B.C. Lions’ award-nominated linebacking duo draw Hall of Fame comparisons despite playoff status uncertainty

Photo courtesy: Steven Chang/B.C. Lions

Add together No. 42 and No. 53, and you’ll wind up with a sum of 95.

Coincidentally, that may be a perfect representation of where Darnell Sankey and Parker McKenna land on the list of the B.C. Lions’ best-ever linebacking duos, just a few digits shy of the legendary Team 100 tandem formed by Solomon Elimimian and Adam Bighill.

“That’s the Mount Rushmore,” defensive coordinator Mike Benevides told 3DownNation this week. “But I think when you look at the body of work, you look at the winning streak, you look at how the defence statistically stands, how it’s been against the run, how physical it is… There are a lot of similarities, for sure.”

It remains unclear whether the B.C. Lions will have their dynamic pair of linebackers intact for the start of the CFL playoffs on Saturday, but there is no questioning the impact they’ve already had. Sankey and McKenna have been a driving force behind the Lions’ defensive dominance in 2026, combining for 228 total defensive plays made.

Both players have a chance to take home national hardware as a result of their individual success. Sankey was named West Division All-CFL on Thursday and is one of three finalists for Most Outstanding Defensive Player. McKenna is on the same short list for Most Outstanding Rookie. Two linebackers from the same team have never won those awards in the same year, drawing the lofty comparisons to Elimimian and Bighill, who alternated M.O.D.P. honours with the Lions from 2014 to 2016.

“I know people make parallels and all the rest, but I’m going to use recent vintage with Biggie and Solly — those guys made a mark based on their intensity and physicality,” said Benevides, who served as B.C.’s head coach in the early days of Team 100.

“That’s one thing that in the fraternity, the guys that I trust that we play against, go, ‘Man, you guys are way more physical than we even thought.'”

Few would have predicted that the Lions would have multiple award finalists on defence with how they started the season. The team stumbled to a 0-3 start, fueled primarily by an inability to stop opponents. The calls for Benevides’ job were deafening.

Then a switch was flipped in a Week 5 victory over Edmonton. That also happened to be McKenna’s first career start at weak-side linebacker. The 25-year-old finished with six defensive tackles, two forced fumbles, and a pass breakup, never relinquishing the role.

“It’s part of the puzzle. You can’t say it was him (who caused the turnaround), but certainly his physicality, his ability to force fumbles, and just the attitude. You want that relentless attitude, that ‘I don’t give a f*** about anything, I’m going to go play,'” Benevides said of his top rookie.

“His physicality and his speed and intensity is kind of unmatched. He is physical. He’s fast. He’s relentless. He’s everything you want in a linebacker, and he’s been such a treat to be around.”

The Washington State product has only seen his role grow as the Lions found their form and sharpened into an elite unit. He’s amassed 75 defensive tackles, six special teams tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, two forced fumbles, and three batted passes.

That hasn’t surprised Benevides, who saw the potential for McKenna to be special long before the general public.

“Early in rookie camp, he’s wearing a little towel and doing his movement skills. I kind of looked to our staff, and I said, ‘Hey, doesn’t he move around and remind you of a young Biggie?'” he recalled. “He’s been outstanding, truly outstanding. For a young guy, not a lot of mistakes, man. He really learned; he adapted. We’re not a simple defence. We ask a lot of our linebackers. It’s a very linebacker-intrinsic defence. He did outstanding.”

The downside of McKenna’s emergence is that he has made himself irreplaceable. The Lions are now feeling that pinch ahead of Saturday’s West Semi-Final, as the Beaverton, Ore., native is listed as questionable to play after missing all three practices with a head injury. While he still has time to clear protocol, the potential gap looms large.

Thankfully, the Lions know that Sankey will be in the mix come hell or high water. The 32-year-old proudly claims that he has never missed a game or a practice with injury in his CFL career, and has proven it this year by playing the majority of the season with an injured right hand engulfed by a club.

“He’s basically had that thing since Week 3. He’s shedding blocks. He’s knocking down. He’s making tackles. The man is literally playing with one hand,” Benevides emphasized. “I give him a hard time, and I’ve teased him about missed interceptions, but just think about that — he’s played 15 games with one hand. That also shows you the toughness because in today’s world, I think people are getting soft. ‘Oh, I got one hand, blah blah blah. Maybe I miss a game or two.’ He hasn’t missed a lick of practice, a lick of meeting time, nothing. He’s exactly the epitome of what our defence stands for.”

Despite spending half the team’s tape budget on coverage for his damaged extremity, Sankey finished the season as the CFL leader in total tackles and defensive plays. He has been responsible for 114 defensive tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, a forced fumble, 12 batted passes, and an interception.

The now four-time divisional all-star was billed as a culture-changer when he arrived in B.C. this offseason, stating that he would turn the Lions into the CFL’s best defence. He has arguably delivered on that promise, with his vocal leadership and Grey Cup experience becoming the core of the unit’s identity.

“He’s the first one in the room. We have to unlock the building to let him in before 6 a.m., and he’s here late. I was excited to have him, but he’s just so much more than what I expected,” Benevides raved.

“(Darnell has) meant so much in terms of accountability, toughness, just a relentless pursuit of excellence. Sometimes guys get complacent. It’s a long season; I get tired. What Darnell has is an old soul in him. He reminds me a lot of when I had Alondra Johnson early in my career. Don’t mess with him. His toughness is there. He’s meant a ton because he’s been a mainstay. He’s been consistent.”

Votes have already been cast for all major CFL awards, so a trio of Hall of Fame comparisons won’t affect the stock of either defender. It does drive home just how essential they could be to the Lions’ Grey Cup push, something which has not occurred since 2011.

Though the tandem’s best days were in the future, that was the first season where both Elimimian and Bighill were on the Lions roster. As good as they’ve been, McKenna and Sankey are still chasing their status.

“If we can do it again one more year, maybe we could get to their level,” Benevides said of his current duo. “It’s something to strive for.”

The B.C. Lions (10-8) will host the Saskatchewan Roughriders (10-8) for the West Semi-Final at BC Place Stadium on Saturday, October 31, with kickoff scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET. The teams met three times during the regular season, with Saskatchewan winning the matchup in Regina, and B.C. winning both games in Vancouver.

The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 620 CKRM in Regina and 730 CKNW (English) or Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600 (Punjabi) in Vancouver.