Former Clemson star quarterback Tajh Boyd was cut after being a sixth-round draft pick by the New York Jets, but he's hoping to keep his career going by signing with the Florida Blacktips of the new Fall Experimental Football League.
Boyd was a three-year starter at Clemson, throwing for a school-record 11,904 yards and an ACC-record 107 touchdowns. But he struggled in training camp, to the point where he never really contended for even the third-team spot won by Matt Simms. Boyd was released during the Jets' final cut.
He is hoping to impress scouts with his play in the FXFL, a fledgling league also looking to impress.
"Our long-term goal is to establish a partnership with the NFL," FXFL commissioner Brian Woods told The Associated Press in July, when the league was announced, "and we feel can do that on many platforms. It would give them a way to work with younger players that they don't currently have. We can help them train prospective NFL officials. In the NBA, every referee entering the league comes from NBA Developmental League.
"We can be a testing ground for proposed rules, too. We'll have a chance to experiment."
The FXFL will have four teams; along with the Blacktips, who are based in Miami, there will be teams in Boston; Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Omaha, Neb. Teams will play a six-game, double-round-robin schedule. The season is scheduled to start Oct. 8, and league organizers have said they want players no more than two years removed from their college careers. Games are scheduled for weeknights, mostly Wednesdays.
Among those who have signed with FXFL teams are former North Dakota State quarterback Brock Jensen, former Jackson State cornerback Qua Cox and former LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson. The coaches are Terry Shea (Boston), John Jenkins (Florida), Sandy Buda (Omaha) and John Bock (Brooklyn).
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.