VERMILLION, S.D. - University of South Dakota senior wide receiver and return specialist Jeremy Blount inked a professional contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League, the team announced last Friday.

Blount, a 5-9, 157-lb., Tampa, Fla., native, exhausted his eligibility with the Coyotes this past fall and certainly made his mark on the Coyote program. Blount earned second team all-conference honors this season as he finished second on the team in receiving yards with 467 and tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns with five. He was fourth in the league in kick returns at 21.5 yards per return, but finished second in the league in kick return yards with 644.

He entered the season just 47 return yards behind James Vann (1985-89) for the most kickoff return yards in school history. Blount finished his career with 1,950 return yards as Vann is second with 1,353. In addition, he also finished in the top three in career punt return yards with 715 as he is second behind Tom Berry (1978-80) with 968 punt return yards.

The Blue Bombers went 10-8 last season and won the East Division. They finished runner-up in the Grey Cup with a 34-23 loss to the BC (British Columbia) Lions. Winnipeg opens the 2012 season at Montreal in a preseason contest June 14, while the regular season opens June 29 in a rematch of the Grey Cup at BC.