Eric Williams
NFC West Writer
For Jim Popp, the devil is in the details.
The UFL’s vice president of player personnel, part of Popp’s job is helping players grow and develop in the new spring league, with an eye toward reaching their goal of playing in the NFL.
That’s something the XFL and USFL accomplished before the merger into a new league this season.
In 2023, the XFL and USFL had a combined 111 players sign with NFL teams for training camps, with 35 sticking as active players or on practice squads.
“Everybody’s different,” Popp said. “There’s some players that might not quite be ready, but talent-wise they have it. And they need to prove it. Or they might not have played at a Power 5 school, and someone may be questioning who they really are because they haven’t played against the so-called ‘best.’
“A lot of guys will go to training camp in the NFL, and they have to wait a whole other year to get an opportunity to get seen, and they may only get two or three quarters during training camp to showcase themselves. This (the UFL) is a much broader, bigger opportunity to play consistently.”
A two-time USFL champ now competing for an UFL crown, Birmingham Stallions GM Zach Potter has had the most success of any spring league football official in moving players to the NFL.
Last year, the Stallions had 22 guys sign with NFL teams, with 10 of those sticking on a 53-man roster or spending time on a practice squad in 2023 — most notably last year’s USFL MVP in quarterback Alex McGough with the Green Bay Packers and defensive tackle Khalil Davis of the Houston Texans.
One of those players never played a snap for Birmingham. The Stallions signed tight end Chris Pierce out of Vanderbilt in late July right after they won the USFL championship last year.
However, before joining the Stallions for the 2024 season, Pierce signed with the Carolina Panthers in August, making the team’s practice squad and signing a futures…
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Publish date : 2024-06-04 20:23:10
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