Service High grad continues football career in new pro league

America’s newest pro football league doesn’t have kickoffs, but it does have long snappers. And that’s good news for Anchorage’s Jeff Overbaugh.

Overbaugh, 25, will suit up for the Atlanta Legends when the Alliance of American Football kicks off its kickoff-free inaugural season Saturday.

Overbaugh is Atlanta’s long snapper, a position he honed at Service High and San Diego State. His specialty took him briefly to the National Football League, where he played one game this season for the Atlanta Falcons and one game in 2017 for the Minnesota Vikings.

Now he’s a Legend. Atlanta opens the 10-week regular season Saturday with a game against the Steve Spurrier-coached Orlando Apollos. The big name on Atlanta’s coaching staff is offensive coordinator Michael Vick.

The Alliance of American Football — or the AAF — has eight teams and, like most new leagues that try to gain traction with fans, some new ideas about football.

For one thing, it’s getting rid of kickoffs, onside kicks and point-after kicks. Luckily for Overbaugh, the AAF is keeping field goals, except in overtime. Games will begin with the receiving team on the 25-yard line.

For another, it’s adding a ninth member to the officiating crew — the SkyJudge, who will watch from the press box and has the authority to correct “obvious and egregious” officiating errors, which looks like a genius move in light of the pass interference no-call in the NFC championship game.

CBS and CBS Sports Network will air some of the games.

Overbaugh is one of 11 Alaskans who have played in the NFL. No Alaskans played in the recently concluded NFL season, although Chris Kuper, a Dimond grad who played eight seasons with the Denver Broncos, was recently hired as an assistant coach by the Broncos after spending three seasons on the Miami Dolphins coaching staff.

Overbaugh hopes his time in the AAF will keep the door open for a return to football’s biggest stage.

“The NFL is something I’m still pursuing,” he told the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame blog. “Everybody in the AAF is trying to make it to the league.”

Alaskans in the NFL

Shane Bonham

Zack Bowman

Daryn Colledge

Travis Hall

Rocky Klever

Chris Kuper

Tom Neville

Jeff Overbaugh

Mark Schlereth

Reggie Tongue

Mao Tosi

(This list includes only those players who have played in a regular-season or postseason game.)