The Soul will start Greg McGhee at quarterback tonight against Baltimore in place of Dan Raudabaugh, who is out with an “upper body” injury.

During last week’s loss to Albany, Soul veteran quarterback Dan Raudabaugh went down with what a team spokesperson described as an “upper body” injury. He was placed on injured reserve but could return at some point this season.

The team said his injury is “day-to-day.” The Soul backup McGhee will get his first career AFL start tonight, Friday May 25 against the Baltimore Brigade at Royals Farm Arena (7″00 PM).

After getting their 20-game home winning streak snapped, the Soul (3-2) travel to take on the first-place Baltimore Brigade (3-1) that can be watched on AFL Now and AFL Facebook Watch Page. This will be the third meeting between the two teams this season. The Soul beat the Brigade 54-49 in Week 1, with the Brigade taking the second game 31-21 back in Week 4.

Every quarterback yearns for one thing: Opportunity. For some players, including Soul’s backup Quarterback Greg McGhee, theirs doesn’t come right away. Now with just under half of the 2018 season remaining, McGhee will get his chance.

McGhee began playing football at age six but developed a stronger passion for basketball. Upon entering Pittsburgh Perry High School, McGhee planned to pick between playing football or basketball.

“My dad convinced me to play football in high school and continue to play both sports,” said McGhee. “He said I would be able to handle both and it ended up being for the best.”

Although McGhee focused much of his time on basketball, he received a letter of interest from the UCLA football team during his junior year. McGhee was shocked as even more letters came in heading into his senior season, where he led his team to the state playoffs and recorded a total of 2,977 yards and 36 touchdowns. After some deliberation, he decided to verbally commit to the University of Pittsburgh where the Head Coach at the time, Dave Wannstedt, saw his potential. Unfortunately, McGhee’s scholarship offer vanished, as Wannstedt was forced to resign from Pitt.

It was time for McGhee to go to Plan B: Howard University.

“They just came off a 2-10 season and they had a new coach coming in so there was a lot of opportunity,“ said McGhee when asked why he chose Howard.

When McGhee joined the Bisons, they had only won four games over their last three seasons and were 0-24 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). However, on October 1, 2011, McGhee threw three touchdown passes, rushed for another, and led the Bisons to their first conference win since 2007. McGhee continued to lead the team, not only on the field, but off it as well. His coaches spoke highly of his work ethic in the weight room, as well as his role in strengthening the team’s culture. In 2014, he was named MEAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year and led the conference in total offense with 3,235 total yards in his senior season. In his 43 career games at Howard, McGhee completed 731 of 1,296 pass attempts for 7,589 yards and 49 touchdowns, and gained 2,579 rushing yards on 535 carries with 26 touchdowns. Many stories posted by Howard Athletics refer to McGhee as one of the best quarterbacks in school history.

As his time at Howard ended, McGhee knew he wanted to continue playing football. Before he even graduated from Howard in February of 2015, McGhee signed with the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League as their backup quarterback. He completed their camp in 2016, but was released by the Lions and picked up by the Montreal Alouettes. McGhee didn’t get his chance to start in Montreal either as he was released at the conclusion of their mini-camp.

Finally, McGhee caught the attention of Soul Head Coach Clint Dolezel and Assistant Head Coach/General Manager, Phil Bogle.

“Greg’s athleticism, strong arm and good decision-making skills definitely stood out to us,” said Bogle. “We are looking forward to his debut at starting QB this weekend.”

McGhee was eager to add the Arena Football League to his resume and signed to the team as backup quarterback. Although McGhee knows he has big shoes to fill, he feels confident and excited for the upcoming game in Baltimore.

“I’m so blessed, this is every backup quarterback’s dream,” said McGhee. “It’s something you dream about and wish for and now it’s my turn.”