Antwuan Jackson, Johnnie Dixon, Austin Mack Among Buckeyes Taking Advantage of Opportunities in XFL, USFL and CFL This Year

By Dan Hope on June 27, 2023 at 8:35 am
Johnnie Dixon
Twitter/@USFLBreakers
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While Ohio State currently has former players on the rosters of 28 of the NFL’s 32 teams, several other former Buckeyes have continued their football careers in other professional football leagues this year.

Two former Ohio State players played in the debut season of the third iteration of the XFL: Defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson, who played for the Seattle Sea Dragons, and running back Rod Smith, who played for the Vegas Vipers. Jackson, who recorded 20 total tackles with one tackle for loss in 10 games with the Sea Dragons, achieved the ultimate goal of all players in the XFL and other professional leagues by parlaying his performance with the Sea Dragons into an opportunity to play in the NFL, signing a contract with the Carolina Panthers in May.

Smith, who hasn’t played in an NFL regular-season game since 2019, led the Vipers in rushing with 275 yards and two touchdowns on 72 carries and added 14 catches for 116 yards and another touchdown. The former Ohio State running back made one of the highlights of the XFL season when he jumped right over a San Antonio Brahmas defender to bound into the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown in the Vipers’ Week 7 win.

Former Buckeyes who played in the second season of the modern version of the USFL included wide receiver Johnnie Dixon, who played for the New Orleans Breakers; tight end Marcus Baugh, who played for the Michigan Panthers; and offensive lineman Matt Burrell Jr., who played for the Memphis Showboats.

Dixon was one of the top wideouts in the USFL for the second year in a row, ranking second in the league with five receiving touchdowns and 10th with 462 receiving yards on 33 catches even though he missed two of the Breakers’ 10 regular-season games with a quad injury. The highlight of Dixon’s year came in Week 8 of the USFL season when he won the league’s Offensive Player of the Week award for a nine-catch, 136-yard, two-touchdown outing in a 24-20 win over the Panthers, which he described afterward as “definitely the best game of my life.”

Both Dixon and Baugh helped their respective teams earn playoff berths, though their seasons both ended in the divisional championship round this past weekend. Baugh caught 18 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns in his second USFL season, highlighted by a 51-yard touchdown catch-and-run in the same game as Dixon’s career day.

Burrell, who is listed on the Showboats’ roster as a former Ohio State player even though he finished his collegiate career at Sam Houston State, finished the season as the starting center for Memphis, who finished the season with a 5-5 record and did not make the playoffs.

Former Ohio State defensive end Jonathan Newsome, who finished his college career at Ball State, recorded 13 tackles with a half-sack in eight games this season for the Birmingham Stallions – who will face the Pittsburgh Maulers in the USFL’s championship game this weekend – before he was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.

Former Ohio State safety Brendon White, who lists Rutgers as his school after finishing his career with the Scarlet Knights, was signed by the USFL’s New Jersey Generals in May after starting the year playing for the Massachusetts Pirates of the Indoor Football League. He made his only game appearance in the final week of the regular season, recording two tackles as a linebacker for the Generals.

Buckeye alumni currently playing in the Canadian Football League include wide receiver Austin Mack, who is in his first CFL season with the Montreal Alouettes, and safety Damon Webb, who is in his second year with the Ottawa Redblacks and third CFL season overall.

Mack, who last played in an NFL regular-season game in 2020, has gotten off to a prolific start north of the border, catching nine passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns in his first two games. He currently leads the CFL in receiving yards per game and ranks second in the league with 22.3 yards per catch as he’s tied for the league with three catches of 30-plus yards, including a 61-yard catch in the Alouettes’ season opener and a 48-yard touchdown in their most recent game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Webb recorded five tackles and one tackle for loss in the Redblacks’ most recent game after recording no stats in their season opener against Mack’s Alouettes.

Former Ohio State defensive back Najee Murray, who spent just one season with the Buckeyes before transferring to Kent State, is in his fifth season with the Alouettes and is off to a productive start this year, recorded 13 tackles with an interception in their first two games of the year. Former Ohio State running back Antonio Williams, who transferred to North Carolina for the end of his college career, is a member of the BC Lions’ practice squad.

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