Last Month, He Stood Outside the Lions’ Facility Seeking a Tryout. Here’s How It's Going.

Freddie McGee III has been an underdog his entire football career.

In high school, he played all over the field and helped turn around a program at Salem that had been a bottom-feeder in Michigan Division 1 football for decades. In college, he walked on at Eastern Michigan—the same campus his parents roamed as athletes in the 1990s—and earned a full-ride scholarship after two years. Continuing his football career after college, McGee was named the Arena Football One’s Defensive Player of the Year as an undersized 5'9" cornerback in 2024.

But one thing has remained consistent over the years: his drive to make it to the NFL.

“I remember Freddie always talking about someday he was going to play on Sundays,” Kurt Britnell, McGee’s high school football coach at Salem, told Sports Illustrated. “And that has just always been his mindset.”

Now 28 years old, McGee’s dream still lives on. About a month ago, that dream made headlines across the internet as McGee stood outside the Lions’ facility asking for what he desires most: a chance.

On the morning of April 13, McGee woke up with a new idea. He ran over to Walmart to purchase a handful of Sharpie markers and a cardboard sign, and jotted down his football résumé in red and black ink.

“This is grit. No agent,” the sign read. “14 INT, 25 PBU, DPOY in AFL. Need 1 shot.”

A look at McGee’s sign from his day standing outside the Lions’ facility. | Courtesy of Freddie McGee III

“It wasn’t the best,” McGee said of his sign, in an interview with SI. “I’m not the most artistic guy, but I feel like it worked out.” 

McGee drove to the Lions’ practice facility in Allen Park, Mich., and set up camp nearby. Holding the sign as cars drove past, McGee aimed to grab the attention of scouts and front-office executives within Detroit’s building and let them know he’s hungry for an opportunity. To make sure that point got across, McGee wore cleats around his neck.

“If they were to say right then and there, ‘O.K., we’ll bring you in for a workout,’ I just want to be ready,” McGee said. “So I had some cleats. All I would have needed is maybe like a 10- to 15-minute stretch, and I was going to pop the cleats on and be ready to go.”

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McGee picked the right day to go. Lions general manager Brad Holmes was addressing the media that morning to preview the 2026 NFL draft. As media members rolled in, they all saw McGee standing on the corner asking for a tryout. ESPN’s Eric Woodyard asked McGee a few questions and posted the video to social media, a clip that now has nearly three million views and has been reposted to just about every platform from TikTok to LinkedIn.

Former EMU DB Freddie McGee III arrived outside of the #Lions facility around 8:45 a.m. with this sign and is hopeful for an NFL shot. He doesn't have an agent, but says he's in the best shape of his life. "God put it on my heart. I’ve had this goal since I was 5," he told ESPN. pic.twitter.com/uVCm7y8TyG
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) April 13, 2026

McGee had no idea that he was going viral that afternoon. His phone died after a couple of hours standing outside with the sign, and he would not have known he was all over the internet if not for a fan passing by and recommending he stays out there to make the most of his 15 minutes.

When he got back in his car, McGee’s phone was glitching due to the hundreds of notifications piling in once he turned it back on.

Over the next few days, McGee was overwhelmed with interview requests (including one from Sports Illustrated, of course). He appeared on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football and was all over the local news in Michigan.

It surprised McGee how viral he went for chasing his NFL dreams. But the moment didn’t exactly surprise two of his former coaches.

“I shook my head in a positive way with a smile on my face,” Britnell said of his reaction when he saw the clip of McGee standing outside the Lions’ facility. ”That’s Freddie. If you were to tell me 15 years ago that would be Freddie, I would be like, Yeah, I could see that.”

“I had no idea that he was going to do what he did,” Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton told SI. “I was surprised … but there’s also a part of me that was not surprised. That’s the same kid who knew he could walk on here and be successful. And so I don’t think that has ever stopped or changed. That’s just who he is. That’s how he’s wired.”

