Six players from HBCU Showcase invited to XFL Combine

Saturday marked the first of six XFL summer Showcase offerings, this one held at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia, specifically for players from HBCU schools. This is also the only Showcase that has sold out in advance thus far, with over 100 players taking part.

The goal for these players is to receive an invite to the XFL Combine, which will be held in Arlington’s Choctaw Stadium from July 25-27. Impressing there can lead to players having their names entered into the fall XFL draft pool. On their recent call with agents hosted by Inside the League, XFL Senior Vice President of Player Personnel Doug Whaley and Senior Director, Player Administration and Officiating Russ Giglio mentioned they’re expecting to host around 200 players at the XFL Combine.

In a tweet on the XFL’s main Twitter account, Whaley mentioned that six players from the HBCU Showcase have already been invited to the XFL Combine based on their performance Saturday. Others could follow. The XFL has maintained a degree of secrecy around participants at these Showcases both last year and this year. @OffScript_Vidz, whose Twitter bio lists them as an “HBCU Sports Content Creator,” covered the HBCU Showcase and offered plenty of video and insight on their page. They also confirmed five of the six players from the Showcase who were invited to the XFL Combine. The other was named by D210 Sports out of Dallas (h/t to @jaythecakethief for the tip). Those six are:

*WR Tamarick Vanover Jr. (Morehouse College): Vanover participated in the XFL Showcase in Florida last summer. A 2019 graduate of Morehouse, Vanover ran into difficulties getting his football career off the ground due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was set to play for the Cedar Rapids River Kings in the Indoor Football League in 2020 before the season was canceled. He then signed with the Tucson Sugar Skulls in late 2021. His father, Tamarick Vanover, was a third-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1995 and played six seasons in the NFL.

*RB Stadford Anderson (Alcorn State): A member of the 2022 NFL Draft class, Anderson was listed as 5’10” and 224 pounds at his pro days last year. He ran a 4.74 40-yard dash. A transfer from Northwestern State, Anderson averaged 4.7 yards per carry in his senior season of 2021, scoring four touchdowns in eight games. In three years at Northwestern State, he gained 953 rushing yards and registered a 4.1 yards per carry average. Anderson was the 126th-ranked RB in the 2022 Draft, per The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. He also attended the XFL’s HBCU Showcase in 2022.

*RB Tyler King (Edward Waters): King landed at Edward Waters after being dismissed from Marshall’s football team in 2019 for “violation of team rules and policies.” Prior to that, he had impressed for the Thundering Herd. He didn’t see much action for Edward Waters in his lone season there, carrying the ball just 89 times, though he found the end zone on seven occasions. King participated in the HBCU Legacy Bowl in the lead-up to the NFL Draft. He ran the ball twice for 10 yards and caught one pass for 18 yards in the game, though he also impressed in practices leading up to the contest. According to the tweet linked above, King ran a 4.43 40-yard dash time at Saturday’s Showcase.

*LB Joshua Reed (Grambling State): The 6’0″, 227 pound Reed ran a 4.88 40-yard dash at Grambling’s pro day in March. He’s coming off a season in which he notched 86 tackles, eight tackles for loss, a sack, forced fumble, and fumble recovery. Reed first attended Blinn Community College before transferring to Grambling for his final three years. He had planned to move from BCC to Tennessee, but an ill-timed injury changed those plans. He was listed as an “HBCU Prospect to Know” by Pro Football Network ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft. In Brugler’s 2023 Draft Guide, Reed was listed as the #185 linebacker prospect.

*LB Joseph Stuckey (North Carolina A&T): Stuckey came in just 10 spots below Reed in Brugler’s linebacker rankings for the 2023 NFL Draft, at #195. He measured 5’11” and 219 pounds with no 40-yard dash time at his pro day per Brugler. A three-year starter, Stuckey has two 70+ tackle seasons under his belt. A strong-side linebacker for the Aggies, he has three interceptions to his name in his career, along with 17.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Despite the lack of a 40-time, his profile on the NC A&T website notes he can run it in 4.5 seconds.

*DB Jai-Nunn Liddell (Kentucky State): Like King, Liddell also played in the 2023 HBCU Legacy Bowl prior to the NFL Draft. Nunn-Liddell had five tackles and a pass break-up during the game. A few of the scouting reports I’ve managed to find on Nunn-Liddell laud his tackling ability and his on-field intelligence. Perhaps most appealing is his size: He was listed as 6’2″ and 190 pounds on the Bowling Green football website, where he played before transferring to Kentucky State. He also had a short stop at Troy University prior to BG. DraftDive.com compares him to CB Joshua Williams of the Kansas City Chiefs.