Will the XFL become an option for college players?

The XFL hasn’t started yet, but they already have an NFL caliber player with college eligibility left joining their ranks. Former West Virginia All-Big 12 safety, Kenny Robinson, was dismissed from WVU due to academic violations. He entered the NCAA transfer portal last summer, but later opted to enter the XFL draft in the fall.

Robinson ended up on the St. Louis BattleHawks and has officially been added to the 2020 NFL draft pool. Robinson will be a good test case, as he will learn from veteran coaches and play against what amounts to college all-star teams. And as a defensive back, Robinson will get plenty of work in a league that should be pass-first for the most part.

Pro Football Focus had Robinson with a first-round grade, as he led the Big 12 by allowing just one-reception for every 44.2 snaps in coverage. There’s little doubt he has the chops to make it in the NFL, but will be taking a different route. If he can play well and put up good tape in the XFL and get drafted early in the 2020 draft, other college players could look to do the same.

Much depends on if the XFL can even last, but Vince McMahon’s $2.1 billion net worth backs the league, which should give it some time to gain fans. A true alternative to college football, that pays, might cause the NCAA to go into crisis mode. What happens after that is up for plenty of speculation, but right now we’ll keep an eye on Robinson and his path to the NFL.