To me, this is an easy call as far as someone I want calling XFL games. Johnson is a part of the FOX College Football broadcast team along with Joel Klatt, so he’d be available to call FOX XFL games. He brings the necessary excitement to contests and rises to big-time moments. The XFL is going to be a fast-paced game, and that works to Johnson’s strengths as a broadcaster. You want someone to reach out to the viewers and grab them, pulling them into the gameplay as fans familiarize themselves with players and teams throughout the first rebooted season. He may be a bit polarizing to some, but if the announcers seem excited, that will rub off on the viewers.

Ryan has the credibility from years as an NFL coach to provide strong analysis to games. He’s been on ESPN’s NFL Countdown pre-game show for the last few years but has done a game or two in the booth. Ryan has a big personality, and while the XFL isn’t focusing on that as much as it did during the2001 incarnation, it’s still worth having a voice that isn’t a rehash of what you’d hear on NFL or college broadcasts. Just like some announcers’ voices are tied to certain leagues, ideally, you’d be able to identify some broadcasters with the XFL. Ryan could be that guy, even while he keeps his NFL Countdown gig.

As Mike mentioned earlier, the XFL is a place for up & coming broadcasters and I could think of no one better than McAfee. McAfee recently was announced to broadcast Thursday night college games for ESPN and this would be another logical step for his journey through the broadcasting world. While us XFL super fans will be locked into the games, the casual fans might need some extra flair to spice up some games from time to time. Pat McAfee is a guy that brings flair to the broadcast booth by adding comedy to his analysis and reimagining the way special teams is broadcasted. I tuned into the Baylor vs Texas Tech game last year to just listen to his broadcasting alone and I can almost guarantee that others would do the same if he was the ESPN announcer for the XFL. This is also one of my more likely scenarios as McAfee has been linked to the XFL on several occasions. Back in January of 2018, McAfee tweeted out how he wanted to be an owner of an XFL franchise. While this was meant as a joke and isn’t technically possible, it shows McAfee’s general interest in being involved with the XFL. Back in March, on a Wrestling Inc. podcast, McAfee has a few interesting quotes regarding the XFL and the AAF. McAfee told them “The AAF offered me a commentating spot for their league and it was literally the day after I signed my deal with the WWE… I said no because I knew that the XFL would be launching in a year from now. So I didn’t want to help launch a new league that would be in competition with the XFL.” When asked about being apart of the XFL McAfee said “If I’m a part of it, I have no idea. Obviously, if I’m with the Monday Night Football booth, which is a long shot, but if I’m there I’m not sure I could. I’ll be a fan of the XFL and if they want me to do something, then I’d love to…not to play. I’m not gonna play. I’m done with that but everything else is fair game.” McAfee, unfortunately, did not get a MNF gig but this does leave the door open for the XFL which McAfee labeled “fair game.”

While Peyton’s playing career is over, his broadcasting career is just getting underway. Manning was an all-time great QB and while that doesn’t guarantee you to be a good analyst, it has certainly helped in Peyton’s case. Manning’s hit ESPN+ show “Detail” has been very popular and has spurred some discussions about him possibly being the next Tony Romo in the broadcasting world. According to Yahoo.com, Manning was offered a spot on Monday Night Football but turned it down for a variety of reasons. Some of those reasons included the fact that both the Giants & the Broncos were scheduled to play on MNF that year and Manning didn’t want to analyze games with his brother or former teammates. As of right now, Eli is not in the XFL and very few, if any, of Manning’s teammates, will play in this league. This offers Manning a great starting point to eventually move onto the NFL when it is further from his playing era. While Manning does not have any official connection to the XFL, this is a fairly logical possibility and the thought of him and Pat McAfee in a booth together makes me, and probably a lot of others, very excited.

This is a little bit of a bonus one as it kind of relates to my fantasy article from last week and is also a non-broadcaster. I talked extensively about XFL fantasy in my last article but I think fantasy XFL could really take off if there was a face to it. Matthew Berry, Field Yates, or possibly both of them could be the face of fantasy XFL. Even just tweeting XFL fantasy content to the over a million combined followers they have would be a lot but podcasts and maybe a portion of the halftime show on ESPN broadcasts would be huge. Seeing these guys commit to fantasy XFL would cause a lot of people to be very interested and inspired to maybe try it out, therefore leading to more interest in the league. In terms of which one, I do not know. Berry has the bigger platform and following but Yates has tweeted out about the Landry Jones news showing a possible interest. It doesn’t even have to be one of those two either, it could be a lesser-known ESPN fantasy analyst or it could just be all of them together. All I know is that having a person or group like this spearheading the XFL fantasy scene would be huge.

DL Shawn Oakman –  Mike Mitchell

There was a time not long ago when Shawn Oakman was projected to be a surefire first-round pick in the NFL. Some even projected him to be the first overall pick. Oakman became a viral sensation at Baylor because of his freakish size. He was straight out of central casting at 6’9 and nearly 300 pounds. No one has ever looked more the part than him. As a junior in college. He dominated with 25.5 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks. He decided not to turn pro.  Things went downhill from there. His senior season did not live up to expectations which saw his draft stock drop as a result.  It only got worse for Oakman. Just two weeks before the 2016 NFL draft, Shawn Oakman was arrested on a sexual assault charge. NFL teams completely took Oakman off of their draft boards, leaving him undrafted, and then unsigned. Then, after Oakman was indicted on charges of second-degree felony sexual assault, the door completely shut on Oakman’s chances of ever playing pro football.

