Kristian Matte | Running Backs & Assistant Offensive Line Coach

Kristian returns for a second season guiding the Lions’ running backs and also adds assistant offensive line duties to his coaching portfolio. His first season on staff saw the Lions’ offence finish with a CFL-best 6.1 yards per carry and third overall with 2,042 yards on the ground. James Butler’s 1,213 rushing yards also ranked in the top three among CFL tailbacks.

Kristian joined the coaching ranks in 2025 on the heels of a brilliant 14-year career as a player with the Montreal Alouettes where he served as a long-time anchor on the offensive line. Selected seventh overall by Montreal in the 2010 CFL Draft, Matte suited up in 190 regular season games- good for eighth on the team’s all-time list- over the next 14 seasons. A two-time Grey Cup champion (2010, 2023) and two-time East Division All-Star (2019, 2021), the former Concordia Stinger saw action at guard and centre over his CFL playing career.