LAKE CHARLES – Former McNeese running back and the 2022 Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Deonta McMahon, has signed a contract to play professionally with the 2022 Grey Cup Champion Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and will report to training camp in the coming day.
 
In addition, Cowboy linebacker Amaud Willis-Dalton accepted an invitation to the Chicago Bears Rookie Camp, which will be held on Friday and Saturday.
 
"I am very happy for both of these young men," said Cowboys head coach Gary Goff. "They are not only great players but great young men. They both have amazing work ethic and are excellent teammates. It is no surprise that they both are getting a chance to play professionally. I'm excited to watch their careers take off."
 
A native of Frostproof, Florida, McMahon played three seasons for the Cowboys after beginning his collegiate career at Butte College.
 
He earned Second Team All-America honors by STATS in 2022 along with being named the SLC's Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference honors.
 
The Southland Conference rushing champion, McMahon ranked No. 2 in the FCS and first in the Southland with 171.8 all-purpose yards per game. He rushed for 1,408 yards on the season for a 128.0 per game average which ranked him 5th in the FCS while pulling in 210 receiving yards, second-most on the team. He also led the Cowboys with 272 kickoff return yards. He was the first Cowboy to reach the 1,000-yard rushing milestone since 2015.
 
The 1,408 rushing yards was the second-most in a single-season in school history.
 
McMahon rushed for 100 yards or more seven times on the season including three straight games to end the season where he ran for 211, 197 and a career-high 239 during that span for an average of 216 per game. His 7.4 yards per carry average ranked fourth in the nation and No. 1 in the conference.
 
He led the conference and ranked 20^th in the nation with 12 rushing touchdowns, and with 14 total touchdowns scored, ranked No. 1 in the SLC and 14^th nationally. In addition, the ranked second in the FCS (1^st in SLC) with 171.8 all-purpose yards per game.
 
McMahon rushed for a career-high 239 yards in a season final win over Lamar for his second 200-yard rushing game on the season, both coming in the final three games. He was the only player in the league to achieve that mark multiple games.
 
In his McNeese career, he rushed for 2,155 yards and 21 touchdowns, ranking 12^th and 11^th respectively in school history. He also caught 59 passes for 519 yards in his career.
 
The Argos will begin their Rookie Camp on May 10 for a three-day stint that will include veteran quarterbacks and first-year CFL players before rosters are cut down to 85 on May 13. The first practice with veterans will be on May 14 and two days later, the roster will trim down to the final 75 plus non-counters.
 
A Cypress, Texas native, Willis-Dalton played one season with the Cowboys after transferring from the University of Houston where he played in over 30 games.
 
As a Cowboy in 2022, he started all 11 games, recorded 67 tackles with two sacks and 6.5 tackles for a loss. He intercepted two passes, returning one 35 yards to set up a touchdown. He also broke up two passes, forced a fumble and recovered a loose ball.
 
He recorded 10 tackles twice in the year – vs. Texas A&M-Commerce and at Houston Christian.