After a decorated Division II career at Emporia State, Toronto Argonauts receiver Tyler Kahmann has made his mark early in 2026 in the Canadian Football League.
In his first season seeing game action, the 25-year-old is tied for the league lead with five receiving touchdowns while adding 24 receptions for 357 yards, as he’s fully embraced the Canadian game.
“I love the CFL game, I absolutely love it,” said Kahmann on First Up with Aaron Korolnek and Carlo Colaiacovo Friday morning.
“The amount of space you have and the freedom that you have to go make plays and just, what we call it in college, finding grass. Just run to open space; it’s awesome.”
The 6-foot-3, 206-pound wideout played three seasons at Emporia State, putting up big-time numbers. He recorded 248 receptions for 3,258 yards and 49 touchdowns, while finishing his final season with a school record 1,488 yards, the fifth most in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) conference history.
Kahmann joined Toronto late last year and didn’t see any game action, but used that time to prepare for what is now becoming a breakout season.
“I got up here late last season, and really spent a lot of that time just learning the offence and learning how to motion and waggle,” said Kahmann. “It really helped me going into the season. Some guys were hurt early on in training camp, so I got a lot of reps with Chad [Kelly] and the other receivers. It really helped me progress throughout training camp and into the season.”
Despite a loaded, veteran receiver room that features Americans Damonte Coxie and Makai Polk, and Canadians Kevin Mital and David Ungerer III, Kahmann has still been able to make an impact and build a rapport with Kelly.
“Playing with Chad, it’s been awesome,” said Kahmann. “Chad’s really fun to play for because of the way he just wants you to make plays. He’ll throw the ball down the field and let you go make a play.
“Early on in training camp, there were times I was struggling with the offence; he really helped me out. I sat down with him a couple times, and he’ll tell you what he wants you to do on specific looks, and I like that. I wanna know exactly what you want. And as the season’s gone on, I just feel like I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable.”
Despite the success of Toronto’s offence that finds itself at the top of most stat categories, the team comes into Saturday’s matchup against the BC Lions on TSN at 2-4. It also marks the final game for the Argonauts away from BMO Field, as they are set to return home for Week 10.
“We’re, we’re fired up for sure. I think everybody’s pumped and ready to return home,” said Kahmann. " It’s been tough, I guess, travelling every week, but I think it’s part of football in general. We all knew coming into the season that we were gonna have to do this, so it’s not like a surprise or anything. I don’t think we can use it as an excuse; we just gotta go out and win games."
