A pair of former Boise State players are teammates as XFL prepares for third launch
A pair of former Boise State football players have another shot at professional playing careers.
Offensive lineman Jake Stetz and wide receiver Sean Modster were selected by the Arlington Renegades in the XFL Draft in November. They’ve relocated to Texas, and the team will hold its first practice Saturday.
“I’m really excited to be part of a team again,” Stetz told the Idaho Statesman on Friday. “It’s professional football and it’s a legit league. I’m excited but I’m also a little nervous to get back at it.”
The XFL will take its third stab at chipping away at the NFL’s stranglehold on the market this year, and it’s under new ownership. Former WWE star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson led a group that purchased the league from WWE owner Vince McMahon after it folded just five weeks into its second launch in 2020. McMahon initially launched the league in 2001, but it only lasted for one season.
The league consists of eight teams: the Renegades, St. Louis Battlehawks, Washington DC Defenders, Houston Roughnecks, Orlando Guardians, Seattle Sea Dragons, Vegas Vipers and San Antonio Brahmas.
The XFL is scheduled to kick off the season Feb. 18 — six days after the Super Bowl. A four-team playoff is scheduled to begin April 29 and the championship game will be held May 13.
Stetz played tackle, guard and center at Boise State from 2017 to 2021. He was named second-team All-Mountain West in 2020 and 2021, and he started 21 games during the final three seasons of his college career. He probably would have started more but the 2020 season was shortened to seven games because of COVID-19.
Stetz wasn’t picked in the 2022 NFL Draft, but he earned invitations to attend rookie minicamps with the Seahawks and Broncos. The 6-2, 305-pound native of San Diego played guard and center in both camps and said he expects to fill the same role for the Renegades.
“It was a great experience, seeing how the NFL operates and testing myself against the best,” Stetz said. “I’ve just been trying to stay ready for when my next opportunity came, and I’m thankful for it.”
Stetz found out the Renegades were interested in him when he got a call from offensive line coach Jonathan Himebauch last fall. He was picked in the seventh round of the second phase of the XFL Draft, and he’s thankful to have another chance at making a living by playing the game he loves.
Stetz said active XFL players make about $5,000 per game in the regular season and have a chance to earn a $1,000 bonus for a win. They make about $800 a week during training camp.
“It was kind of surreal when they picked me, and now I’m here and I can still hardly believe it,” Stetz said. “I’m really excited for this season and to get back out there and compete with my team.”
The XFL runs its draft differently than other leagues. It begins with teams submitting a list of preferred quarterbacks to the league, which then decides how to allocate the most desirable players.
The draft then rolls through five phases. The first involves offensive skill players: running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and more quarterbacks.
Teams can pick offensive linemen in the second phase, defensive linemen and linebackers in the third and cornerbacks and safeties in the fourth. Players from all positions are available in the fifth phase, including kickers and punters.
The first four phases are 10 rounds each. The fifth features 30 rounds. Draft order is determined by a lottery, and the order is reversed after each round.
Modster, who caught 111 passes at Boise State from 2014 to 2018, was picked in the first round of the draft’s fifth phase.
He’s known Renegades co-offensive coordinator Jon Hayes for years and was able to share his highlight film with him before the draft. The move worked, and Modster is in the third professional league of his career.
“It’s been a little while since I played in a game, but it’s like riding a bike,” Modster said on Friday. “This game has been a part of my life since I was little, and I’m excited to shake the rust off and get back into the groove and the grind.”
Modster wasn’t picked in the 2019 NFL Draft, but he signed with the Baltimore Ravens and spent that season on the practice squad. He was released in 2020 and signed with the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League in early 2022. He was cut before the regular season began, but he stayed in shape and another opportunity at a professional playing career has presented itself.
“It’s awesome to be playing in the states again, and I’m definitely grateful for this opportunity,” Modster said. “I know some of the guys on the team and this is a great league, so it’s definitely a blessing.”
The Renegades open the season Feb. 18 at home against the Vegas Vipers.
No more PATs
The XFL has some rules that differ from the NFL. The most notable is the elimination of point-after kicks following a touchdown. Instead, teams earn one point for running a scoring play from the 2-yard line, two points for scoring from the 5 or three points for scoring from the 10.
Overtime is also different in the XFL. It consists of five rounds of alternating possessions, with each team getting one play to score from its opponent’s 5-yard line. The team with the most points after five rounds wins.
There are also smaller differences in the rules, such as players needing to get just one foot in bounds on a catch and a 25-second play clock versus the NFL’s 40-second clock. Double forward passes are also allowed as long as the ball doesn’t cross the line of scrimmage on the first pass.
This story was originally published January 13, 2023 at 2:12 PM.
