This April, a new league is entering the world of professional football in the form of The United States Football League. Debuting next month, the eight teams of the USFL will kick off their inaugural season with all games played in Birmingham, Alabama. Last month, the USFL draft took place and saw multiple former Auburn football players get a chance to continue their careers on the professional scale.
Former Tigers’ guard Marquell Harrell was drafted to the Michigan Panthers in Round 22, and former tight end Salvatore Cannella was chosen by the New Orleans Breakers. Also drafted were former Auburn football players John Franklin III and Tre Threat.
Most notably, former Auburn football offensive tackle Calvin Ashley was drafted on Day 1 to the New Jersey Generals, who just added another Tiger to their squad.
The USFL held their supplemental draft on March 10, and the New Jersey Generals selected cornerback Christian Tutt as the 12th pick:
The 12th Pick of the @USFL Supplementary Draft is Christian Tutt out of Auburn @USFLGenerals #gogenerals pic.twitter.com/R6KrchHtWb
— NjGeneralsNation (@Generals_Nation) March 11, 2022
Tutt spent three seasons on the Plains, from 2018 to 2020, and played several different roles on Gus Malzahn’s team including cornerback, nickel, safety, and punt returner on special teams. In 33 games, Tutt recorded 62 solo tackles, 26 assisted tackles, and 88 total tackles.
He also recorded six tackles for loss, two sacks, three interceptions, six pass deflections, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. On special teams, Tutt returned 31 punts for 408 yards, averaging 13.2 yards per return.
Christian Tutt joins the USFL after he went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft and ultimately was not signed as a free agent. Now setting his sights on a future with the Generals, Tutt will play his first USFL game on the opening day versus the Birmingham Stallions on April 16 at 6:30 p.m. from Protective Stadium.