Tag: Tampa Bay Bandits

Former LSU, USFL receiver gets a second chance in the NFL

Derrick Dillon lands with the Browns after a solid stint with the Tampa Bay Bandits.

After a year with the USFL’s Tampa Bay Bandits, former LSU receiver [autotag]Derrick Dillon[/autotag] is back on an NFL roster. On Monday, the Cleveland Browns signed the 26-year-old, and he will hope to secure a roster spot as the preseason is about to begin.

A native of Franklinton, Louisiana, Dillon was originally committed to Florida out of high school but ended up with the Tigers. During a career in Baton Rouge that spanned six years, Dillon finished with 634 yards and four touchdowns on 51 catches. He was also a member of the 2019 national championship team

He went undrafted in 2020 but signed with the New York Giants. He spent most of his first season on the Giants practice squad but was cut ahead of the season in 2021.

A 15th-round pick for the Bandits in the first USFL draft, Dillon finished the 2022 season with 386 yards and four touchdowns on 28 catches. That was enough to get a second chance in the league with the Browns, and he will hope to take advantage.

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Former Buckeye, Matthew Burrell, taken in USFL supplemental draft

Former Buckeye signs with second team in 2022 #GoBucks #USFL

The United States Football League or USFL 2.0 held their draft a few weeks ago and a few former Ohio State Buckeyes were selected including fan favorites in Johnnie Dixon and Mike Weber, but this week the USFL held their supplemental draft.

Unlike their first draft where each round had a designated position, the USFL supplemental draft was a free-for-all, which is just how I like it. Not many more former Buckeyes were taken, but a couple were selected and the first former Ohio State player taken may surprise you.

With the first pick in the third round, the Tampa Bay Bandits selected Matthew Burrell. The former four-star recruit played briefly for the Buckeyes before transferring to Sam Houston State and he has played in the Indoor Football League since with the Tuscon Sugar Skulls and recently signed with the Arizona Rattlers, but I suppose that is now canceled. Burrell is an interior offensive lineman who will be hoping to elevate his game in the USFL.

We’ll keep an eye on the reboot of the USFL as things get going and we’ll of course be very interested in what the former Ohio State football players are doing.

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2022 USFL Draft: Every Mountain West Football Player Selected On Day Two

A number of former Mountain West football stars look to find their way in the revived USFL this spring.

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2022 USFL Draft: Every Mountain West Football Player Selected On Day Two

A number of former Mountain West football stars look to find their way in the revived USFL this spring.

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Lots of familiar faces in the mix.

After landing six selections on the first day of the USFL Draft, many more stars from the Mountain West’s past heard their names called in the second and final day of the new spring league’s dispersal process.

As on day one, the eight USFL teams selected players in a “snake draft” fashion, picking from different position pools in each round (wide receivers from rounds 13 to 17, safeties in round 18 and 19, and so on). Where the Michigan Panthers had four Mountain West players in their first twelve selections yesterday, many more USFL squads got in on the action this time around to build depth on their respective rosters (though the Panthers did select three more athletes from the conference, giving them seven in all).

Of note, the new Pittsburgh Maulers, led by veteran NFL running backs coach Kirby Wilson, crafted something of a San Jose State reunion in the Steel City. After selecting former Spartans quarterback Josh Love on day one, the Maulers picked three more SJSU players on day two.

Pittsburgh also selected former San Diego State linebacker Kyahva Tezino, giving San Diego State four selections altogether, bested only by San Jose State and its conference-high seven picks. Colorado State and New Mexico finished the two-day process with two draft picks while Fresno State, Hawaii, and Utah State had one apiece.