Nearly three years later, Shawn Oakman’s trial began on February 26, 2019. On February 28, after the jury deliberated for 45 minutes, Oakman was found not guilty of sexual assault. The jury cited evidence for consensual sex and the lack of incriminating evidence for their decision. In the years since Oakman finished his college career he has been playing indoor football. He recently played in The Spring League in Austin back in April, where coincidentally, the XFL was on hand scouting and testing game rules. Oakman dominated the playing field. Admittedly, this is a tricky area for the XFL to walk on. The league is trying to develop a strong reputation for being family-friendly and responsible. Despite being exonerated, Oakman carries some baggage. From a PR standpoint, drafting Oakman into the league could be questioned. From a talent standpoint. There’s no question that his ability warrants a chance to prove himself as a pro.

WR/QB Braxton Miller – Mike Mitchell

It’s hard picking just two players when there are so many worthy of consideration. The truth is anyone can fill these spots. Miller is being singled out here to highlight the type of player that the league should look to target… the college football star who can’t seem to find his niche or his home in the pros. The truth with Braxton Miller is that his football identity started to change long before he even left college.  In 2013, as a junior Quarterback at Ohio State, Miller was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the year and 9th in the Heisman voting. Braxton was an all-purpose superstar, completing 63 percent of his passes for 2,000 yards passing ,with 24 touchdowns to only 7 interceptions. He also rushed for over 1,000 yards and scored 12 TDs on the ground. In 12 games he scored 36 touchdowns.

It all went downhill for Miller in 2014. He missed the entire season with a shoulder injury he sustained in practice, and Miller ended up with a medical redshirt for the season. His injury opened the door for J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones to take over at the QB position for the eventual National Champions. When Miller was healthy to return, his job was gone. Couple that with his shoulder injury and Miller decided to play WR for the team. He joined a receiving group that included Michael Thomas, Curtis Samuel and Jalin Marshall, three future NFL receivers. Miller was 4th in the pecking order, but thanks to his athletic background he was able to become a useful gadget player. A far cry from the megastar he was two years prior, but his progress earned him a potential NFL future. Braxton then showcased his skills at the NFL combine and was a top-three performer in the 3 cone, 20 and 60-yard shuttles. This got him drafted in the 3rd round by the Houston Texans in 2016. In hindsight, Miller was over-drafted. He was a novice when it came to the receiver position and was extremely raw. He ended up on the injured reserve in his rookie season after injuring his shoulder. His development was setback, and in 2017 he barely contributed for Houston. The Texans cut him last summer at final cuts.  Miller spent a year on the Eagles practice squad before recently being cut to make room for Josh McCown. Miller hasn’t had the time to develop as a receiver and is far removed from being a quarterback. The XFL might be the kind of avenue for Miller to reinvent himself and find his football identity again.

There are two positions in the XFL that will make-or-break quality of play and in turn, determine the level of success of the league. One of those positions is the quarterback. There are some talented free-agent quarterbacks available, but many are on the downside of their careers. Kaaya is just 23 years old, a 2017 6th round Draft Pick of the Detroit Lions. He is somewhat a victim of many NFL teams now keeping just two QBs on their active roster, and therefore bringing fewer to camp. Kaaya started at the University of Miami as a true freshman and exited the program having thrown 69 TDs and just 24 interceptions. At his age, he can be a long-term piece in the league, an identifiable star the league and local markets can build around.

The second position that will make or break the quality of play is the offensive line. O-Lines in the NFL lack depth as it is, so any talented linemen will be a boon to the XFL. Battle is one of those players. It’s not a sexy position to talk or write about, but someone has to keep the star QBs upright. Battle, 25 years old, was a 5th round Supplemental Draft pick out of Clemson in 2015, so he has played at the highest level collegiately. Being a part of the Supplemental Draft put him behind the eight-ball to make the team out of training camp with the Rams. The XFL needs to scour all leagues, especially the CFL, to find gems at this position in particular. This isn’t so much about Battle as it is about the need for quality offensive protectors.

While we do not necessarily know Archer’s attitude towards playing professional football again, we know that he has a lot of speed. Coming out of high school, Archer was more desired as a track runner than a football player. Nevertheless, Archer chose football and earned all-American awards playing RB for Kent State. Archer then went on to set the NFL world on fire with a 4.26 40 yard dash at the combine and got drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers 97th overall. However, Archer’s NFL career was not as storied as the journey that got him there. His longest play from scrimmage in his NFL career was 15 yards and he ended with 63 total yards for his career. After that, Archer had brief stints with both the Jets and the Panthers. Now it is unclear whether or not Archer still wants to play football, but he is a name that garners a lot of buzz and has the possibility to be an exciting gadget player in the XFL. My next name is very similar to Archer but we know he still wants to play.

The Auburn product has a 5.6 career YPC but has not stuck anywhere after his rookie contract has expired. Just because Grant hasn’t stuck does not mean he can’t play, Grant ran a 4.33 40 yard dash and was scored as a 96th percentile athlete by playerprofiler.com. Grant has been efficient in limited usage as well, averaging 8.3 ypc on 30 carries for the Jaguars in 2017 as well as scoring 2 TDs in the return game. Grant was signed to the Green Bay Packers in what looked like a good signing because of his relationship with former Jaguars OC Nathaniel Hackett but was cut shortly after. I have no doubt, though, that Corey Grant can play a very important role for an XFL offense as a rotational back and as a start kick returner. Grant is a perfect player to excel in the XFL.