XFALpha Podcast Notes - Episode 5

This is part two of Jonah's special interview with former Vikings Punter, Chris Kluwe where there is more of a focus on Kluwe's post-football life. I'm not on this episode at all, but I definitely told Jonah to ask him if a punter's flexibility helps him with the ladies. Just hearing the nervousness of Jonah as he really didn't want to offend Kluwe makes this one worth a listen. Below are the links:

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XFAlpha Podcast Notes - Episode 4

This week was by far the biggest episode in our short history, and we likely won't top it anytime soon. Jonah spent nearly an hour and a half with Chris Kluwe, former Minnesota Vikings Punter, and current renaissance man. This week we have the nuts and bolts of football life, and next week we talk more about his interesting personal life. Since we were talking with Kluwe, it seemed a good time to break down special teams players, and my notes on all of those guys are below. 

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1. Los Angeles Wildcats
1. Long Snapper Ryan Navarro - Oregon State long snapper.
2. Kicker Nick Novak - Maryland kicker who hit less than 75% of his attempts in college. He’s bounced around the NFL, but is now 38 years old, including three stints with the Chargers, but that just means that the Nate Kaeding Curse is triple on him. He’s an avid backgammon player. 
3. Punter Colton Schmidt - UC Davis Punter and played five years for the Bills where he averaged over 44 yards per punt and was in the NFL last year. I think he may be the best special teamer out there. 
2. St. Louis Battlehawks
1. Punter Jack Fox - A punter out of Rice that was unable to make the Chiefs roster this year. Averaged over 43 yards per punt in college and a very impressive 45.4 his senior year. He also ran for five yards and threw a 17-yard completion. His name means Sly Masturbator.
2. Kicker Elliott Fry - Only 75% accurate at South Carolina but hit all but one extra point attempt. He was the final cut in the Bears kicker job, not sure if that’s impressive or an indictment on his abilities. 1 solo tackle his senior year, and he is the most accurate kicker in AAF history, going 14-14 on his attempts. 
3. Long Snapper John Wirtel - Once recovered a fumble while at Kansas. 
3. Houston Roughnecks
1. Punter Austin Rehkow - I know Jonah’s going to wax poetically about Rehkow, so my big question is how does a man miss so many extra points? He missed five of those college chip shots in his career. And how did he hold onto his job after failing to make 60% of his field goals in his first two years? He did hit over 85% his last two years. Good punting average. 
2. Long Snapper Colton Taylor - Has some trick shot snaps. 
4. Tampa Vipers
1. Kicker Matthew Wright - Hit 85% of his field goal attempts his senior year, but only 77% accurate through his career at UCF. Had two tackles, one of which was a solo tackle.
2. Long Snapper Nick Moore - Former minor league baseball player who was good enough to be one of the long snappers selected to the Senior Bowl last year. Already 27 years old. 
3. Kicker Andrew Franks - He’s a Biomedical Engineer that attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Hit nearly 80% of his field goal attempts over two years with the Dolphins but has been out of the league for three years now. 
4. Punter Jake Schum - Started his career at Buffalo State, tried to join the nWo, aka Buffalo, but was denied by the Buffalo Bulls. Then, he walked on, and they wouldn’t let him punt and made him a wide receiver. After a year of that, he had finally gone through his hazing and became the punter. Somehow, he took his college average of 38 yards per punt, which is pretty bad and became the Buccaneers punter where he averaged nearly 42 yards per punt, and then got over 43 yards in 2016 with the Packers. STEROIDS??????
5. Dallas Renegades
1. Punter Drew Galitz - Averaged 42 yards per punt during his career at Baylor. 
2. Long Snapper Colin Holba - Sixth round pick by the Steelers after a snappy career at Louisville. Also of note, he was his high school’s valedictorian. He didn’t make the Steelers but was picked up by the Jaguars when their snapper got injured, and the same thing happened with the 49ers so he actually played two games during the 2019 season, which likely makes him the only player in the XFL that played in the current NFL season.
