BC Lions linebacker Darnell Sankey has been named the Canadian Football League’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player, it was announced on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old finished his brilliant season with a league-leading 114 tackles along with three quarterback sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Sankey joins Canadian Football Hall of Famer Willie Pless as the only two players in CFL history to collect more than 100 tackles in three consecutive seasons.
The sixth-year veteran, who has also spent time with the Calgary Stampeders (2021), Saskatchewan Roughriders (2022) and Montreal Alouettes (2023-25), also set a career high in pass knockdowns with 12 and finished with four tackles for a loss.
Sankey becomes the 11th member of the BC Lions to capture the award and this marks the 16th time the award has been handed out to a member of the team. The most recent Lion to be named MODP was lineman Mathieu Betts, who earned the honour in 2025.
Sankey’s contributions on the defensive side helped the Lions finish fourth in defensive scoring (26.9 points per game allowed). They had the league’s top rush defence (71.3 yards per game allowed) and were second-best in overall yardage allowed (355.6 yards per game).
The native of San Jose, Calif., finished atop MODP balloting with 27 first-place votes and 158 points overall. Toronto Argonauts DB Adarius Pickett finished second (99 points), and Stampeders defensive lineman Clarence Hicks finished third (94 points).