Ohio State Football: XFL could give Jones another shot in the NFL
By David Wysong
The Ohio State football program has many former players who play in the NFL, but now they have three former Buckeyes in the XFL.
WWE owner Vince McMahon’s professional football league, the XFL, is set to kick off its season in February and three former Ohio State football players are set to take the field in the league.
Former Buckeye quarterback Cardale Jones, cornerback Doran Grant, and defensive tackle Tracy Sprinkle will all play on the XFL’s DC Defenders this season.
What could this mean for them?
I think this could give them another shot at making it into the NFL, especially Jones.
We have seen players in other professional basketball or football leagues that weren’t the NFL or NBA end up having success in the past and then finding landing spots in the NFL or NBA. This can certainly happen with Jones.
Jones didn’t really get a chance in the NFL as he only played in one game for the Buffalo Bills where he went six-of-11 through the air for 96 yards and an interception. In college though, everyone saw that he has the talent to be primetime.
With a rocket launcher of an arm, Jones came up big in huge moments for the Ohio State Buckeyes. With injuries forcing the third-string quarterback to become the starter at the end of the 2014 season, Jones stepped up to win the Big Ten Championship Game, the College Football Playoff Semifinal game, and then the National Championship Game for the Buckeyes.
In the Big Ten Championship against Wisconsin, he went 12-of-17 through the air for 257 yards and three touchdowns and against Alabama in the CFP Semifinal, he went 18-of-15 for 243 yards and a touchdown. Then in the national championship against Oregon, Jones went 16-of-23 through the air for 242 yards and a touchdown, leading the Buckeyes to a national title.
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Jones had great leadership in those games, something that not all football players have. We know Jones will be a great leader for the Defenders, and if he can use that strong arm to dominate on the field, then the XFL could be a great stepping stone for him to get back into the NFL. Good luck to Jones, Sprinkle and Grant. Go make us Buckeye fans proud.