The XFL could pull top players away from the NCAA. The era of one and done football players could happen as early as this summer.
The new league wants to become a potential landing spot for young football stars not yet draft eligibility for the NFL. Unlike the NBA, the NFL requires players to be three years out of high school to be draft-eligible.
For players, this means three years of college football without getting paid. The XFL is hoping its $400,000,000 in the bank, can entice some players to leave college early for their league.
One player who could be an ideal candidate for a one and done for the XFL is Clemson star wide receiver, Justyn Ross. Who acknowledged in an interview with Bleacher Report that an XFL offer would be tough for some to turn down.
Ross finished his freshman season by showing everyone that he’s NFL ready now at only 19 years old. He caught 12 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns in his final two games of the season, including a National Championship victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide.
He is listed at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, and could easily make an NFL roster just like his teammate, star quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Both must remain in college and pursue degrees for another two more years before being NFL draft eligible.
“So can you see how other players, who may not have the support system you do, could be tempted by the XFL?” he told the Bleacher Report.
“If [the XFL] is offering that kind of money, that’s hard for an 18- or 19-year-old to turn down. If you need that money, oh yeah, go do that. Something could happen. You can get hurt. Anything can happen. You have to take care of yourself because it can be over just like that.”
In an email sent to several NFL agents by XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck, “exceptional players” joining the XFL can potentially earn more than $200,000 per year. He noted that contracts would vary from player to player.
Bleacher Report pointed out that college players receive $5,000 on average every year in stipends for playing football. During the 2016-17 college football season, the NCAA reached $1 billion in revenue for the first time.
“I think you just have to be patient,” Ross said. “Just have more sense of your life after football. You can go to [the XFL] and do the numbers. You can get your endorsements and your money that you can fall back on after your career, but that’s not happening for everyone. You’re going to need something else to fall back on.
“Besides, my mom isn’t going to let me leave college without my degree.”
