Daryl Johnston looks forward to 2023 USFL season ahead of Stallions-Stars title game

CANTON — As the Birmingham Stallions and Philadelphia Stars count down the days before the new USFL's inaugural championship game this weekend, Daryl Johnston already is looking ahead.

The league's executive vice president of football operations, Johnston considers the season a success and is eager to see what next year brings.

"We made this known to the players that it's about them," Johnston said. "This league will be driven by the quality of the football that is played."

During the USFL's media day Monday morning for its title game — which is 7:30 p.m., Sunday, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium —  Johnston spoke both about the 2022 season and what's ahead..

"The big thing for us is how much further down the road we're going to be day one of year two, and how we could make that starting point a little bit further down the road," Johnston said.

The USFL sent out a news release earlier Monday confirming there would be a 2023 season. The league said it will continue to have its league office in Birmingham, where it played all of its games during its 10-week regular season. The semifinals this past Saturday in Canton, were the first games played outside Birmingham.

Next year, the league said it plans to play out of between two and four markets, so each market will house multiple teams. Further down the road, the league hopes to have teams operating in their own home markets.

The USFL said it will not expand beyond its current eight teams until perhaps 2024.

Expansion of a different sort did come up Monday, though, when Johnston talked to media.

For Johnston, the biggest adjustment during the regular season was expanding rosters.

Each team's roster was limited early on as the league tried to keep expenses in check, so the depth was not up to par during the first five weeks. Johnston recalled talking to New Jersey Generals coach Mike Riley about losing players to injuries and the healthy players being fatigued during practice. That's when Johnston granted his and other coaches wishes of signing more players who are available.

"Understandably, it was a necessary expense that occurred and again it was directly related to our players," Johnston said. "We were coming into the hot part in the summer of Alabama and our guys were already tired."

The Philadelphia Stars utilized its roster expansion by adding running back Bo Scarbrough before the semifinals. Scarborough is a two-time national champion at Alabama before being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2018. Scarborough may have been a late addition, but felt connected to playing with his new teammates.

"It's just so amazing how a group of guys can come together so quickly and be attached to each other so fast and wanting to play for one another," Scarbrough said.

Johnston also addressed partnering with the NFL. While the USFL has no interest in being a developmental league, he encouraged the players who have aspirations of returning to the NFL or making their first attempt to be signed by an NFL team, to utilize their time here.

Johnston wants to remain a standalone league and continue to grow and expand its brand.

"We want to be considered as an alternative route to get back into the NFL," Johnston said. "A non-traditional route to get back to the NFL coming after the draft. We're not going to compete with the NFL, we know that, but we also don't want to be a developmental league for the NFL."

This article originally appeared on The Repository: USFL executive Darryl Johnston talks future of the football league