Grant McDonald

College career

2017 (Maine) McDonald entered his freshman season for the Maine Black Bears as a tight end, a new position at which he had never played previously. During the Black Bears' 2017 season, he appeared in nine games with the majority of his playing time coming on special teams, where he recorded seven tackles and a forced fumble.

In his first career playoff game, he recorded a team-high nine tackles in the Dino's Canada West semifinal victory over Manitoba. The following week, in the Hardy Cup, he made eight tackles, including seven solo tackles, in Calgary's loss to Saskatchewan.

2019 (Calgary) After going 6–2 in the regular season, the Dinos won four playoff games en route to becoming Vanier Cup champions after their victory over the Montreal Carabins.

In the Vanier Cup, he led the Dinos with 11 tackles (five solo), as well as a pass breakup, in Calgary's 27–13 victory over Montreal. The win earned Calgary its fifth ever Vanier Cup title and its first since 1995.

He finished the 2019 season as the Dinos' leading tackler by a wide margin with 88 tackles, including 65 solo tackles, (second-highest Calgary tackler registered 52 tackles) and tied for the team lead in both tackles for loss (8) and sacks (4.5).

McDonald did not play football in 2020 after the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He finished his collegiate career with 149 tackles (109 solo), 14.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception. He was invited to the 2021 College Gridiron Showcase held in Fort Worth, Texas in January 2021.

Professional career

Edmonton Elks McDonald was the No. 13 draft prospect entering the 2021 CFL draft, per 3DownNation.

As a rookie, he appeared in 14 games for the Elks. In his professional football and CFL debut, he registered his best game of his rookie campaign, making four tackles on special teams against the Ottawa Redblacks. As a rookie, he made 16 special teams tackles on the season and led the Elks in special teams tackles.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats On May 2, 2022, McDonald was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats along with Kyle Saxelid and the second overall selection in the 2022 CFL global draft in exchange for the eighth and 28th overall selections in the 2022 CFL National Draft and the ninth overall selection in the 2022 CFL Global Draft. He played in all 18 regular season games during the 2022 season and contributed with eight special teams tackles.

After two seasons of professional football McDonald announced his retirement with the intention of pursuing a career as a fire fighter in his home province of British Columbia.

Career statistics

CFL

College

Personal life McDonald's father, Bruce, played CIAU football at the University of British Columbia, where he was a starting defensive back for five seasons, and was also drafted in the CFL. McDonald's younger brother, Ben, enrolled at the University of Calgary in 2020, where he is now a quarterback on the Dinos football team. At Calgary, he majored in Arts.