Former Blackfoot High and BYU wide receiver Colby Pearson will have a chance to play professional football this spring.

Pearson made the final roster of the XFL’s New York Guardians, which was announced last week.

The XFL begins play Saturday, with the Guardians playing their first game Sunday against the Tampa Bay Vipers at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

That game will be televised on Fox at noon MST.

Pearson was a first-team all-Idaho player for Blackfoot in 2011 and 2012 before hauling in 76 receptions for 864 yards and eight touchdowns in his career at BYU.

He was signed and cut several times by the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons between June 2017 and August 2018. He never appeared in a preseason or regular-season game for either team.

Former Idaho State assistant coach Kevin Gilbride is the Guardians’ head coach and general manager.