Photo: Texas Athletics
The B.C. Lions have signed American receiver and returner Silas Bolden and American linebacker Parker McKenna.
Bolden finished his collegiate career at the University of Texas in 2024, where he made 23 receptions for 267 yards and one touchdown and added 30 punt returns for 315 yards. His most notable performance came in the Peach Bowl when he recorded a 75-yard punt return touchdown, which was the tenth-longest in Longhorns history.
The native of Fontana, Calif. had stints with the Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans in 2025, though he didn’t see regular-season action with either team.
The five-foot-eight, 160-pound speedster started his collegiate career at Oregon State, where he was twice named second-team All-Pac 12. He caught 80 passes for 1,076 yards and nine touchdowns over 37 games with the Beavers and led the conference with 599 kick return yards in 2022.
Bolden is the younger brother of Victor Bolden Jr., who had a stint with the Lions in 2025. He previously played 13 regular-season NFL games with the San Francisco 49ers.
McKenna played his final two collegiate seasons at Washington State, where he made 122 total tackles, six tackles for a loss, three sacks, one interception, two pass breakups, and one fumble recovery over 25 games.
The six-foot, 220-pound defender previously played at Portland State, where he made 190 total tackles over 26 games.
The Lions hold the seventh overall pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. B.C. will play its first preseason game against the Edmonton Elks on Saturday, May 23 and its first regular-season game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday, June 13.
In 2025, B.C. finished second in the West Division standings with an 11-7 record. They beat the Calgary Stampeders in the West Semi-Final but lost the West Final to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Franchise quarterback Nathan Rourke threw for 5,290 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions to be named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player.
