Travell Harris, Washington State Cougars, Pac-12.
The XFL kicks off its 2023 season one week after the Super Bowl on Saturday, February 18. As rosters are being finalized it looks like 42 Pac-12 alumni will be among them.
Valuing Pac-12 talent the most are the Seattle Sea Sea Dragons, who have 9. That’s 50% more than the next two teams, the St. Louis Battle Hawks and Houston Roughnecks, who have 6 each.
Four teams, the Arlington Renegades, DC Defenders, San Antonio Brahmas, and Vegas Vipers, have 5 former Pac-12ers. Rounding out the league is Orlando, who has just 1.
If there isn’t an XFL team in your area, here are the players listed by Pac-12 school.
It’s up to Mason to represent the Wildcats.
It was a mild surprise when the versatile West went undrafted last spring. Maybe a year off has helped him work on the techniques many scouts thought he lacked as an interior lineman.
Ballage has 52 games of NFL experience spread among four teams. Miami’s fourth round pick in 2018 picked up 958 yards and 7 TDs with four different teams.
Obviously, Montez is the biggest name on this list. The Buffs all-time passing touchdown leader (tied with Cody Hawkins at 63) hasn’t been able to stick in the NFL. With the Sea Dragons, he’ll backup Ben DiNucci.
It seems like Hundley keeps popping here and there in the NFL. Since Green Bay drafted him with their fifth round pick in 2016, Hundley has been with 6 different NFL teams. Aside from a 9-game stint replacing injured Aaron Rodgers in 2017, he’s played a total of 62 pro snaps.
We know the Trojans have a deep program. Six players on XFL rosters proves it.
Vaughns might not have been spectacular at USC, but he was steady, pulling in the program’s third-highest reception total of 222. It will be interesting to see what he can do against better competition.
Taumoepenu was dynamite in Provo, picking up 21 sacks for the Utes. San Francisco selected him in the sixth round of the 2017 draft.
A bit undersized for an NFL edge rusher, Taumoepenu still spent five seasons in the league. He’ll cause some disruptions to XFL quarterbacks this season.
The New York Jets drafted Hansen in 2017’s fourth round, coming off a 92 receptions season for Cal. Unfortunately, he failed to live up to expectations.
Oregon and USC tied among Pac-12 schools with 6 alumni making XFL rosters. The Sea Dragons must really like UO players because they have three. Wright can be an impact player defending the slot.
Pierce turned a monster senior season at OSU (1,042 total yards and 7 TDs) into 6 games with the Bears in 2020 and 2021.
Murphy was a sixth round pick of the Packers in 2016. He’s kicked around the NFL since, spending time with three other organizations and playing in 7 total games with Green Bay and New Orleans.
There are some good former Washington Huskies on this list. Out of the 5, Race Porter could be the breakout player. In 2021, he broke the UW single-season punting record with an average of 48.5 yards per attempt. That should translate well to the XFL and maybe beyond.
Arconado, Borhi, and Harris all put up big offensive numbers during their time with the Washington State Cougars.
If not for a torn labrum in 2021, Ryan’s career path might have been different. He spent a few months on the Seahawks practice squad this season but failed to stick.
What former Pac-12 players are you looking forward to watching this season in the XFL?