2025 Training Camp Preview: DBs / LBs
March 5, 2025 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release
The Quad City Steamwheelers return several key players in the defensive backfield, including linebacker Alan Arslanian and defensive backs Trey Smith and fan-favorite Malik Duncan. The defense also adds new faces Chris Chunkwneke, Brian Lee Jr., LaTraviaus Kingsland, Cejai Parrish, and Dayvia Gbor, entering their first IFL seasons. One new addition, Camron Harrell, comes in after a successful first season with Sioux Falls and a successful collegiate career.
Linebackers
Alan Arslanian
5'10 / 220 - Akron
Entering his second season with the Steamwheelers, Arslanian looks to make even more of an impact. In his first season, he played in four games and recorded 33 total tackles, 27 solo and 12 assisted, 1.5 tackles for loss, two pass deflections, and one fumble recovered.
Collegiately, Arslanian played at the University of Akron for five years, from 2018-2022. In 45 games, he totaled 374 tackles, 177 solo and 197 assisted, 21.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, one interception, five pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovered. During the 2020 season, his performance earned him Second-Team All-MAC honors.
Brian Lee Jr.
6'3 / 230 - Maine
Lee Jr. enters his first season in the IFL with the Steamwheelers and looks to bring his competitiveness and intelligence to the Quad City defense. He is a linebacker with the range to make plays from sideline to sideline with the help of his speed.
Lee Jr. spent two seasons at Saint Francis University, where the linebacker played in 23 games with the Red Flash and recorded 81 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one interception. After transferring to the University of Maine, he played 20 games in two seasons for the Black Bears and had 94 total tackles, 40 solo and 54 assisted, 8.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and one pass deflection.
Defensive Backs
Malik Duncan
5'9 / 255 - Saint Francis University
Duncan, a Steamwheelers legend, returns to the team for his fourth season with Quad City after re-signing in the offseason. In his IFL career, he has consistently made plays, totaling 185 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, 21 pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.
Before becoming a cornerstone for the Steamwheeler defense, Duncan played four years at Saint Francis University from 2014-2017. There, he registered 147 total tackles, 96 solo and 51 assisted, five tackles for loss, one sack, seven interceptions, 36 pass deflections, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
Trey Smith
6'0 / 180 - Sam Houston State
Smith returns to the Steamwheeler defense in 2025 after a very productive 2024 season. In 2024, he recorded 43 total tackles, 31 solo and 24 assisted, four interceptions, and six pass deflections. In the home opener game against Sioux Falls, he snagged the game-sealing interception in the endzone that capped off a 38-32 Steamwheelers victory in overtime.
In three seasons at Sam Houston State, Smith played in 26 games for the Bearkats and had 47 total tackles, 35 solo and 12 assisted, one tackle for loss, one interception, two pass deflections, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Camron Harrell
5'10 / 185 - Southern Miss
Harrell joins the Steamwheelers for the 2025 season after spending the previous season with the Sioux Falls Storm. In 11 games, he registered 41 total tackles, 30 solo and 23 assisted, two tackles for loss, one interception, three pass deflections, and one touchdown. He also returned kicks and had 21 returns for 434 yards, with an average of 20.7 yards per return.
Harrell spent one year at the University of Iowa before transferring to the College of DuPage for the 2019 season, where he recorded 56 total tackles, three tackles for loss, nine pass deflections, and two interceptions in nine games played. Harrell then flipped to the University of Southern Mississippi, where he played 32 games between 2020 and 2022. In three seasons with the Golden Eagles, he recorded 86 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, eight pass deflections, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Chris Chunkwneke
5'11 / 195 - James Madison
Chunkwneke enters his first season in the IFL with the Steamwheelers, bringing even more athleticism to the defensive backfield. In high school, he also played running back, showcasing his skill set and athleticism on both sides of the ball. Chunkwneke can also run from sideline to sideline with a lot of range all over the field.
Collegiately, Chunkwneke played five seasons between 2019-2023 with the James Madison Dukes. In 50 games, he recorded 153 total tackles, 73 solo and 80 assisted, 14 tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, eight pass deflections, one forced fumble, and six fumble recoveries.
Dayvia Gbor
5'10 / 183 - UMD and Duquesne
Gbor enters the 2025 season as an IFL rookie with the Steamwheelers.
Before joining the Steamwheelers, he played collegiately for three seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and one season at Duquesne University. With UMD, he played in 33 games, registering 61 tackles, 48 solo and 13 assisted, ten interceptions, and 27 pass deflections. In 2022, he earned First-Team All-NSIC (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) for intercepting seven passes and deflecting 11 more passes. With Duquesne, he played in all 12 games, where he recorded 47 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, three interceptions, six pass deflections, and one fumble recovered. His production earned him Second-Team All-NEC in 2023.
Cejai Parrish
5'10 / 190 - Northern Arizona
Parrish joins the Steamwheelers as another new face on the defense for 2025. This season will be his first in the IFL, but his physicality and ball senses will make him a force to be reckoned with on the Steamwheelers' defense.
Between 2018 and 2021, Parrish played 23 games in four seasons at Northern Arizona University. With the Lumberjacks, he recorded 73 total tackles, 45 solo and 28 assisted, 2.5 sacks, four pass deflections, and one forced fumble. He played the 2022 season at Upper Iowa University, where he had 47 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one pass deflected, and two forced fumbles. In his final collegiate season, he transferred to Southwest Baptist University, where in 2023, he had 46 tackles, two tackles for loss, and two pass deflections.
LaTraviaus Kingsland
5'10 / 195 - Midland University
A versatile defensive back, the 2025 season with the Steamwheelers will be Kingsland's first in the IFL. With his addition to the team, the defense adds another complete defensive back that can stop the run and battle with any wide receiver on any team.
Kingsland played collegiately at Midland University, where he was a standout. In his junior season in 2022, he played in all 11 games and registered 45 tackles, nine pass breakups, five tackles for loss, one interception, one fumble recovery, and zero touchdowns allowed. He earned a spot on the Second-Team All-Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) team for his efforts.
Indoor Football League Stories from March 5, 2025
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