Though it won’t be kicking off until 2020, the XFL is already making it clear it will welcome talented players who want to get paid as early as possible.
Under NFL rules, a player must be out of high school for at least three years before joining the league. In addition to working on their games, that’s a big reason many top prospects choose to play college football, generally for more than one season.
But, the XFL doesn’t have the same rules as the NFL and it sounds as if players who want to play pro football right out of high school may have that option in 2020. Additionally, college players who want to leave school early before they are eligible for the NFL will also likely be in play for the XFL.
On Tuesday, an XFL spokesperson told ProFootballTalk that the XFL’s “player eligibility guidelines are in development” and the league “is not restricted by the rules that exist in other professional football leagues.”
While speaking on a podcast in December, XFL commissioner Oliver Luck shared a similar sentiment.
“Theoretically we could take a player right out of high school. I doubt we’ll do that,” Luck said. “But I wouldn’t rule it out. Nor would I rule out taking a player who played a year of college football and let’s say isn’t eligible academically, which happens … We are in that position to be able to take players who wouldn’t be eligible to play in the NFL.”
The XFL’s eight-team league will commence player following Super Bowl LIV. Teams will have 40 players apiece and play a 10-game schedule.
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