3. Kicker Austin MacGinnis - Kentucky Kicker who hit just under 80% of his field goal attempts in college. He did make 3 solo tackles his senior year and in his junior year, he even had a reception. It was for negative ten yards, so I’m guessing that isn’t how that play was drawn up. 
6. Seattle Dragons
1. Long Snapper Noah Borden - After failing as a linebacker, he became a linebacker for Hawaii. 
2. Kicker Greg Joseph - FAU Kicker who is part of Jonah’s chosen people. Of course, those people killed my lord, so I believe his success will determine what is the one true religion. He didn’t even hit 70% of his kicks in college so not a great sign for his future success. 
3. Punter Brock Miller - Southern Utah Punter who is only 5’11” which seems fairly short for a punter. That is why I’ll be rooting for him.
7. DC Defenders
1. Punter Hunter Niswander - Three-year starter at Northwestern where only made one tackle but finally made it up to 43 yards per punt in his senior year. Fun fact, his first name rhymes with Punter. 
8. New York Guardians
1. Long Snapper Scott Daly - He almost made the Cowboys after a career at Notre Dame. 

XFAlpha Podcast Notes - Episode 3

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Episode Three brings talk about the cities involved with XFL teams including some cities that got left out in the cold. After that, we take a deep dive into receivers, and although we couldn't mention everyone on the podcast, I do have notes on each player below. 

1. Dallas Renegades
1. Jeff Badet - Kentucky wide receiver who transferred to Oklahoma his senior year but never put up big numbers, that is, until he went to the combine. He ran a 4.34 40 and was also above the 90th percentile for receivers in the broad and vertical jump so you might as well call him West Coast Shit, because even Dr. Dre can see that this man is explosive. The only issue is changing directions, because despite all that speed, he was in the 7th percentile in the 3-cone drill, and the 2nd percentile in the 20-yard shuttle. That’s shockingly awful, and that lack of change-of-direction will probably stop him from becoming too much in the XFL. He does at least provide a straight deep threat but I don’t see anything more from him. 
2. Tommylee Lewis - 5’7” speedy receiver out of Northern Illinois who played a couple years with the Saints due to a recommendation from Bill Parcells. 
3. Stacy Coley - Solid career at Miami that led to him being a 7th round pick for Minnesota. Got a few return chances in the NFL but no receptions.
4. Kelvin McKnight - Tore it up for Samford in 2018. I feel like this is the type of guy that could have big production. He’s fresh off competitive football, in his physical prime, was super productive as a player, kind of like a receiver version of He Hate Me. 
5. Ryan Broyles - The man had 4500 yards receiving for Oklahoma, including 131 catches for 1622 yards and 14 touchdowns his Junior year. He definitely should not have gone back to school after that. He was still great his senior year, just not historically great. Unfortunately, he was drafted in the second round to a place where receivers to go die, Detroit. After three years with the Lions, he asked for his release and joins the gravestones of Carlos Rogers, Mike Williams, and Calvin Johnson. Well, Vince McMahon knows a thing or two about bringing people back from the dead, and Broyles is going to be known as The Undertaker this year as he rises from the ashes to set secondaries on fire. Well, it might not be a full blown fire, but he will make them crispy as they don’t call him Broyles for nothing. 
6. Joshua Crockett - Big receiver out of Central Oklahoma. 
7. Steven Dunbar - Receiver out of Houston that played one game for the Niners last year. He played three snaps.
8. Jerrod Heard - Started as a QB at Texas, tried to convert to wide receiver, but it never really led anywhere.
9. Keith Mumphery - Played a couple seasons with the Texans in 2015 and 2016 after a career at Michigan State where he may have sexually assaulted a woman. There’s a settlement that nobody can talk about but somehow he got 725,000 from the school but the alleged victim also got 475,000 from the school. This is one where he probably did something wrong, but I have no idea the extent. 
10. Flynn Nagel - Nagel is the most Northwestern player possible with his stupid name and slot receiver attributes. Shocker: He’s white.
11. Carl Whitley - Before going to Abilene Christian, he went to Cisco Community College. Unfortunately, it is not the rapper Sisqo’s college.
