With the European League of Football season underway, there will be some familiar faces from the XFL and USFL appearing in Europe’s biggest football league. Just like how the NHL poaches players from the iciest climates of Europe, the ELF takes top talent from America to play football in a continent where soccer is more dominant. If you’re a fan of the XFL, you may want to catch up with these athletes as they battle across Europe this summer.
The ELF’s Fourth Season
The ELF is a young league, celebrating its fourth season as of 2024. It serves European audiences who are starved for local football games, so they typically tune into the NFL and UFL instead. These more established leagues have more followers, bringing with them media buzz and betting crowds interested in the action. This is best seen with events like the Super Bowl, which is popular outside of North America and watched by millions of European viewers who also bet on NFL odds. Last year’s contenders – the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers – are split Super Bowl LIX favorites at +550 ahead of the season’s start (as of May 25). When that time comes, football fans across the world will tune in to see who tops the NFL for this year.
In the meantime, European football fans are tuning into a new ELF season while stateside UFL fans are witnessing the final stages of theirs. Fans of both may notice some crossover, as multiple former XFL athletes are taking part in Europe this year. Here you’ll find a who’s who of the American footballers seeking glory in the ELF this year.
— European League of Football (@ELF_Official) May 18, 2024
XFL Players Competing in the ELF
Last season, the ELF was set on fire when it witnessed its best QB in league history. That was another American import, Jadrian Clark, who led a mostly German roster to victory as part of the Rhein Fire. What’s more, the Fire went unbeaten across the whole season, something that hadn’t happened in NFL Europe back when they were operational.
Clark wasn’t a former UFL athlete, but his explosive performance no doubt motivated the ELF to turn their attention west where football training is in much better supply. While bagging an NFL player may be too pricey for the burgeoning football league, they have invited several former XFL footballers across the Atlantic.
D’Angelo Fulford – QB for the Raiders Tirol
Let’s start with the only XFL quarterback competing in the ELF – D’Angelo Fulford. Fulford’s journey to the ELF was filled with setbacks, following his 2023 signing to the Vegas Vipers. XFL fans will remember the Vipers as the embattled franchise that often carried the worst win percentages of the entire league. They may not remember Fulford himself, because he never got a chance to shine.
Fulford may have been the Vipers’ shot at redemption, but the Vipers didn’t survive the XFL-USFL merger that formed the new league. This meant Fulford got very comfortable with the bench until the Europeans came knocking. When negotiations were over, Fulford signed with the Raiders Tirol. Unlike the Vipers, the Austria-based Raiders are one of the more accomplished teams in the ELF.
As for Fulford himself, his best accolades come from his college days where he led his team to a Division III championship win. His team was the Mount Union Purple Raiders, so hopefully he’ll fit right in with these Austrian Raiders this summer.
Kelvin McKnight – WR for the Rhein Fire
The Vipers didn’t get much love from the XFL, but the Seattle Sea Dragons were serious playoff contenders last year. They didn’t quite make it, nor did they make the UFL merger, but Kelvin McKnight made a name for himself as the Dragons’ wide receiver. When awards season came, McKnight was up for Special Teams Player of the Year.
Now signed with the Rhein Fire, McKnight will be following Jadrian Clark and will undoubtedly make the German team more competitive than ever. An ELF stint is just another notch in McKnight’s belt, after his time in the XFL, CFL, and the NFL in the past.
Dominik Eberle – Kicker for the Berlin Thunder
Another Dragons alumni has made his way to Europe following their dispersal – kicker Dominik Eberle. It’s actually a homecoming for Eberle, who was born in Germany but headed west to play ball. There he played for a variety of NFL teams like the Las Vegas Raiders and the Detroit Lions, with time spent training with the Green Bay Packers too. Then he kicked for the Dragons during their successful playoff run last year.
Now Eberle is back in Germany, playing for the Berlin Thunder. Depending on how this season plays out, this could pit Eberle against former teammate Kelvin McKnight as part of the Rhein Fire.
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