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The New York Guardians are the Big Apple’s newest pro football team, and they’ll be competing in the XFL this season. Former New York Giants offensive coordinator (2007-2013) Kevin Gilbride will serve as the team’s head coach and general manager. It would appear Gilbride will also serve as offensive coordinator, while former longtime NFL linebackers coach Jim Herrmann will serve as defensive coordinator.
There are plenty of players looking to make names for themselves in this league, and here are a few you might recognize.
Matt McGloin, QB (Oakland Raiders)
McGloin never really stuck in the NFL, but did manage to spend four seasons with the Raiders after going undrafted in 2013. He then bounced around the league and spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, and Kansas City Chiefs. Only Oakland used him in a regular season game though. McGloin made a name for himself playing under Texans coach Bill O’Brien at BYU and is looking to get another shot at a long-term starting gig.
Marquise Williams, QB (Green Bay Packers)
Williams spent four seasons at the University of North Carolina before going undrafted in 2016. He then signed a deal with with Green bay Packers, but never played in the regular season and was cut in September of the same year. He proceeded to bounce around after that and spent time with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and the AAF’s San Antonio Commanders before being selected by the Guardians with a 10th-round pick. Williams completed 73.5 percent of his passes through eight games as a backup in the AAF before the league ceased operations. Now he’ll try to contribute as a backup once again.
Joe Horn Jr., WR (Baltimore Ravens)
Horn is the son of former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Joe Horn Sr., who was a four-time Pro Bowl player. The younger Horn signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2019 out of Missouri Western State, but was waived during final roster cutsThe XFL’s Houston Roughnecks drafted him in the inaugural player draft before trading him to the Guardians.
Justin Stockton (Detroit Lions)
Stockton should split work with Tim Cook in the Guardians’ backfield this year. He spent some time with the Detroit Lions after spending some time with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2018. His 4.5 40-yard dash time makes him the fastest of New York’s backs. His ability to act as a receiver out of the backfield gives him value above his peers.
New York Guardians Roster
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | College |
| 14 | McGloin, Matt | QB | 6-1 | 200 | Penn State |
| 7 | Perez, Luis | QB | 6-2 | 222 | Texas A&M Commerce |
| 12 | Williams, Marquise | QB | 6-2 | 233 | North Carolina |
| 20 | Cook III, Tim | RB | 6-0 | 247 | Oregon State |
| 23 | Stockton, Justin | RB | 5-9 | 197 | Texas Tech |
| 27 | Victor, Darius | RB | 5-6 | 226 | Towson |
| 34 | Colburn II, Matthew | RB | 5-8 | 190 | Wake Forest |
| 1 | McKay, Mekale | WR | 6-5 | 195 | Cincinnati |
| 2 | Horn, Joe | WR | 5-10 | 182 | Missouri Western |
| 3 | Pearson, Colby | WR | 6-0 | 194 | Brigham Young |
| 9 | Redding, Teo | WR | 6-0 | 176 | Bowling Green |
| 10 | Duke, Austin | WR | 5-9 | 170 | Charlotte |
| 17 | Liggins, Justice | WR | 6-1 | 164 | Stephen F. Austin |
| 83 | Sutherland, Jake | TE | 6-4 | 250 | Morehead State |
| 85 | Brown, Keenen | TE | 6-3 | 256 | Texas State |
| 87 | Powell, Jake | TE | 6-5 | 231 | Monmouth (NJ) |
| 88 | Bibbs, EJ | TE | 6-3 | 260 | Iowa State |
| 16 | McCrane, Matthew | K | 5-10 | 167 | Kansas State |
| 8 | Vogel, Justin | P | 6-4 | 215 | Miami (FL) |
| 73 | Young, Avery | OL | 6-5 | 347 | Auburn |
| 70 | Kling IV, John | T | 6-7 | 353 | Buffalo |
| 71 | Weiss, Brant | T | 6-5 | 291 | Toledo |
| 74 | Jones, Jarron | T | 6-6 | 320 | Notre Dame |
| 42 | Daly, Scott | LS | 6-2 | 237 | Notre Dame |
| 44 | Mueller, Ryan | LB | 6-2 | 247 | Kansas State |
| 45 | Hines, D'Juan | LB | 6-1 | 227 | Houston |
| 47 | Ginda, Frank | LB | 6-0 | 235 | San Jose State |
| 48 | Johnson, Jawuan | LB | 5-11 | 230 | Texas Christian |
| 49 | DeLuca, Nick | LB | 6-3 | 227 | North Dakota State |
| 56 | Heeney, Ben | LB | 6-0 | 218 | Kansas |
| 59 | Dooley, Garret | LB | 6-2 | 237 | Wisconsin |
| 77 | Mama, Damien | G | 6-4 | 333 | USC |
| 78 | Coyle, Anthony | G | 6-5 | 298 | Fordham |
| 93 | Barnes, TJ | DT | 6-7 | 365 | Georgia Tech |
| 94 | Mbu, Joey | DT | 6-3 | 341 | Houston |
| 95 | Johnson JR, Toby | DT | 6-4 | 340 | Georgia |
| 99 | Walker, Cavon | DT | 6-2 | 288 | Maryland |
| 55 | Wright, Charles | DE | 6-3 | 221 | Vanderbilt |
| 58 | Rotimi JR, Bunmi | DE | 6-3 | 265 | Old Dominion |
| 91 | Owens, Jarrell | DE | 6-2 | 276 | Oklahoma State |
| 21 | Summers, Jamar | CB | 5-11 | 186 | Connecticut |
| 24 | Texada II, Ranthony | CB | 5-8 | 181 | Texas Christian |
| 26 | Neal, DeJuan | CB | 5-11 | 193 | Shepherd |
| 29 | Jones, Bryce | CB | 5'11 | 168 | Akron |
| 31 | Alexander, Terrence | CB | 5-9 | 181 | Louisiana State |
| 68 | Brumfield, Garrett | C | 6-3 | 299 | Louisiana State |
| 69 | Silberman, Ian | C | 6-5 | 311 | Boston College |
| 22 | Askew-Henry, Dravon | S | 5-11 | 188 | West Virginia |
| 28 | Sutton, Wesley | S | 5-11 | 187 | Northern Arizona |
| 30 | Soroh, Andrew | S | 6-0 | 206 | Florida Atlantic |
| 33 | Hendy, A.J. | S | 6-1 | 202 | Maryland |
| 36 | Cox, Demetrious | S | 6-0 | 196 | Michigan State |