2. Los Angeles Wildcats
1. Rashad Ross - Had a solid senior season for Arizona State and did some return work for the Bears and Redskins from 2014-2016. He’s nearly 30 years old so he’s fully developed which helped lead him to a big year in the AAF. Still, there’s no real upside with this play. He could be super productive but unlikely any NFL team is going to get excited about adding him to their squad. 
2. Nelson Spruce - Tore it up for Colorado 2014 and 2015, and I am amazed I have zero memories of this guy. Shockingly, not a great athlete as he had a 4.69 40 time. He bounced around practice squads but did not make even a preseason roster this season despite finishing fifth in yards in the AAF.
3. KD Cannon - Super productive receiver out of Baylor where he racked up over 3000 yards receiving in his three-year career. Then went out and ran a 4.42 at the combine. I’m absolutely baffled that he wasn’t drafted off of that resume. Now, the issue with most Baylor receivers from that era is that they don’t learn to run routes *cough* Corey Coleman *cough*, but you would have thought somebody would have taken a chance on that speed and performance despite him just being a hair over 5’11”. He couldn’t make an NFL team and put up 11 catches for Saskatchewan this past season.
4. Keyarris Garrett - Had nearly 1600 yards receiving his senior year at Tulsa in 2015. Big receiver who showed some good athletic traits at the combine but has failed to impress enough to stick anywhere.
5. Donteea Dye - 11 receptions in 2015 for the Bucs including a touchdown. Played at Heidelberg. 
6. Jalen Greene - Utah State receiver.
7. DeQuan Hampton - 7 catches his last year at USC.
8. Adonis Jennings - Was a solid receiver for Temple.
9. Kermit Whitfield - Fast little guy out of Florida State that specialized in kick returns. 
3. Seattle Dragons
1. Fred Ross - Super productive receiver from Mississippi State who almost had back-to-back 1000 yard seasons to end his college career. Good size too but went undrafted due to concerns about athleticism and then struggled with a high ankle sprain before being released.
2. Keenan Reynolds - Navy QB who ran for more yards than he threw for in his college career. Drafted in the 6th round by the Ravens, has bounced around and made it into two games with the Seahawks last season. I think this is one where he’s just a great college player. 
3. Kasen Williams - Scout had him rated as a 5-star receiver coming out of high school. Stayed local and went to Washington. Had a big sophomore year with over 800 yards but production went down big time in his last two years. Spent a couple years with the Seahawks while barely getting into game action but did have nine catches for the Browns in 2017.
4. John Santiago - Good running back for North Dakota. 
5. Malachi Jones - App. State product who won the National Arena League Rookie of the Year in 2017 with the High Country Grizzlies, then won the Arena Football League Rookie of the Year in 2018 with the Albany Empire. Then he led the Empire to an Arena League Championship in 2019. Not a well known guy, but he could have a big impact. He also finished 10th in yards in the Alliance. Oh, would you like some more? How about his godfather being Rocket FREAKIN Ismael. 
6. Mikah Holder - Receiver out of San Diego State.
7. Ruben Mwehla - Unproductive receiver out of Idaho. 
8. Austin Proehl - Ricky Proehl’s kid who may have been drafted by the Bills in the 7th round because of that fact as he wasn’t particularly productive at North Carolina. He’s bounced around practice squads since then. 
9. Korey Robertson - Had a big Junior year at Southern Mississippi in 2017, declared for the draft but was only an average athlete and did not get drafted. Then couldn’t make an Alliance roster as he got released before the season.
10. Jalen Rowell - Changed his name from Robinette, but had nearly 1000 yards receiving for Air Force while averaging 27 yards per catch.
4. St. Louis Battlehawks
1. De’Mornay Pierson-El - He had three punt return TDs as a Freshman at Nebraska which made him an All-American. Never got another return for a TD the rest of his career. Was a solid receiver for the Cornhuskers. Finished sixth in receiving yards in the Alliance.
2. L’Damian Washington - Paired up with Dorial Green-Beckham at Missouri to make a potent 1-2 combo in the passing game. He’s 6’4” and can run a 4.46 so there is a lot to like at first glance with Washington. He hasn’t put it together as he couldn’t make an active roster in the NFL and was only the number two receiver for the Birmingham Iron in the Alliance.
