SAN ANTONIO — Since the Alliance of American Football league allocates players based on location, the fans in San Antonio will recognize a lot of familiar faces in the Alamodome once the team gets underway on Feb. 9 on KENS 5.
The quarterback position is the only exception to this rule as the AAF has a Protect or Pick draft. Essentially, each organization has an opportunity to protect one quarterback allocated to that specific franchise.
For example, the San Antonio Commanders kept Corpus Christi native Dustin Vaughan, meaning everyone else is eligible to be selected by another team. Former Reagan star Trevor Knight is with the Arizona Hotshots as a result, but the Commanders were able to draft one of its original players in UTSA product and Goliad alumnus Dalton Sturm.
"It’s kind of crazy. There’s eight places I could have went and I ended up staying here in San Antonio,” Sturm said.
With Sturm’s roots firmly planted in the metro, he’s very happy with where he’s playing.
“It’s a great opportunity for me,” Sturm said. “I feel like playing in San Antonio again, being able to play close to home…a lot of my family and friends will be able to come and watch."
Sturm tried to receive another year of eligibility from the NCAA to play with UTSA in 2018, but that did not happen. After going undrafted, the Dallas Cowboys gave him a shot where he stuck with the team through its time in Oxnard, California for training camp. The Cowboys eventually released the quarterback.
“I learned a lot. Being able to be there with the Cowboys for six or seven months…go through training camp, (offseason training activities), mini-camp, rookie mini-camp, all of the different aspects of going through that—being able to learn from guys like Dak (Prescott), Cooper (Rush), Kellen Moore…it’s been a great learning experience for me,” Sturm said.
He later had a workout with the Carolina Panthers, but the team urged him to play in a league where he can get some professional football repetitions.
The AAF provides that chance.
“I just want to get some film. I want to go out there and play football again,” Sturm said. “It’s just a great opportunity for us all, I feel like that’s what a lot of us guys are here for. That’s what this league is being brought up for to help guys like me develop and get their film. The NFL is going to take it serious and hopefully get some guys from this league.”