Sports Column: IFL tryout gives players another chance
Every spring and summer, hundreds of college football players have their careers come to a quiet end when they go undrafted and unsigned by NFL teams.
Many don’t realize there are other leagues willing to pay them to play the sport they love, and opportunities to do it within reach — like the one coming soon to Mississippi.
On Saturday, Nov. 14, the Vegas Knight Hawks of the Indoor Football League will hold an open tryout at Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson. The $80 tryout fee and a strong work ethic buys no guarantees, but rather the chance to be seen and potentially make a living playing football.
“We literally come with contracts to sign people. We don’t come empty-handed. We come prepared to sign somebody on the spot,” said Hurtis Chinn, who is in his third season as the Knight Hawks’ offensive coordinator. “We want to do it in a place we know will have a great turnout so we can show people we’re not coming here to just pass time. We’re coming here to sign somebody. It’s a legit opportunity for people.”
Chinn said the Knight Hawks and other IFL teams occasionally hold similar events around the country. The Jackson tryout came about through a connection with Grant Worsley, a Vicksburg entrepreneur who has been involved in a number of minor league sports ventures in Central Mississippi, as well as a desire to tap the rich well of football talent in the South.
IFL rosters include players from smaller college conferences like the SWAC and Sun Belt, plus those from bigger leagues who didn’t make the cut with the NFL. Vegas’ 2026 roster included former Jackson State linebacker Reid Pulliam, as well as two players from LSU.
“(Worsley’s) been trying to get us to do this for the last two or three years,” Chinn said. “After that we started looking at various rosters and players throughout our league, what conferences they come from, and the productivity that they have. And we said why not go and do a workout there? It’s kind of a melting pot area where players have easy access from Louisiana, Florida, Alabama.”
An open tryout means exactly that — everyone is welcome. Chinn, however, said that just like any job interview there are some baseline expectations. College experience is preferred, and coming prepared is mandatory.
Registration for the tryout begins at 8 a.m. on Nov. 14. The workout starts at 9 with some basic combine exercises, then will continue through position-specific and team drills until noon.
Prospective players can show up the morning of the tryout, or contact Knight Hawks head coach Mike Davis at MDavis@KnightHawksFootball.com for more information.
Chinn said the first stage of the tryout will largely determine who gets a closer look in the second and third.
“First and foremost, we’re looking for how much shape this person is in and if he even took the opportunity serious. You might not run your best time, but we get a basis of what you can do,” Chinn said. “Secondly, it’s about having those intangibles and things that we can’t coach, and as we’re going through these drills if you are coachable. Can they listen in the confines of what we’re doing, to excel and give themselves the best opportunity to get out of here?”
The 17-team IFL is a long way from the Sunday spotlight of the NFL. It was formed in 2008 when two other leagues merged and is now the largest indoor league in the U.S. Players make about $500 per game during a 19-game season that runs from mid-March to August.
The IFL is a minor league for the United Football League, which itself is a minor league to the NFL.
The IFL’s biggest appeal for players is a stable league where they can gain experience and game film.
“We understand our league, and how it’s set up and why it’s set up. Players from Power Five all the way to the SWAC are good enough, but have unfortunate situations or are overlooked,” Chinn said.
So what the Knight Hawks and the IFL are offering on Nov. 14 is not a guarantee of football glory or a straight shot to the NFL. Rather, it’s simply an opportunity that others have taken advantage of and that Chinn hopes more do.
“We’ve had players that sat out a full year of football thinking that it’s over, and they said let me try this IFL thing out to see if it’s a real opportunity. And then boom, they end up in Canada for several years, still playing and making a living,” Chinn said. “We give you legit film against legit competition to present to people to still play and have an opportunity.”
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Ernest Bowker is the sports editor of The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com