HARRISONBURG – The DC Defenders of the XFL could double as the DC Dukes.
On Wednesday, the Defenders drafted former James Madison running back Khalid Abdullah and former Dukes wide receiver Terrence Alls during the final phase of the two-day event.
Former JMU wide receiver and punt returner Rashard Davis was DC’s No. 1 overall selection on Tuesday, giving the franchise three Madison alums as it gets set for its inaugural season, which will kick off with games in February.
Abdullah was the Most Outstanding Player in the 2016 FCS National Championship Game when he ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns to lift JMU to a 28-14 win over Youngstown State. He had 11 100-yard games and 10 multi-touchdown games that season to cap his career and set school records with 1,809 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns.
“I just think the XFL is a great opportunity for guys like me,” Abdullah said earlier this week ahead of the draft, “who might not have been able to showcase everything they could’ve based on the chance or the opportunity [previously] given.”
Alls spent two seasons with the Dukes after transferring from Duke University, but he played on the 2016 team with Abdullah and Davis, and then again on the 2017 squad that made a second-straight appearance in the FCS title game. Alls had 1,285 receiving yards and seven touchdowns over those two years.
Davis was the Colonial Athletic Association Special Teams Player of the Year in 2016 and hauled in a touchdown catch during the win over Youngstown State.
Other former JMU players to be drafted were wide receiver Ishmael Hyman and Andrew Ankrah, who were both selected by the St. Louis BattleHawks on Tuesday.