Screaming Eagles add first two players

[Nevadanut]

October 10, 2016 -- Defensive back Antion McBee has become the first ever player signed by the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles.

Head coach William McCarthey announced the signing on twitter. He also tweeted that the team has also brought in former Brigham Young tight end Devin Mahina.

With the Screaming Eagles' structure of fan voting for all aspects of the team, fan scouts are involved in reviewing and voting for players which will comprise the team, which will begin play in February 2017. The actual IFL league schedule is expected to be announced shortly.

McBee played free safety for Southwest Baptist University, located in Bolivar, Missouri was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Washington Redskins of the NFL, but was later released. The 6'2", 210-lb. McBee hails from St. Louis, Missouri.

As a senior, he recorded 25 tackles, 9 interceptions and a fumble recovery. For the season, he was named to the Don Hansen Football Committee 1st Team All-American squad, as well as a D2CCA and D2Football.com 2nd Team All-American. He registered 50 total tackles and an interception as a junior during the 2014 season, and had 34 tackles and a fumble recovery as a sophomore.

Mahina, a native of Ontario, California, is a 6'6", 265-lb. four-year player at Brigham Young. He caught 20 passes for 244 and 3 touchdowns during his senior season in 2014. Over his career at BYU, he tallied 46 receptions for 554 yards and 5 touchdowns. He signed with the Washington Redskins of the NFL on May 2, 2015, but was waived on August 31, 2015.

With his size, the Screaming Eagles could utilize him as a receiver or a lineman.

The Screaming Eagles will play their home games at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah, near Salt Lake City.

- HMB


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[Kasey]

a guy who can intercept nine passes in a 10-game season in college could be primed for a primary role on an IFL team. i like his size for a DB. a lot of receivers out there are well over six feet tall. having a 6'2" DB can help to lessen the threat.

Mahina is intriguing. i bet with his size he did a lot of blocking in college (i'm not familiar with BYU's offense). they could use him at several positions.

thanks, Heidi, for being the first to break this news. glad you're on top of it!

[David]

Sounds like SL's management is going the method of signing the palyers, then letting the fans pick from the player pool to construct the roster.

It'll be interesting, especially since Mahina is an in-state product (BYU), if SL decides to sign more Utah college players to stimulate interest in the area.

[Nevadanut]

Oct 11, 2016 10:50:26 GMT -8 Kasey said:

a guy who can intercept nine passes in a 10-game season in college could be primed for a primary role on an IFL team. i like his size for a DB. a lot of receivers out there are well over six feet tall. having a 6'2" DB can help to lessen the threat.

Mahina is intriguing. i bet with his size he did a lot of blocking in college (i'm not familiar with BYU's offense). they could use him at several positions.

thanks, Heidi, for being the first to break this news. glad you're on top of it!

I was surprised when I saw their story today. I like what we've done. It was really cool to have the story on here first.

[Nevadanut]

Oct 11, 2016 13:38:48 GMT -8 David said:

Sounds like SL's management is going the method of signing the palyers, then letting the fans pick from the player pool to construct the roster.

It'll be interesting, especially since Mahina is an in-state product (BYU), if SL decides to sign more Utah college players to stimulate interest in the area.

That's what it seems like. They have scouts who put together like a basic roster, and fans will be able to vote on players, probably by position. Mahina is from Southern California, but has the BYU connection. It wouldn't surprise me to see Utah, Utah St, BYU and Weber St. guys added to the roster.