The XFL has now completed all six Showcase events scheduled for this summer. The goal was to find talent to invite to the XFL Combine, taking place July 25-27 at the league’s home base in Arlington, Texas. Around 200 players are expected. Throughout the process, XFLBoard.com has been tracking invitations that have been made public by the league or the players on social media. We’ve profiled 25 of them in previous articles:
With the Combine taking place this week, below are more bios on players reported to be taking part in the tryout. Listed here are the offensive players; a separate post with defensive players will be published soon.
*QB Sam Castronova (Bethel University): Out of NAIA Division l Bethel University, Castronova set numerous records at the college level before turning pro. He attended the DC Showcase of the XFL in 2019 in preparation for the 2020 season. Castronova ended up in the National Arena League, where he was the NAL Championship MVP in 2022.
*QB Ivory Durham (Valdosta State): The pint-sized Durham (5’8″, 199 lbs) was a dual-threat QB at Division II Valdosta State and was Dane Brugler’s 58th ranked QB in the 2023 draft class per The Athletic. Though no NFL team came calling after the draft, he signed on with the Edmonton Elks of the CFL in March.
*QB DJ Golatt, Jr. (Bowie State): A Morgan State transfer who ended up at Bowie State, Golatt attended the HBCU Legacy Bowl all-star game during the lead-up to the 2023 NFL Draft. His work there, as well as in college, led to an invitation to Baltimore Ravens mini-camp in May.
*QB Matthew McKay (Elon): McKay was a 12-game starter for the Phoenix in 2022, completing 61% of his passes for 21 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Though he finished his career at the FCS level, he also attended North Carolina State before that. McKay attended mini-camp with the Dallas Cowboys this spring.
*QB Hunter Raquet (Colorado State-Pueblo): CSU-Pueblo is becoming a place to know in football circles. The Division II college has churned out a number of players who have received NFL tryouts and have participated in alternative leagues. Another QB with a solid TD:INT ratio in 2022 (27:4), Raquet got a local call in May to attend mini-camp with the Denver Broncos.
*RB Marcus Cooper (Incarnate Word): After a breakout 2022 campaign where he ran for over 1,400 yards and 12 touchdowns in Incarnate Word’s powerful offense, Cooper found himself as the 98th-ranked RB by Brugler. It earned the 5’7″ Cooper a rookie mini-camp look with the Seattle Seahawks.
*RB Jerry Howard, Jr. (Towson): Unlike others on this list who may be too small or too short to get a serious NFL look, that’s not a problem for the bruising 230-pound Howard. He played at Georgia Tech before his time at Towson and in the spring of 2022, signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent. In the fall of ’22, he was signed by the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL.
*RB Justin Stockton (Texas Tech): It’s odd to see Stockton on this list given the vast amount of film available on him. A veteran of spring leagues, Stockton’s tour-de-force has taken him from the NFL to the AAF to the XFL in 2020 to the IFL to the CFL to the USFL, where he was released by the Memphis Showboats in April.
*WR Dallas Daniels (Jackson State): Daniels played at four colleges in five years, putting up solid numbers at each stop. An invitation to the prestigious East-West Shrine Game all-star bowl allowed Daniels to show out, impressing Pro Football Network draft analyst Tony Pauline, who remarked that “Daniels leaves Shrine practices with a higher draft grade than when he arrived…”. The 80th ranked receiver in the draft class by Brugler, the Denver Broncos signed Daniels as an undrafted free agent but he was released after rookie minicamp.
*WR Ryan Davis (Auburn): Like Stockton, Davis also participated in the XFL in 2020 as a member of the Tampa Bay Vipers. Since then, he has been in the CFL with the Ottawa Redblacks. Davis was initially signed by the New England Patriots as a UDFA in 2019 after setting the school record for receptions while at Auburn.
*WR Peter Afful (Washburn): Wide receiver number 191 on Brugler’s list for 2023, Afful was seen by NFL scouts at Kansas’s pro day. He ended up with the Kansas City Chiefs as a tryout player at mini-camp. Afful finished his career at Washburn with a 19.4 yard per reception average on 63 catches.
*WR Marcell Barbee (Texas State): Barbee entered 2022 coming off two straight 40-catch seasons, but had just 21 in the fall. He played four fewer games due to injury that year, which accounts in part for his statistical drop. Ultimately, coming back to school for another season didn’t pay off. Barbee can return punts as well. He was the 177th ranked receiver by Brugler.
