XFL announces Tier 1 quarterbacks for inaugural season, led by former CFP national champion

The XFL designated their eight quarterbacks prior to the league's inaugural draft

By Jeff Kerr

Oct 15, 2019 at 10:33 am ET • 2 min read

The XFL is set for the biggest day in its short history as the league hosts its inaugural draft, setting the official rosters for its eight franchises in 2020. Before the draft, the league announced a pool of Tier 1 quarterbacks that were designated to the eight franchises. These players were not incorporated in the draft pool in an effort to create a level playing field for all teams.

Here are the eight quarterbacks that were selected as Tier 1 quarterbacks for the inaugural 2019 season:

Landry Jones (Dallas Renegades)

Jones, a former fourth-round pick, spent his first five NFL seasons in Pittsburgh. The Steelers released him just before the start of the 2018 regular season. He has a 3-2 career record as an NFL starting quarterback. In 19 games, he's completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 1,310 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Jones threw for 16,646 yards and 123 touchdowns in four seasons at Oklahoma.

Matt McGloin (New York Guardians)

In his five-year NFL career, McGloin had a 1-6 record, completing 58.1 percent of his passes for 1,868 yards, 11 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 75.3 passer rating. He played four seasons with the Oakland Raiders before spending the 2017 preseason with the Philadelphia Eagles.

In his senior season at Penn State under the tutelage of Bill O'Brien, McGloin threw for a school-record 3,271 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and five interceptions. He led the Nittany Lions to an 8-4 record, the first season under NCAA sanctions from the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Cardale Jones (D.C. Defenders)

Jones was a fourth-round draft pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2016 and traded to the Los Angeles Chargers before the 2017 season for a seventh-round draft pick.

During his Ohio State career, Jones was 167 for 270 passing (61.9 completion percentage) for 2,323 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He added 617 career rushing yards and four touchdowns, leading the Buckeyes to the 2014 national championship.

Aaron Murray (Tampa Bay Vipers)

Murray was selected in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, but has never taken a regular-season snap in the league. In his four years at Georgia, Murray threw for 13,166 yards, 121 touchdowns and 41 interceptions.

Phillip Walker (Houston Roughnecks)

Walker was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2017, but has never played in an NFL regular-season game. He threw for 10,668 yards and 74 touchdowns in four seasons at Temple.

Brandon Silvers (Seattle Dragons)

Silvers went undrafted in the NFL, but latched onto the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football. Silvers started two games for the Express, throwing for 799 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. A four-year starter at Troy, Silvers finished with 10,667 yards and 71 touchdowns.

Luis Perez (Los Angeles Wildcats)

An undrafted free agent in 2018, Perez gained fame as a starter for the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football. However, Perez didn't have the best stats in the AAF, completing 52.3 percent of his passes for 1,460 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions for a 60.0 passer rating.

Perez completed 70.6 percent of his passes for 4,999 yards, 46 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his senior season at Texas A&M Commerce. He won the Harlon Hill Trophy as the Division II National Player of the Year and led Texas A&M Commerce to the national championship. Perez passed for 298.3 yards per game that season, which ranked ninth throughout the entire NCAA, one of the only three players in all NCAA divisions with over 4,000 passing yards.