Should The XFL Draft Players From The Transfer Portal?

The NCAA every year has tons of new players looking to go to a new team to find better success. Whether that’s a young player that thinks he deserves a bigger role or a high caliber player wanting to go to the next level of college football as soon as possible.

Inside The League in their December 3rd-9th, Friday Wrap discussed the number of players that have gone into the transfer portal so far. “The transfer portal welcomed 700 players (Some of them were pretty big names).”

Will XFL teams dip into the portal?: The transfer portal presents another option for players actively considering their next step and who do not find what they’re looking for at the college level. They have several weeks to consider entering the XFL player pool in advance of the league’s supplemental draft, which will take place the first week of January.

ITL goes on to ask the question of, who will be the first to make the move.

Could we see agents encourage draft prospects to consider the XFL?: Everyone wants to be on top, but no one wants to go first. Who will be the first contract advisor to send a developmental client to the XFL, passing up the normal pre-draft expenses and allowing his client to get paid for 10 weeks, then taking his chances in the draft with new film? The XFL 3.0 regular season ends in late April, whereas the USFL season will start in April and last into June. 

The XFL is still looking to draft young players that could have serious potential if given the chance. For example, Austin Reed who was the Quarterback for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers entered the transfer portal on December 5th. Austin, who is only 22 years old, passed for 4,247 YDs, 36 TDs, and 10 INTs.

Austin could easily be drafted to the XFL and could potentially show more of what he can do against former NFL veterans. Not to mention since some smaller College games don’t get televised it’s harder for some players to make a name for themselves, but with the XFL they will be on TV consistently playing in front of millions of people.

With the transfer portal some players may end up in a even worst position then they were in before due to how many players enter the portal once their season’s are over. That’s why with the XFL they could easily find themselves competing against high level talent and possibly getting scouted by many NFL teams.

November 30th, Emory Hunt (Owner of Football Gameplan And CBS Sports Writer) even agreed with that point in an interview with Mark Perry on the XFL News Hub channel. He went on to say that the XFL is a perfect spot for young college players entering the transfer portal to make a name for themselves.

“Also if you’re a college guy you may even bypass the whole bureaucracy of the NFL draft process and just go jump right into the XFL and USFL. It may be a better option for you and then let the NFL re-evaluate you from there.”