Boilers in the Pros: 5 former Boilers set to play in the 2020 XFL Season

Super Bowl 54 is over, usually football fans have to suffer through months of no NFL or NCAA football games outside of spring ball and preseason. Don’t worry though, because the 2020 XFL season will be starting Saturday and 5 former Boilermaker players will be playing in the return of Vince McMahon’s football league.

The XFL season will be 10 weeks long and each week there will be two games played on both Saturday and Sunday throughout the season with the exception of week’s 9 and 10 where one game will be played on Thursday.

After the 10 week regular season there is a 4 team playoff split up by East and West before the XFL Championship game on Sunday, April 26th at 3:00pm on ESPN.

All games will be televised on Fox, FS1, ABC or ESPN and you can find the full schedule on the XFL’s website.

Here are the former Boilermakers that will be playing this season.

DeAngelo Yancey, WR, New York Guardians: Yancey was the 3rd pick overall in the XFL Draft and will be suiting up in New York this winter and early spring. He unfortunately had to go through the Darrell Hazell era in West Lafayette but had a successful career at Purdue amassing 141 grabs for 2,344 yards and 20 scores. His best season in the gold and black came in Hazzell’s final season when he put up 951 yards and 10 touchdowns while catching 49 passes. He was selected in the 5th round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers but was never able to stick around with a team and did not play in an NFL game.

Austin Larkin, DE, New York Guardians: Larkin transferred to Purdue to play his junior and senior seasons in 2016 and 2017. He accounted for 42 total tackles with 4.5 TFL’s and 2.5 sacks during his two years in West Lafayette. After leaving Purdue, Larkin played just two games in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons but will now get the opportunity to get snaps in the XFL.

Gelen Robinson, DE/DT, Dallas Renegades: Robinson was a key part of the Boilermakers defensive line during this time at Purdue having 164 total tackles, 35 TFL’s and 12.5 sacks over his career. He also scored a big man touchdown in his junior season when he returned an interception 78 yards for a touchdown. Robinson had try outs with the Colts and Bears most notably but was unable to make an NFL and spent time in the CFL and AAF before getting a chance to play in the XFL.

Kirk Barron, C, Seattle Dragons: Kirk Barron was the model for consistency and leadership during his time with Purdue as he started 39 games over his final three seasons in West Lafayette and was the main lineman that assisted a dynamic Purdue offense in his last two seasons. He spent time with both the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals this past season but did not appear in a regular season game. Kirk figures to be a starter for the Dragons and will hopefully earn another NFL shot with his play.

Danny Ezechukwu, DE/LB, Seattle Dragons: Danny was an outstanding player for the Boilermakers finishing with 216 total tackles, 16 TFL’s, 7.5 sacks to go along with 3 interceptions and 4 forced fumbles. After graduating, Ezechukwu spent time with the Eagles practice squad and then in the AAF but neither worked out so he will look to continue his career as a teammate of Kirk Barron in Seattle.

Good luck to all five of the Boilers who will start their season this weekend in the XFL’s return season. Boiler Up!