#12 quarterback Quinten Dormady leads the Orlando Guardians, March 18, 2023
On November 16, 2022, former Central Michigan quarterback Quinten Dormady was assigned to the Orlando Guardians of the XFL. For Dormady, this was an opportunity to play professional football, and a chance to eventually play in the NFL.
Born in West Union, Iowa, Quinten Dormady played football, and baseball, for Boerne High School in Boerne, Texas, something he is very proud of.
“My father coached the football team,” Dormady said enthusiastically. Even over the phone, you could tell he had very close connections to his family.
As a high-school sophomore, in 2012 Dormady threw for 3,010 yards and 27 touchdowns. He missed his junior year with a torn labrum, however, in his senior year (2014) he threw for 2,893 yards and 32 touchdowns, including a whopping 409 yards passing in the season-opener.
Dormady committed to Tennessee in 2014 and made his college football debut as a freshman in the season opener against Bowling Green. In 2016, Dormady’s role diminished as he only appeared in four games, making his debut in the team’s win over Virginia Tech in the Battle at Bristol.
In 2017, Dormady was named as Tennessee’s starting pivot. In the first week of the season, in a win against Georgia Tech, Dormady threw for 221 yards and two interceptions. However, a nagging shoulder injury caused him performance problems on the season.
In 2018, Dormady transferred to Houston, but his play was limited due to continued shoulder problems. He soon transferred to Central Michigan in 2019.
In 2019, Dormady started in all ten games for the Central Michigan Chippewas completing 190 passes in 294 attempts for 2,312 yards and 14 touchdowns, against 9 interceptions.
With a college career under his belt, Dormady waited for interest from NFL teams. However, with the onset of Covid in the spring of 2020, his NFL career got off to a rocky start, especially with the cancellation of the Pro Day intended for his graduation class.
To get pro football playing time, on December 15, 2020, Quinten Dormady signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. Dormady left the Alouettes and had a chance to work out with the Green Bay Packers, however he was brought back to the Alouettes on October 14, 2021, after their starting quarterback Vernon Adams was injured. Overall, the stint in the CFL amounted to a positive experience, but it did not come with significant playing time. On May 9, 2022, he was released from his CFL contract.
When asked how he became interested in the XFL, Quinten explained, “It was when they invited me to a showcase, and I went to that showcase in Arizona. After that, they asked me to be a part of their quarterback pool and I began training.”
It was made official on November 16, 2022, when he was assigned to the Orlando Guardians. After that, Dormady was all in for the XFL, attending training camp in Arlington and learning the Guardians’ offensive schemes.
The “league of opportunity” first came knocking for Dormady when he made his debut in the 4th quarter of the Guardian’s first game of the season against the Houston Roughnecks, coming in as a backup for starter Paxton Lynch. Dormady was impressive, completing 12 of 18 passes for 142 yards, including a 51-yard pass to Andrew Jamiel that scored the second and final touchdown of the game for the Guardians. Dormady also threw two interceptions in the loss to Houston.
During the broadcast of that game, Guardian’s head coach Terrell Buckley reported that he planned to give Dormady playing time in the first game, and then bench him in the second game to test out the other Orlando backup quarterback Deondre Francois. Thus, the football world was completely aware of the Guardian’s week two plans.
Unfortunately, in their week two game against the San Antonio Brahmas, the Guardians were beat badly by a score of 30-12. Soon afterward, on March 3, 2023, it was reported that Dormady had been released from the Guardians for giving a rival team plays from the Guardians’ playbook. The next day Dormady was reinstated, which only serves to say his release was a complete mistake that had to be quickly reversed.
XFLBoard’s independent investigation revealed Dormady had been accused of revealing to a player on the Brahmas that he was not scheduled to play in week two. The accusation was that Dormady gave the Brahmas a chance to prepare for a non-Quinten Dormady offense. It was a ludicrous accusation, especially considering how the head coach had detailed the team’s plan publicly on the previous week’s broadcast.
Quinten Dormady was put in during the Orlando Guardian's week 1 game against the Roughnecks. Important to note in this video is how head coach Terrell Buckley made it known Dormady would play in week 1 and Deondre Francois would play in week 2. This decision was no secret. #XFL… pic.twitter.com/CZLcgOhqQe
— XFL News and Discussion @ XFLBoard.com (@xflboard) March 4, 2023
An independent law firm was brought in to investigate the affair. The result of that investigation was made on March 15, 2023, and it completely exonerated Dormady.
In talking to Quentin Dormady about this chapter of his XFL career, he clearly did not want to dwell on any negativity. He pointed out how during the time off he focused on getting back on the football field, and remained determined to reclaim his pro football opportunity when that day would come.
That opportunity came on March 18, 2023, when the Orlando Guardians visited the Vegas Vipers. When starting quarterback Paxton Lynch sputtered on offense, the Guardians called upon Quinten Dormady. Dormady rose to the occasion with an impressive 22 of 25 passes for 256 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.
“It felt good to put it together like that,” Dormady told XFLBoard. “Unfortunately, we did not win. We had a chance to make a play at the end but could not get it done. We did see how well we can perform on offense though.”
As reported in the Orlando Guardian, Dormady is scheduled to start the next game when the Guardians host the Seattle Sea Dragons at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium at 1:00PM ET on March 25, 2023.
When asked whether he was prepared for that game, Dormady spoke from a teamwork point of view. “We are working on mental preparedness. We need to sharpen our offensive skills and more importantly look after lapses in judgment,” Dormady said. “Also, the coaches have the whole team working on discipline in an attempt to avoid penalties, especially procedure penalties like false start. We think we will do better in the next game.”
Also to note the next game is a special opportunity for Dormady, as it will be aired on ABC, a broadcast network.
“I just hope we have plenty of fans in the stadium and at home and we are able to give them a good show,” Dormady said.
As for the XFL, Dormady said he was enjoying the special rules and appreciated the timing of the last two minutes of an XFL game.
“In the last game we were down by 9 points, and we had a chance to tie the game with a touchdown and a three-point conversion. We got the touchdown and came very close on the conversion. This is so unique to the XFL,” Dormady explained.
Certainly, the last two minutes of many XFL games this season have been especially exciting for football fans. It is definitely one of the success stories of this league.
Working out in the XFL hub in Arlington is a treat for Dormady as he has family in the area. When asked if boarding a flight with the opposing team to travel to the same game seemed strange, Dormady agreed it was a little weird, but it was all business.
“One team sits in the front of the plane and the other sits in the back,” Dormady explained. “Each team boards the plane using a different exit so the XFL sort of keeps the players apart.”
Dormady explained how league staff usually ended up in the seats in the middle, demarking the plane between the two teams.
“It’s very professional,” he added. “It’s a business trip for the players.”
Last weekend when the teams travelled to Las Vegas and back, it was a gruelling ordeal. Quinten explained that by the time everyone boarded the flight and flew back to Arlington it was nearly 6:00 AM when they returned to their accommodations. It may be a job for these players, but clearly, they are doing it for the love of football.”
As for the next home game in Orlando, Quinten Dormady is very excited to know his wife Julie and their three young children will be in attendance. “Julie’s parents live in Orlando and everyone is traveling there to take in the game,” Quinten explained.
We wish everyone safe travels, and hope for Quinten Dormady to receive the pro football opportunity he so deserves.
