The Edmonton Elks have signed one of the stars of the Netflix docu-series ‘Last Chance U,’ American quarterback Malik Henry.
A former four-star recruit who committed to Florida State, Henry was forced to depart the Seminoles after being suspended for violating team rules as a true freshman. His attempts to resurrect his collegiate career at Independence Community College became one of the focuses of the extremely popular streaming series’ third and fourth seasons, as he frequently clashed with coaches.
The six-foot-two, 200-pound pivot played 12 games over two seasons with the Pirates, completing 52.4 percent of his passes for 1,620 yards, 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, adding a pair of rushing scores. However, he lost his starting job in his second year with the team.
Henry transferred to the University of Nevada in 2019, playing in three games and making two starts. He completed 42-of-78 pass attempts for 593 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions but did not return to the school for his senior year in 2020.
The 25-year-old passer has since focused his attention on arena football, joining the Frisco Fighters of the Indoor Football League in 2021 and throwing for 778 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions as a rookie. He began the 2022 season with the Jacksonville Sharks of the National Arena League before being released and signing with the rival Carolina Cobras, throwing for 1,836 yards and 38 touchdowns between the two teams.
Henry had a breakout year for the Cobras in 2023, throwing for a league-leading 3,116 yards and 60 touchdowns while leading the franchise to the NAL championship game. He recently signed with the Albany Firebirds of the revived Arena Football League but will forgo that opportunity to come to Canada.
The Inglewood, Cal. native is far from the first ‘Last Chance U’ alumni to make his way to the CFL, the most successful of whom is Saskatchewan Roughriders’ strongside linebacker C.J. Reavis. Fan favourite defensive tackle Ronald Ollie has had unsuccessful stints with Toronto and Edmonton, defensive lineman Tim Bonner had brief success with the B.C. Lions, and receiver Calvin Jackson Jr. and defensive end T.J. Johnson were in training camp with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last year.
The Elks will open the team’s 75th anniversary season on Saturday, June 8 by hosting the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
