The second edition of the XFL kicks off on Saturday, giving football fans across the country a chance to avoid post-Super Bowl withdrawals and revisit former players of their favorite college teams.
Tennessee fans will get a look at four former Volunteers from the Butch Jones era, looking to make the most of a second chance to play professional football.
Dallas Renegades — Safety, Micah Abernathy
Abernathy played four seasons at Tennessee between 2015-18, starting 30 games at safety throughout his career. Racking up 138 tackles and two interceptions, Abernathy was a staple in Tennessee’s secondary during the 2016 and 2017 seasons, and a leader on a defensive back unit in 2018 that was experiencing a coaching change, despite missing four games due to injury.
Abernathy went undrafted in 2019, and had brief experiences with the Buccaneers, Vikings and Colts rosters before joining the Dallas Renegades of the XFL. Former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops is in the same capacity with the Renegades.
Houston Roughnecks — Linebacker, LaTroy Lewis
Lewis was brought to Tennessee by Derek Dooley, and redshirted during his first season on campus in 2012. When Butch Jones took over, Lewis remained a steady contributor at defensive end and was asked to move inside to defensive tackle when the Vols became decimated by injuries.
A redshirt senior 2016 campaign was the most productive season of Lewis’ career, as he pulled in 36 total tackles and 2.5 sacks. Lewis was signed after being undrafted by the Raiders in 2017. He made stops with the Texans and Titans before being picked by the Roughnecks in the 2020 XFL supplemental draft.
Los Angeles Wildcats — Offensive lineman, Khalil McKenzie
McKenzie came to Tennessee as a 5-star prospect in the 2015 class behind loads of hype. His production at Tennessee did not quite match the hype, although he was a staple in the middle of the Tennessee’s defensive line when healthy. McKenzie played in 31 games in three seasons and finished with 72 total tackles, three sacks and 5.5 TFLs in his college career.
After foregoing his senior year for the 2018 NFL Draft, McKenzie was picked in the sixth round by the Kansas City Chiefs and converted to offensive guard, but did not make the 53-man roster at the start of his rookie year. After spending some time on the Seahawks’ practice squad, McKenzie’s contract was not renewed in early 2020 and he signed with the XFL’s DC Defenders.
After signing with the Defenders, McKenzie was traded to the Los Angeles Wildcats, closer to his hometown of Concord, Calif.
Seattle Dragons — Offensive lineman, Venzell Boulware
Boulware was signed by Tennessee in the Class of 2015, along with McKenzie and redshirted his freshman season. After starting three games at right guard and playing in seven in 2016, Boulware played in one game in 2017 before leaving the team and transferring to Miami.
The Dragons will take on the DC Defenders Saturday, and McKenzie and Lewis will face off as the LA Wildcats take on the Houston Roughnecks.
The Renegades will play Sunday against the St. Louis BattleHawks.