3. Marcus Lucas - Receiver out of Missouri. He has had 11 stints on NFL rosters but no actual games played. 
4. Ishmael Hyman - Went from Kansas to James Madison and still wasn’t all that productive.
5. Alonzo Russell - Big receiver out of Toledo that mostly spent time on practice squads in the NFL but played 8 offensive snaps for the Giants last season. 
6. Jordan Lasley - Lasley had 1200 yards in just nine games his junior year at UCLA before declaring for the 2018 NFL draft. He was only an average athlete but was drafted by the Ravens in the fifth round. His NFL career was cut short prematurely when he got into a fight with several teammates, and then celebrated a preseason practice touchdown by launching the football into a pond. Jordan Lasley might be my favorite receiver. 
7. Carlton Agudosi - Receiver from Rutgers, yay!
8. DeVozea Felton - Played at Tuskegee; at least it’s not Rutgers. 
9. Davon Grayson - Had a nice senior year for East Carolina.
10. Damoun Patterson - Utah State receiver who apparently did well in the preseason for the Patriots one year.
11. Brandon Reilly - Played for Nebraska.
5. Houston Roughnecks
1. Kahlil Lewis - Decent player at Cincinnati. 
2. Sammie Coates - Big, tall, fast, can’t cut and can’t catch. Still selected in the third round by the Steelers after he lit the combine on fire, outside of the 3-cone, so again, can’t cut. Had 21 catches in 2016 and bounced around to the Browns and Texans before he was unable to make a team for even preseason this last season. He’s basically DK Metcalf with worse hands. Maybe XFL balls will be easier to catch?
3. Deontez Alexander - The pride of Franklin College where he had over 2000 yards and 33 touchdowns over his final two years there in 2016 and 2017. 
4. Cam Phillips - Very productive career at Virginia Tech that got him an opportunity with the Bills where he caught one pass. It wouldn’t surprise me too much if he was able to break out. 
5. Jalen Saunders - Fourth round pick by the Jets after a strong career with both Fresno State and Oklahoma. Bounced around the NFL but found a home in Canada, and now his Hamilton Tiger-Cats coach, June Jones, drafted him to the Roughnecks. He’s only 5’9” but ran a 4.44 and showed excellent acceleration with his 10 and 20 yard splits. 
6. Devin Gray - Was very productive his Junior year at Cincinnati before falling off his senior year in 2017. Made the Falcons practice squad last year. 
7. Raymond Bolden - 5’9” guy out of Stony Brook who put up solid but unspectacular numbers at Stony Brook.
8. Joe Horn Jr. - Fun fact, his Dad played in the NFL.
9. Blake Jackson - Converted quarterback from Mary Hardin-Baylor where he led them to their first DIII national title.  
10. Rhyheem Malone - Played at SMU and Louisiana. 
11. Sam Mobley - Played at Catawba, located in beautiful Salisbury, NC. 
12. Tim Wilson - He was a good receiver but at East Stroudsburg. 
6. DC Defenders
1. Rashard Davis - Undersized receiver out of James Madison who was solid as a receiver but dynamite as a return man with four return TDs his senior year. He’s bounced around practice squads and got a Super Bowl ring for being with the Eagles at the right time. 
2. Tre McBride - He was William & Mary’s number one guy from 2012-2014. He followed that up by having a very good combine where he showed all-around athleticism. He was a 7th round pick by the Titans where he stuck around for a couple years and had his most production with the Bears in 2017. That was the last time that he was on an active roster although he’s bounced around and was most recently with the Jaguars this summer. 
3. DeAndre Thompkins - A Penn State wide receiver. 
4. Max McCaffrey - The Cooper Manning of the McCaffrey Bros. That’s very mean of me, especially since Dylan, backup QB for Michigan, and Luke, backup QB for Nebraska, may not make the pros. Max had a single catch for Jacksonville for four yards but has bounced around to different team’s practice squads. If his name wasn’t McCaffrey, I probably wouldn’t have said anything about him.
