Former North Carolina A&T player Mac McCain has signed with the Saints.
Mac McCain, a former North Carolina A&T defensive star, has signed with the New Orleans Saints, according to a team release on Thursday. McCain joins the Saints after spending last season with the Carolina Panthers.
According to SaintsWire, the Saints have cut cornerback Faion Hicks, who was a backup on last year’s practice squad. As a result, they need someone to cover snaps during training camp next month. McCain will have to battle for playing time with some of the Saints’ other excellent defensive backs.
During his 20-game career at North Carolina A&T, he recorded 113 tackles (66 solo), 8 interceptions, 22 pass breakups, and 30 pass deflections. He also had 374 interception yards in his career and was nominated for the Buck Buchanan Award in 2019. McCain is also the grandson of Franklin McCain from the Greensboro Four. This group of four North Carolina A&T students took part in the historic 1960 Woolworth lunch counter sit-in protest, which was a watershed moment in the civil rights movement.
McCain was not taken in the 2021 draft, but he signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent before being waived and joining the Philadelphia Eagles. McCain made his Eagles debut in week 3, against the Dallas Cowboys.
In the 41-21 loss, he played 13 special teams snaps. Interestingly, he was also on the team when the Eagles lost 21-18 to the Carolina Panthers in Week 5. Darryl “DJ” Johnson Jr., a Panthers defensive lineman and another ex-Aggie, played in the match.
McCain was released by the Eagles on November 9, 2021, and returned officially on a reserve/future contract on January 18, 2022. He remained on the roster in 2022 and played in the Super Bowl 57 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He and teammate Javon Hargrave were two of four HBCU grads on the active Super Bowl roster.
McCain hopes to make an impression on a team and become the next major NFL player from North Carolina A&T. He expressed his goal to succeed in the NFL during a pre-draft interview with the Washington Post in 2021.
“I’ve been overlooked my whole life or put on the back burner,” Mr. McCain remarked. “But I took advantage of every opportunity that presented itself. I know when that one NFL team gives me an opportunity, I’ll get everything I’m looking for.”
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