*WR James Harden (Tyler Junior College): No, not THAT James Harden. This Harden has made a name for himself too, though, by camping out in front of NFL team facilities with signs asking for an opportunity to make the roster. While that strategy has proven unsuccessful so far, Harden has kept in shape by playing in various semi-pro leagues as well as in the FCF.
*WR Javon Hayes (Fairmont State): Three strong seasons in a row to end his college career catapulted Hayes into the FCS Bowl and Tropical Bowl post-season all-star games. In 2018, 2019, and 2021 (the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19), Hayes had 40+ catches in each. He took part in an XFL Showcase last summer.
*WR Deion Holliman (Missouri State): Holliman is another player who has experience in alternative leagues. He was with the Arizona Hotshots of the AAF in 2019, the DC Defenders of the XFL in 2020, and was in the draft pool for the USFL in 2022. Holliman excelled as a kick returner at Missouri State, setting a conference record for kick return yardage in a single season.
*WR Kahlil Lewis (Cincinnati): Lewis was a frequent target for Bearcat quarterbacks during his time in Cincinnati. In 2019, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons as a UDFA and also spent time that summer with the Seahawks. He was a key cog in the Houston Roughnecks offense in 2020, catching 24 passes in just five games. He moved on to the CFL and USFL but is back trying to get another opportunity in the XFL.
*WR Kenny Lewis, Jr. (Morehead State): A graduate transfer from West Virginia Wesleyan, Lewis quickly adjusted to Morehead State in his only season there. He caught a pass in all 11 games in which he played, tallying 498 yards and five touchdowns on the season. Lewis also displayed an aptitude for returning kicks and punts.
*WR Ryheem Malone (Louisiana): Malone joins Lewis as another former Roughnecks trying to get his foot back into the XFL door. In 2020, he caught eight passes for 37 yards. Malone played for Louisiana after playing two seasons at SMU. In what seems like an antiquated notion today, he had to sit out the 2016 season, such were the transfer rules at the time.
*WR Traveon Samuel (Memphis): A 5’6″ RB/WR combo, Samuel played at Memphis after enrolling at Louisville and then Troy University. In December of 2020, Samuel was added to the roster of the Carolina Cobras of the NAL. Most of the damage done by Samuel in college came as a kick returner.
*WR Quian Williams (Buffalo): Williams started for two seasons at Buffalo after transferring from Eastern Michigan. He was an All-MAC Third Team selection in both seasons, seasons in which he recorded more than 60 catches. Williams was receiver #165 in Brugler’s rankings and in May was added to the training camp roster of the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.
*TE Kalias Robertson (Alabama A&M): If nothing else, you have to admire Robertson’s tenacity. He was part of the XFL’s draft pool in 2019 but was not selected. Robertson told XFL Board he tore his Achilles in a workout prior to being signed by the LA Wildcats for 2020, causing that opportunity to dry up. In early 2022, he was also a part of the USFL’s first draft pool. Last summer, he was a participant in the XFL’s first HBCU Showcase, even getting his photo taken with league Chairwoman Dany Garcia.
*OT Darian Bryant (Virginia Union): Though he played tackle in college, he projects to guard in the pros (ranked #85 there by Brugler). Bryant was part of a line that paved the way for the leading offense in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (Division II). Bryant himself was a First-Team All-CIAA pick and was invited to Pittsburgh Steelers mini-camp.
*OT Osaro Eromosele (New Haven): The starting left tackle in every game his last two seasons at New Haven, Eromosele transferred from Southern Connecticut State after the 2017 season. He participated in the IFL with the Tucson Sugar Skulls in 2021. He also went to training camp in the CFL with the Ottawa Redblacks this year.
*C Hunter Kelly (Charlotte): An attendee of the XFL Florida Showcase in 2022, Kelly found himself in last November’s draft pool, but was not selected. A center/guard combo ranked number 65 at guard by Brugler when Kelly came out of college in 2022, he was invited to try out at rookie minicamp with the Carolina Panthers that May. Kelly started at center and left guard with Charlotte for two years after transferring from Penn State where he was a three-time member of the Big 10 all-Academic team. He’s currently a member of the Massachusetts Pirates of the IFL.