Houston Gamblers

JoJo Ward, WR, Hawaii — round 14, pick 7

Dalyn Dawkins, RB, Colorado State — round 27, pick 6

Michigan Panthers

Daishawn Dixon, G, San Diego State — round 23, pick 1

Frank Ginda, LB, San Jose State — round 30, pick 4

Michael Carrizosa, P, San Jose State — round 33, pick 6

Pittsburgh Maulers

Bailey Gaither, WR, San Jose State — round 14, pick 5

DelVon Hardaway, WR, Fresno State — round 16, pick 5

Tre Walker, WR, San Jose State — round 17, pick 4

Boogie Roberts, DL, San Jose State — round 25, pick 2

Kyahva Tezino, LB, San Diego State — round 31, pick 1

Tampa Bay Bandits

Juwan Washington, RB, San Diego State — round 28, pick 8

Ryan DiSalvo, LS, San Jose State — round 35, pick 3

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Former Sooners OLB Emmanuel Beal selected by the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL

In its inaugural draft, the USFL’s Tampa Bay Bandits selected former Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Emmanuel Beal.

Though the NFL is the king of professional football, but with the demand for football at an all-time high, the USFL launched this winter to be an offseason option. Holding its inaugural draft for the eight-team league, they’re drafting by position group and the Oklahoma Sooners are showing up.

Earlier today it was former wide receiver Jeff Badet getting selected by the Michigan Panthers and now it’s the Tampa Bay Bandits dipping into the Sooners well with outside linebacker Emmanuel Beal.

Beal played two seasons for the Oklahoma Sooners, starting 24 games and received All-Big 12 honorable mention in 2017. Over those two seasons, he recorded 101 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. He also had one interception, two forced fumbles, and three pass deflections.

The USFL will open its season on April 16th, 2022.

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First look at new USFL jerseys and helmets for all 8 teams

The USFL is back and the jerseys are just as wild as you’d expect

Like most things in pop culture these days, the United States Football League is getting a reboot.

Unlike its predecessor, the league will feature just eight teams instead of 18. The New Jersey Generals and Tampa Bay Bandits are back along with the Birmingham Stallions, Houston Gamblers, Philadelphia Stars, Pittsburgh Maulers, Michigan Panthers and New Orleans Breakers.

On Thursday, the new-look USFL—which begins play this spring—unveiled each team’s uniform and they are certainly embracing a level of creativity we don’t typically see in the NFL.

Fans will have a chance to see their team’s players finally try on the threads once the inaugural draft begins on Feb. 22 in Birmingham. Until then, the league’s models will have to do.

Here’s a preview of how each of the eight clubs will look once they take the field.

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Former Chiefs HC Todd Haley named HC of USFL Bandits

The USFL has enlisted former #Chiefs head coach Todd Haley as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Bandits for their inaugural season.

Another upstart football league, a relaunch of the USFL (United States Football League), is slated to play their first game in fewer than 100 days. With the inaugural season so close, they’re now announcing head coaches for four of their eight teams across the league.

Kansas City Chiefs fans will recognize a familiar face as a head coach of the Tampa Bay Bandits. The USFL has enlisted none other than former Chiefs head coach Todd Haley to coach the Bandits in their inaugural season. Haley, of course, was the head coach in Kansas City during some of their darkest days as a franchise.

The Bandits tweeted out the news on Thursday, asking fans to welcome their first head coach. Check out the message down below:

Haley coached in the NFL from 1995 through 2018, beginning his career as a scouting assistant with the New York Jets before working his way up to become a wide receivers coach. From 2007-2008 he served as the Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator. After coaching the Cardinals offense in their trip to Super Bowl XLIII, he became a top candidate to become an NFL head coach. In 2009, he became the 11th head coach of the Chiefs. He’d spend three seasons in Kansas City, accumulating a 19-26 record during that span, struggling to find offensive consistency with Matt Cassel at quarterback.

After he was relieved of his duties in Kansas City in December of 2011, Haley caught on as offensive coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers for a few seasons. In 2018, he coached his last NFL season as offensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns and for the past two seasons, he’s been coaching the offense at Riverview High School in Sarasota, Florida.

Now, Haley will get a chance to build up his coaching career again with the USFL. Whether the fledgling league or the former NFL coach will be successful remains to be seen.

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