Texas Football: Ranking former Longhorns in the XFL

2. Kent Perkins (Offensive Tackle), St. Louis Battlehawks

The only former Texas football player on the roster for the St. Louis Battlehawks is the 25-year-old 6-foot-5 and 305 pound offensive tackle Kent Perkins. The former highly touted Texas signed and 2012 USA Today High School All-American saw an up and down saga in his football career since leaving the Forty Acres.

For a good while, Perkins was trying to make headway on his quest to earning a spot on the Cincinnati Bengals active roster during either the 2017 or 2018 NFL regular season. But Perkins only played in one game during his NFL career, even though he either latest on the Bengals active roster or practice squad for nearly two years.

Perkins originally signed with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent following the 2017 NFL Draft. He was partially considered a draft snub, but signed with the Bengals pretty soon after the 2017 NFL Draft. The lack of progress in his first year with the Bengals made it difficult to prove that he should’ve been picked up at least late in that 2017 draft.

After just two years of trying to make an NFL roster, Perkins announced his apparent retirement from professional football. But it was less than three months after that where he was picked up in the 2020 XFL Draft. He was the only former Longhorn that was selected in the positional phase of the XFL Draft. Perkins should have the inside track to becoming a starter with the Battlehawks.