Three former UK football stars make XFL rosters. Mark Stoops’ brother will coach two.
Three former University of Kentucky football stars are set to suit up for the inaugural season of the new XFL.
Final rosters for the league’s eight teams were announced Monday. Wide receiver Jeff Badet, kicker Austin MacGinnis and center Jon Toth made the final rosters for their respective franchises following a preseason training camp held Jan. 4-22 in Houston.
Badet and MacGinnis were drafted by the Dallas Renegades, coached by former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops. Toth was drafted by the D.C. Defenders. Two other former Wildcats were selected in the league’s October draft — Farrington Huguenin and Jordan Jones — but did not make it through training camp cuts.
MacGinnis connected on 143 of his 145 PAT attempts (98.6%) and was 72-of-91 on field-goal tries (79.1%) at Kentucky; he is UK’s all-time leading scorer with 359 career points. Badet, who played his final season at Oklahoma, was the fourth overall pick among skill players in the draft and Dallas’ first overall selection. Toth was the fourth center drafted as part of the offensive linemen phase of the draft.
In addition to Stoops — the brother of UK head coach Mark Stoops — former Wildcats head coach Hal Mumme is part of the Renegades’ staff; he is their offensive coordinator.
The XFL begins its season on Feb. 8, the Saturday following this year’s Super Bowl. Its 10-week regular season will give way to a four-team, two-week long playoff concluding with a championship game on April 26.
Other Kentuckians
Former Louisville wide receiver Eli Rogers also made the Defenders’ roster. James Quick, another former U of L star who played at Trinity High School, was in training camp with the Renegades but did not make their 52-man roster.
Deiontrez Mount, a defensive end at Louisville who spent time in the NFL from 2015-2018, made the Tampa Bay Vipers’ roster. Aaron Murray, a standout at Georgia, is the Vipers’ starting quarterback.
Mekale McKay, who played high school football at Moore High School in Louisville before a collegiate career at Cincinnati, made the New York Guardians’ roster. Jake Sutherland, a tight end who played at Morehead State, will also play for the Guardians.
This story was originally published January 27, 2020 at 1:41 PM.