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While McGee didn’t hear from any Lions executives that day, many current and former NFL players reached out, including his college teammate Maxx Crosby and former Pro Bowl quarterback Jim Everett. Also on that list was Cowboys cornerback Josh Butler, whose story resonated with what McGee is trying to accomplish.

Butler played at Michigan State for four years from 2016 to ’19 but went undrafted in ’20 and, like McGee, never got a call from any team with interest to bring him in as an undrafted free agent. Butler spent a couple of years on the outskirts of the football world, even playing in the now-defunct Spring League in 2021. It wasn’t until 2023 that he received a call from Steve Kazor, a former NFL scout who was the general manager of the USFL’s Michigan Panthers. Butler played so well for the Panthers in 2023 that the NFL’s Cowboys came calling for a workout a few months later. He made the practice squad in 2023 and has stuck with Dallas ever since, appearing in six games over the past two seasons.

Butler remains under contract with the Cowboys in 2026. He got his chance and made the most of it. That’s all McGee wants.

“[Butler] reaching out sharing his story was pretty motivating; just let me know that, you know, it’s possible," McGee told SI. “He let me know that he was in my same position and it worked out for him. So it just kind of encouraged me to keep going and to keep the faith.”

McGee has been here before. Overlooked in high school, he committed to play for Creighton’s team at Eastern Michigan as a walk-on. After redshirting in 2016 and playing five games in ’17, Creighton had a surprise waiting for McGee in 2018 fall camp.

Gathering the team near midfield after practice on a hot afternoon in September, Creighton handed out three notes to his players from their high school coaches. Two of those notes, however, were not from former coaches—they read, “Get ready to scream really loud for Freddie.” The note McGee was given was written by Britnell informing him that he earned a full-ride scholarship at Eastern Michigan.

Among the first teammates to jump on McGee after he read his letter out loud was Crosby, now a star pass rusher for the Raiders.

“I was just so proud of him,” Britnell said. “He just had that blue-collar mentality all along and wasn’t going to be denied. And then to have Coach Creighton do it that way was just a cool story.”

“We don’t scholarship people who simply work hard, right?” Creighton said. “A lot of guys will come in like, Man, I’m going to work really hard. Yeah, you are. Darn right, you are. Everybody is going to. And so, you know, you have to demonstrate that you are actually helping us win on Saturdays in the fall.”

McGee was able to do so in short order as a walk-on.

Since his college days at Eastern Michigan—his final game was the Panthers’ 56–20 loss to Liberty in the 2021 LendingTree Bowl—McGee has put in his time on the gridiron. In 2023, he played for the Iowa Barnstormers of the Indoor Football League—the same team Kurt Warner played for in the mid-1990s before starting his NFL journey at 27 years old. McGee also suited up for the Salina Liberty, where he was Arena Football One’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Since his viral moment in April, McGee is still waiting for a call. No team has been willing to take a chance on him to this point. Two coaches that did take a chance on him and trusted him to win football games would like that to change.

“He has a deep-seated belief,” Creighton said. “He’s got great twitch. Change of direction. He’s got really good ball skills, which sometimes gets overlooked in the secondary. But, you know, the main thing is he’s going to be an awesome teammate. I mean, the guy’s got a smile on his face all the time. He’s just got that winner mentality and he will not go away. He will not give in and not give up. I’ve spent my whole career winning with guys like that.”

“He’ll do anything to help you win,” Britnell said. “Give him a shot. You can never doubt the heart of a lion. Let him prove you right and he’ll make you look good.”

McGee is still training like the opportunity is coming tomorrow.

“The mission is not accomplished yet,” he said. “I won’t be at peace until I get an opportunity. This is not the last that the world will hear of Freddie McGee III.”

As for the Lions? McGee, who grew up a passionate Detroit fan, is willing to do whatever it takes for a single chance. Listen up, Dan Campbell.

“I’d be willing to bite kneecaps,” McGee said with a laugh. “Consider it already done.”

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