{"id":666486,"date":"2026-05-13T10:49:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T10:49:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/666486\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T10:49:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T10:49:20","slug":"blue-bombers-training-camp-day-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/666486\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Bombers Training Camp | Day 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just about eight hours south and east of Princess Auto Stadium \u2014 straight down Highway 75 to I-29, then a slight turn at Fargo all the way to Mankato \u2014 is the home base of the Minnesota State University Mavericks.<\/p>\n

That Division II school\u2019s most notable football alum is long-time Minnesota Vikings receiver Adam Thielen, but it has also gifted Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans with last season\u2019s Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Rookie\/Most Outstanding Special Teams Player in Trey Vaval.<\/p>\n

And this smaller program which calls the 7,500-seat Blakeslee Stadium home may soon be providing the Blue Bombers with another player in cornerback Alijah McGhee, the former member of the Ottawa RedBlacks, who has been running with the starters through the first three days of training camp.<\/p>\n

It turns out Vaval and McGhee have more in common than just calling Minnesota State their alma mater.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Alijah McGhee<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing. Who would have thought?\u201d McGhee told bluebombers.com in a chat this week. \u201cI mean, this is a nine-team league, and you could be anywhere, so I see it as a blessing to continue playing with him again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to continue to grow together as teammates and brothers. It\u2019s fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vaval was even more giddy at the possibility of lining up with a guy that not only was a teammate, but who lined up beside him in the Maverick secondary back in the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he called me and told me that he was coming here it was like, \u2018Oh, yeah\u2026 it\u2019s time to renew this s\u2013t and rock out,’\u201d Vaval said with a grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat player. When I first moved to that school he was one of the guys I clicked with instantly. My very first game playing with him he had a Pick-6 touchdown, fumble recovery touchdown\u2026 he went absolutely crazy and was named the D-2 Player of the Week.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just kept building on that. It\u2019s great that he\u2019s back up here with me. Great player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most Blue Bombers fans are well aware of Vaval\u2019s story by now \u2014 how he wedged his foot in the door here last year and not only started some games at corner but exploded as the most dangerous kick returner in the entire league.<\/p>\n

McGhee\u2019s path to Winnipeg has taken a similar path. After starring at Minnesota State, he was first selected by the XFL\u2019s Houston Roughnecks in the 2023 rookie draft but didn\u2019t sign there, instead hooking up with the RedBlacks.<\/p>\n

Over the last three years he suited up for 19 games in Ottawa before being released late last summer. But the Blue Bombers liked his size \u2014 6-1, 187 \u2014 and his ability to play corner and inside and signed him last November the day after the Grey Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s real long and athletic and always brings good effort,\u201d said head coach Mike O\u2019Shea. \u201cI just look at that first day of conditioning and he\u2019s out there leading the pack.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then you get a guy with some pro experience \u2014 you certainly want, if you can, bring guys in that understand our game. It is difficult in those positions; you\u2019ve got to pick it up quickly if you\u2019re new to the CFL so if you get a chance to get a guy who has seen it before it\u2019s a plus.\u201d<\/p>\n

McGhee\u2019s approach here now in Winnipeg is the same as so many others in training camp: stack one good day after another and keep grinding.<\/p>\n

And if he had any doubts after his exit from Ottawa, they were soon allayed when the Blue Bombers came calling.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThat felt great,\u201d said the 26-year-old product of Warner Robins, GA. \u201cI mean, when you hear that Winnipeg has interest, you immediately get excited. I couldn\u2019t wait to get to work as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always good to have a fresh start and come to a place where they have a great winning culture. I just want to implement myself the best way I can, follow the coach\u2019s playbook and just be the best player I can be for my teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a professional athlete, you know nothing is guaranteed,\u201d he added. \u201cAfter being released I just took it day by day, but I also looked in the mirror and asked what I could do better. I wouldn\u2019t say I had sadness or doubt crept into my mind, but I will say I just wanted to get back to work.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I did look in the mirror, I also had to tell myself I am a good football player. If one team doesn\u2019t want you, another does sometimes. That\u2019s just how it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vaval, who authored such a sensational year in 2025 as a double CFL award winner, spoke this week about how he follows his own act.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Trey Vaval<\/p>\n

He spoke about his comfort level compared this time last year \u2014 both with his surroundings and the playbook. But his approach, and his goals for this year, speak volumes about the second-year Blue Bomber.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mindset is still the same \u2014 I\u2019m not on this team, I\u2019ve got to make this team and do the best I can every single day,\u201d he said. \u201cI have the same mindset as when I first got here because if you don\u2019t do that or when you get too comfortable that\u2019s when you get gone.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the goal for this year? I just want us to win the Grey Cup. That\u2019s the only thing I\u2019ve got in my mind right now. Of course, I want to play to the best of my ability to help my team out but it\u2019s all about getting that cup. That\u2019s everything.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just about eight hours south and east of Princess Auto Stadium \u2014 straight down Highway 75 to I-29,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":666487,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-666486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=666486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666486\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/666487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=666486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=666486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=666486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}