5. Jamal Custis - Had a nice senior year for Syracuse, didn’t particularly stand out at the East-West Shrine Game. 
6. Deion Holliman - Unproductive at Missouri State but keeps hanging around. He worked at a construction site, but then went viral with a box jump of 65 inches and got a chance in the Alliance. Didn’t do much but it was still enough to get the XFL to also give him a chance. I have serious doubts, but it’d be a fun story. 
7. Levern Jacobs III - Went to Maryland.
8. Terrance Lee-Alls - Played at Duke and James Madison.
9. Richard Mullaney - A grad transfer to Alabama after solid career at Oregon State where he contributed to a National Title team. 
10. Jaylen Smith -Big receiver who had a solid career at Louisville. Made it to the final roster cuts with the Ravens this season.
11. Justin Thomas - Former Georgia Tech quarterback trying to transition to playing receiver.
7. New York Guardians
1. DeAngelo Yancey - Big receiver out of Purdue. Put up almost 1000 yards his final year along with 10 TDs, got drafted in the fifth round by the Packers. Got put on the practice squad where he bounced around for a few teams. 21 bench press reps at the combine.
2. Mekale McKay - Tall receiver out of Cincinnati. Finished seventh in receiving yards in the Alliance. 
3. Tanner Gentry - 1300 yards and 14 touchdowns his final year at Wyoming. Played three games for the Bears and had three receptions. 
4. Demarcus Ayers - Tore it up for Houston with 1200 yards his junior year. Not sure how I feel about him since he listed himself as 5’11” in college but only measured 5’9” at the combine. It’s almost like he was ashamed of being a perfectly average height guy like myself. 7th round pick by the Steelers who played in two games and actually started one of those. In the NFL, he had to be absolutely perfect as he didn’t have the physical traits teams were looking for, but in the XFL, he can merely be great, and considering he earned an NFL start, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a 6’4” impact in a 5’9” frame. 
5. J-Shun Harris - 3 punt return touchdowns for Indiana. Tore his ACL 3 times. 
6. Quadree Henderson - 4 punt return touchdowns during his time with Pitt. Did some return work for the Giants but only an average athlete. 
7. Justice Liggins - Stephen F. Austin receiver who got some training camp time with Chargers.
8. Keevan Lucas - Super productive when healthy for Tulsa. Just 5’9” and nothing special athletically.
9. Octavyvius Miles - Alabama A&M receiver. 
10. Colby Pearson - BYU receiver. 
8. Tampa Vipers
1. Seantavius Jones - Valdosta State receiver who bounced around some practice squads and played in 3 NFL games but no receptions. He finished second in yards on his AAF team so not the greatest resume.
2. Jalen Tolliver - Played for the Arkansas Monticello Boll Weevils and tore it up, including a 245, 5 TD game against Harding in 2017. He had three catches for the Cardinals last season.
3. Ranell Hall - Had a solid career at UCF and played one game for the Browns in 2015. 
4. Reece Horn - Back-to-back 1000 yard seasons for Indianapolis including 108 catches in 2015. Not sure why the Colts got rid of him. Also, not sure why I don’t remember any of this happening...turns out it was University of Indianapolis. Like almost everyone else, he bounced around some practice squads but finished fourth in receiving yards in the Alliance.
5. Alonzo Moore - Unproductive receiver out of Nebraska. 
6. Ryan Davis - Solid receiver for Auburn, had a good broad jump at the combine.
7. Freddie Martino - Two straight thousand yard seasons for North Greenville. He bounced around with the Falcons and Bucs, where he actually was an active player and even scored a touchdown in 2016. 
8. KJ Maye - Decent receiver for Minnesota that wrapped up his college career in 2015 and has bounced around as a camp body since then. 
9. Willie Quinn - Maybe my favorite player in the league as he had almost 3000 yards during his career at Southern University and then played in the CFL. Most importantly, he’s 5’5”. He looks up to Tarik Cohen, literally. I am hardcore rooting for this guy.
10. Chris Thompson - Didn’t do jack shit at Florida.
11. Daniel Williams - Jackson State receiver who peaked during his sophomore year.