tackle for a loss, a pair of pass knockdowns and a forced fumble.

“Micah reached out to the club about the possibility of a return and we’re very pleased to have him back,” said Lions GM Ed Hervey. “As a free agent who had a very impressive CFL debut last year, he had the opportunity to potentially sign with any club in the league and I believe his desire to return to the Lions speaks to the culture we are building here in BC.”

A remarkable student while enrolled at Texas Tech, Awe graduated with a degree in Petroleum Engineering and also proved to be a quick study of the Canadian game, notching back-to-back season high nine-tackle performances versus Hamilton on September 22 and against Ottawa on October 10 while finishing the year with an eight-tackle outing versus Toronto.

The former Red Raider was released by the Lions this past January to pursue a NFL opportunity with the New York Jets.

The BC Lions are back at BC Place this Saturday, Aug. 25 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.