Abdullah, Ex-Dukes Set For XFL Draft

HARRISONBURG — This could be Khalid Abdullah’s last crack at playing pro football.

And the former James Madison star knows it.

“But at the end of the day, I’m 24,” Abdullah, who works a day job in Atlanta as a financial recruiter, said by phone Monday. “I don’t have any kids. I’m not married. I’ve never had any injuries, so if I’m able to go out there, make some money and do something I’m passionate about, I’m all for it.”

Abdullah is one of six former Dukes – along with wide receiver Terrence Alls, defensive end Andrew Ankrah, wide receiver/punt returner Rashard Davis, running back Cardon Johnson and quarterback Vad Lee – part of the XFL’s pool of players to draft from.

The XFL Draft begins today and will run through Wednesday as the eight new franchises for league’s reboot will select from the pool of approximately 1,000 players to create 71-man rosters.

“I just think the XFL is a great opportunity for guys like me,” Abdullah said, “who might not have been able to showcase everything they could’ve based on the chance or the opportunity [previously] given.

“When I went to the [New York] Giants, I kind of had the cards stacked against me. That was the main thing, so having another opportunity to go out there and ball, it’s just a good thing.”

Abdullah’s JMU career ended with Most Outstanding Player honors in the Dukes’ 2016 FCS National Championship Game win over Youngstown State and he insists he’s only a better player now compared to then. That campaign, he set school single-season records with 1,809 rushing yards, 22 rushing touchdowns, 150 points scored and 25 total touchdowns.

But the following spring, he wasn’t picked during the NFL Draft and only signed a rookie free-agent contract with the Giants after impressing them on a tryout basis. Since, he’s spent two seasons playing in Your Call Football – a league designed entirely for fans to call plays through an app on their smart phone.

“There were some things I’d do differently,” Abdullah said while reflecting on his training camp stint with the Giants in 2017. “So that’s the biggest thing.

“You’re not there to make friends. You’re literally fighting for a job. But then I was coming out of college and I was a kid. I had experienced some success and when you do, you can get a little lax. But there were guys there that literally you’re there trying to take food out of their kids’ mouths. They’ve got mortgages and going into it, you don’t think it’s that serious until you’re on your way out. So it’s like, ‘Damn, I wish I could’ve done some things different.’ Things like hit the playbook harder and focus more on treatment, but hindsight is 20/20.

“I learned to take it serious and treat it like a job, because they’re going to treat it like a business. So you’ve got to go in there with the same mindset like the coaches and [general managers] do.”

Abdullah said his relationship with the head of scouting for Your Call Football, Eric Galko, led to the chance with the XFL when Galko became the head of player personnel for the league.

Another previous football tie Abdullah and his other ex-JMU teammates have to the XFL is former Madison coach Mickey Matthews, who is the defensive quality control and outside linebackers coach for the Dallas Renegades. Abdullah said, “If I end up with Mickey, that’d be dope.”

Here’s a closer at the five other former Dukes who could be selected by one of the XFL clubs:

Alls hauled in 94 catches for 1,285 yards and seven touchdowns in his two seasons at JMU after transferring to the school from Duke University.

He never got an NFL opportunity afterward, but played in The Spring League, a developmental organization that had XFL coaches and scouts attend games and practices earlier this year.

Most recently, Ankrah was with the Washington Redskins in training camp before being released by the franchise. He saw action in four preseason NFL games after thriving in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football with the Orlando Apollos this past winter.

Ankrah was a team captain and the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 – his senior season at JMU.

His speed has given the NFL intrigue as Davis spent time on practice squads or in training camp with the Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs since finishing his Dukes career as part of the 2016 national championship team.

But he’s never played in a regular-season NFL game, so some game reps in the XFL could go a long way for Davis, who was a STATS FCS All-American for his four punt-return touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns as a senior.

Johnson finished his six-year JMU career last season and tallied 2,745 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns in his time with the program. He suffered season-ending injuries in both 2016 and 2017, but bounced back to play a full season a year ago and earned a rookie minicamp tryout with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the spring.

Just like Abdullah, Lee played with Your Call Football and it’s turned in an XFL opportunity for him.

Currently, the quarterback is actually working with the JMU football team as its chaplain, but as his arm indicates during pregame when he slings the ball to some of the Dukes’ team managers or wide receivers, Lee still has some football ability left in him.

Lee was named an All-American and won the Bill Dudley Award in 2014 and 2015.