Paul Geelen

Paul Geelen
No. 18 – Ottawa Redblacks
PositionPlacekicker
Roster status
Active
CFL status
Global
Personal information
Born (2003-03-14) March 14, 2003 (age 23)
Utrecht, Netherlands
Listed height
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight
205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High schoolHarper Creek (Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S.)
CollegeWilliam Jewell (2022–2023)
Southern Illinois (2024–2025)
NFL draft2026: undrafted
CFL draft2026G: 2nd round, 10th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
  • Second-team All-MVFC (2025)
  • First-team All-GLVC (2023)
  • Second-team All-GLVC (2023)
Stats at CFL.ca

Paul Geelen (born March 14, 2003) is a Dutch professional Canadian football placekicker for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Southern Illinois Salukis and William Jewell Cardinals.

Early life

Geelen was born on March 14, 2003 in Utrecht, Netherlands. He attended Harper Creek High School in Battle Creek, Michigan as an exchange student.

College career

Geelen played college football for the Southern Illinois Salukis from 2022 to 2023 and William Jewell Cardinals from 2024 to 2025. At William Jewell he served as the team's primary kicker and punter for two year. Geelen went 15-of-22 on field goals with a long of 49 yards and had an average of 40.0 yards per punt with a long of 62 and 29 kicks inside the 20-yard line. He earned first-team and second-team All-GLVC honors as a punter and kicker respectively.

Geelen then transferred to Southern Illinois University Carbondale for his final two seasons. As a junior, he converted 10-of-15 field goals with a long of 50 yards and made 24-of-27 PATs while averaging 43.1 yards per punt. Geelen also scored a touchdown on a fake field goal against Missouri State. In 2025, he went 15-of-17 on field goals with a long of 53 and averaged 40.8 yards per punt. Geelen earned second-team All-MVFC honors as a kicker.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand spanWingspan
6 ft 6 in
(1.98 m)		198 lb
(90 kg)		33 in
(0.84 m)		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		6 ft 7 in
(2.01 m)
All values from Pro day

Geelen was selected in the second round, with the tenth overall selection, by the Ottawa Redblacks in the 2026 CFL global draft. On May 17, he officially signed with the team. On May 31, Geelen was moved to the practice roster. On October 1, he was elevated to the active roster after the Redblacks traded Brett Lauther to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. In a loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Geelen converted three-of-four field goals and an extra point. On October 16, against the Toronto Argonauts, he kicked the winning PAT to snap a 22-game losing streak.

Notes

  1. ↑ Selected as kicker
  2. ↑ Selected as punter

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Paul GEELEN, K". stats.cfl.ca. Archived from the original on October 20, 2026. Retrieved October 20, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Paul Geelen - Football". William Jewell College Athletics. Retrieved October 20, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Jewell Football Earns Seven All-GLVC Honors". William Jewell College Athletics. November 21, 2023. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Paul Geelen - Football". Southern Illinois University Athletics. Retrieved October 20, 2026.
  5. ↑ Wheeler, Wyatt D. (November 2, 2024). "Missouri State football stays hot, throttles Southern Illinois". Springfield News-Leader. Archived from the original on November 7, 2024. Retrieved October 20, 2026.
  6. ↑ "2025 Missouri Valley Football All-Conference Teams". valley-football.org. November 27, 2025. Archived from the original on July 18, 2026. Retrieved October 20, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Paul Geelen College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved October 19, 2026.
  8. ↑ Heilman, Michael (May 2, 2026). "Ottawa Redblacks select punters Aidan Laros and Paul Geelen in the Global Draft". BGMSportsTrax. Archived from the original on May 10, 2026. Retrieved October 20, 2026.
  9. ↑ Weber, Tom (May 19, 2026). "Geelen signs with Ottawa Redblacks of CFL". Southern Illinoisan. Archived from the original on May 21, 2026. Retrieved October 20, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Ottawa Redblacks release former CFL all-star Dylan Wynn, 15 others". 3DownNation. May 30, 2026. Archived from the original on October 20, 2026. Retrieved October 20, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Ottawa Redblacks to start three new defensive backs against Tiger-Cats". 3DownNation. October 1, 2026. Archived from the original on October 1, 2026. Retrieved October 20, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Ottawa Redblacks set new CFL record for most consecutive losses to start season". 3DownNation. October 3, 2026. Archived from the original on October 3, 2026. Retrieved October 20, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Bryson Barnes breaks Ottawa Redblacks' record 22-game losing streak". 3DownNation. October 17, 2026. Archived from the original on October 20, 2026. Retrieved October 20, 2026.