Northern exposure for former Warrior

After three years of knock-knock-knocking on doors, a pro team finally answered.

Darryl McBride, whose last UH season was in 2012, yesterday was assigned to the Edmonton Eskimos’ practice squad.

“I would have made the active (roster), but there are still more things I have to learn about the (CFL) game,” said McBride, referring to Canada’s wider field and 12th player on each side of the ball.

McBride was used as a running back, linebacker and safety during his three UH seasons. At UH’s pro day in 2013, he posted these numbers:
> 40-yard dash: 4.69 seconds
> Vertical jump: 35 1/2 inches
> Broad jump: 10 feet
> 225-pound bench press: 20 reps

That spring, he earned a tryout with the Philadelphia Eagles. After that, he attended CFL tryouts.

While pursuing his football dream, McBride was employed as a social worker in California. He and his girlfriend have a 1-year-old son, Aayden.

This year, he parlayed a tryout into an invitation to Edmonton’s training camp. In his first preseason game, he made an interception. The quarterback was Calgary’s Bryant Moniz, a former UH teammate.

“It was one of those right-time, right-place interceptions,” McBride said. Moniz has since been released.

Edmonton employs a 4-2-6 alignment. McBride, who initially was used at defensive end, now rotates between middle linebacker and weak-side linebacker.

“There were multiple stages — tryout, free-agent camp, mini-camp, training camp — and then to finally make the team, it was a grind process,” McBride said. “But I feel blessed.”

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