With less than two weeks until the relaunch of the XFL, the league announced Monday that all eight teams have finalized their 52-man rosters. Among those rosters, nine former Auburn football players made the final cut. Here are the former Tigers listed with their new teams, respectively.
Dallas Renegades
Cameron Artis-Payne, running back — The now 29-year-old running back played for the Tigers in 2013 and 2014, totaling over 2,200 yards in his Auburn career. He was drafted in 2015 by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round, playing four seasons with the Panthers before being released during final roster cuts in August 2019.
Darius James, offensive tackle — A transfer from Texas, James played in 26 games for Auburn in 2016 and 2017. Going undrafted in the NFL, James was let go by both the Washington Redskins and the New York Jets.
Houston Roughnecks
Sammie Coates, receiver — Coates played for Auburn for three seasons, finishing 10th in career receiving yards before forgoing his senior season to enter the NFL draft. He saw limited snaps in the NFL and was drafted in the third round by the Roughnecks.
Gabe Wright, defensive lineman — Following his career at Auburn where he played 39 games, Wright was signed and released by five NFL teams. He was drafted by Houston in the XFL’s supplemental draft.
Los Angeles Wildcats
Tre’ Williams, linebacker — He finished his Auburn career with 188 tackles over four years (2014-17) on the Plains. Williams never played a game in the NFL.
New York Guardians
Avery Young, offensive lineman — Young started in 36 of his 37 games at Auburn, and signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He was signed and released by a few NFL teams before spending time in the AAF and the CFL. Originally drafted by the St. Louis BattleHawks, Young was sent to the Guardians in a trade on Jan. 17, 2020.
St. Louis BattleHawks
Ryan White, defensive back — Part of Auburn’s 2010 national champion team, White played in 42 games over his four-year career from 2010-13. St. Louis selected him in the 10th round of the XFL draft in the fall.
DaVonte Lambert, defensive lineman — Lambert played for Auburn in 2014 and 2015 before signing as an undrafted free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After being placed on injury reserve in 2017, Lambert was waived by the Bucs a year later.
Tampa Bay Vipers
Ryan Davis, receiver — The single-season reception record holder at Auburn, Davis totaled 178 receptions for over 1,500 yards throughout his college career. Davis signed with the New England Patriots in April 2019 before the Vipers took him in phase one of the XFL open draft.
These former Tigers will be in action starting on Feb. 8, 2020, when the Seattle Dragons travel to face the D.C. Defenders. All games will be broadcast nationally on ABC, FOX, FS1 and ESPN.
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