With the XFL on the horizon, it appears that three former USFL players are officially taking part in the Specialist Showcase hosted by Nick Novak this Sunday, on October 23rd. Austin MacGinnis, Michael Carrizosa, and Nick Truesdell were all invited to participate in the showcase after spending parts of 2022 with USFL teams. Carrizosa and Truesdell were released while MacGinnis was placed on the did not report list.
MacGinnis and Truesdell have the most experience out of the three, while Carrizosa has only played in the USFL for the Michigan Panthers. MacGinnis is a veteran of four pro football leagues since coming out of Kentucky in 2018.
Originally, starting with the Memphis Express and Dallas Renegades MacGinnis was given an opportunity with the Rams in 2020 and bounced between free agency and the practice squad for parts of the 2020 and 2021 season. In 2022, MacGinnis was drafted by the New Orleans Breakers and was 2/5 on Field Goals, and 4/7 on Extra Points. Overall, he is 21/26 (81%) on Field Goals throughout his three pro leagues.
Truesdell whose been a Tight End for his whole career has transitioned to Long Snapper for what appears is his final shot in pro football. Truesdell, a veteran of the IFL, AFL, NFL, AAF, XFL, CFL, and USFL, has been around the Alt-League for years since coming out of college in 2013. Truesdell has totaled 33 Receptions and 360 yards with 3 TDs in the AAF and XFL, while totaling approximately 127 receptions for 1,527 yards and 38 Touchdowns in the arena leagues.
Michael Carrizosa is the most inexperienced of the three-specialist working after only having a 4-game stint with the Michigan Panthers. Most known for his Week 4 22-yard shank against the Philadelphia Stars Carrizosa seemed to have been given an unfair shot at pro football. While his punting was unmatched, Carrizosa was asked to handle kicking duties in which he was 1/4 on Field Goals and 0/2 on Extra Points. Moving towards the XFL whose larger rosters will give Carrizosa a more opportune chance to succeed as he’ll only be asked to punt.
These men along with 63 other men, will showcase themselves for Nick Novak whose no stranger to Alt-Leagues. Novak is a veteran of NFL Europe, the UFL, NFL, AAF, and XFL 2.0, so he seems to be the smart choice for someone to lead these young men in their quest to beginning or extending their professional football careers. With 8 XFL teams, only 24 of the 66 players will have the opportunity to join the XFL moving forward. As USFL teams continue to sign players, it seems that right now there aren’t many job openings for specialist looking to continue their pro football careers.
