XFL One-On-One With Linebacker Cecil Cherry

XFL Player Profile & One-On-One: LB Cecil Cherry

With November approaching quickly, the XFL 2022 draft will be upon us before we know it. There are plenty of free agents who are in the draft pool, looking to prove themselves on the gridiron come February. One of those is linebacker Cecil Cherry, who made a name for himself in the FCF over the past couple of seasons.

We had the privilege of catching up with Cherry this week. We learned about his past accomplishments, and what the road ahead holds for the young star.

High School & College Career

In high school, Cecil Cherry played at an elite level. He began at Frostproof High School, starting on the varsity team as an eighth grader. He’s a native from Polk County, and won defensive player of the year three times; before transferring to Victory Christian Academy for his senior year.

At VCA, Cherry was unstoppable. He posted 160 tackles, four interceptions, four forced fumbles, and two sacks. On top of that, he helped lead the school to the state Championship that year.

Coming out of HS, Cherry had plenty of D1 offers (i.e. Auburn, Alabama, Clemson). He ended up committing to the University of South Florida, racking up 30 tackles in his 2016 season with the team.

Cecil then went the JUCO route, playing for Coahoma Community College. There, he had 104 tackles and played outstanding football. He transferred to Grambling State University in 2018, and put up solid numbers there as well.

In his senior year, Cherry ended up at the University of Tennessee. He put on a show – with 83 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, and four sacks. Cherry finished his college career with one of his best seasons, putting him on the radar of multiple professional organizations.

Professional Career

After college, Cherry has seen some success in the professional field. In both 2021 and 2022, Cherry was a standout linebacker in Fan Controlled Football. His FCF career has been phenomenal so far, as Cecil continues to showcase his abilities as a versatile linebacker. In 2022, he earned DPOY honors in the FCF.

In 2021, he had the opportunity to play in The Spring League. Cherry was a part of the Sea Lions, putting up impressive stats during the short season. After the TSL, he participated in the HUB football camp, working with multiple NFL players and agents there.

Cherry was supposed to play in the MLFB in their upcoming season, but unfortunately that was canceled due to funding issues. Cecil was poised to be one of the top prospects in the league, but the season was shut down just two weeks into training camp.

However, he did receive an official draft pool invite to the XFL, which is great news. As the XFL draft approaches, keep an eye on Cherry. There are plenty of teams who could benefit from acquiring his talents.

Full Interview

Cecil Cherry Highlight Reel

 

What are your major takeaways from this interview? Which team do you want to see Cecil Cherry sign with in the XFL? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!