How Former Gators Performed in XFL Week One

Several Gator players got on the field in the first weekend of XFL action. How did they fare?

Matt Jones was the highlight of the weekend for the orange and blue. 

In the first weekend of the new-look XFL, some ex-Florida players showed off their skills. Matt Jones, who played running back at Florida from 2012-14, stood out the most.

Jones was selected in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins and played there for three seasons. He proceeded to make pit stops in Indianapolis and Philadelphia, playing for the Colts and Eagles briefly before joining the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL. 

Jones carried the ball 21 times on Sunday for 85 yards in his XFL debut, averaging just over four yards a carry. Jones' efforts helped lead the Battlehawks to victory over the Dallas Renegades, 15-9. 

Jones' 85 rushing yards lead the XFL through its inaugural week.

Defensively, safety Will Hill (2008-10) was the star UF alumnus. 

Hill recorded five tackles for the Battlehawks, and nabbed the game-winning interception from Renegades quarterback Phillip Nelson.

Beating teams coached by Bob Stoops isn't new to Hill. He was a member of the Gators' 2009 BCS National Championship team, which beat the Stoops-led Oklahoma Sooners by a score of 24-14.  

After not getting drafted in 2010, Hill signed with the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League before getting picked up by the New York Giants in 2012. In 2014, the Baltimore Ravens signed Hill and kept him until 2016, when he was released for failing a drug test. He then signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL before joining the Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football last season. 

Former Florida safety Matt Elam also recorded a tackle this weekend for the D.C. Defenders when they beat the Seattle Dragons. Elam played for UF from 2010-2012 before getting drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round. The Ravens released the first-round pick in 2017. Elam played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL for a season before joining the Defenders this season. 

Florida's most talented player in the XFL, Tampa Bay Vipers wide receiver Antonio Callaway, was placed on injured reserve before the season started.