Former NC State Players on XFL Rosters

The inaugral season of the new professional football league is scheduled to begin on Feb. 8

The latest incarnation of Vince McMahon's XFL is set to begin its inaugural season on Saturday, Feb. 8 and rosters for the league's eight teams have been set.

Among the 416 players employed by the league are four that played at least part of their college football careers at NC State.

Cornerback Johnathan Alston is a member of the Seattle Dragons while fellow defensive backs Mike Stevens and Jack Tocho will play for the Los Angeles Wildcats. Quarterback Jalan McClendon, who played three seasons for the Wolfpack before transferring to Baylor as a graduate student, is also on the Wildcats' roster.

Here is a closer look at the four and their prospects for the upcoming season:

◼ Alston -- A third-year pro who spent brief stints with the NFL's Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions, Alston began his career with the Wolfpack as a wide receiver. He caught 39 passes for 391 yards and three touchdowns from 2013-15. After being switched to defense and redshirting in 2016, he found a home at cornerback, making 54 tackles with a sack, intercepting three passes and recording seven pass breakups.

◼ Tocho -- A former seventh-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings, Tocho played one season in the NFL before spending the 2018 season on the Washington Redskins' practice squad. He also spent some time in the AAF in 2019 before the league shut down. A 6-1, 200-pound corner described in his XFL bio as having "good awareness and route recognition skills," Tocho was taken in the first round of the secondary phase of the new league's draft last fall and is projected as a starter for the Wildcats. Tocho recorded 122 tackles and six interceptions in four seasons at State from 2013-16.

◼ Stevens -- The Wildcats reunited Stevens with his former Wolfpack teammate Tocho by taking him with the fifth pick of the ninth round (No. 69 overall) in the defensive backfield phase. A 5-11, 185-pound corner, he was an undrafted free agent who participated in training camp with the Carolina Panthers in 2018. He played last season for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. During his injury-plagued college career at State, Stevens was credited with 79 tackles and intercepted three passes from 2013-17, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

◼ McClendon -- After serving as a backup to Ryan Finley, McClendon decided to move on to Baylor as a grad transfer. He completed 55.3 percent of his passes and rushed for 223 yards and two touchdowns in limited action with the Wolfpack from 2015-17. He played in nine games in his only season as a college starter, throwing for 715 yards and three touchdowns for the Bears. He spent most of 2019 on the Washington Redskins' practice squad and was so impressive during LA's preseason camp that the team traded away draft pick Luis Perez to make room for him on the roster. “We respect Luis," Wildcats coach Winston Moss said. "He is a first-class person and a first-class player. We felt as though the development of Josh Johnson and Jalan McClendon would give us the best chance to have success this season.”