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The XFL Championship between the DC Defenders and Arlington Renegades is ongoing. As of this writing, the Renegades, who went 4-6 before defeating the Houston Roughnecks in the playoffs, are shockingly leading by a big margin against the most dominant team of the season.
One of the players on the roster is wide receiver Caleb Vander Esch. If the surname sounds familiar, that is because a more famous player has it as well: Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton. But are they related?
Are Caleb and Leighton Vander Esch related? Exploring their families
Surprisingly, yes. They are related. They are not brothers, but rather cousins.
Leighton Vander Esch is the older of the two, having been born on February 8, 1996 to Darwin (who played football at USC) and Sandy. He is the youngest of five children, being born after older sisters Shannon, Christon, and Morgan and older brother Jason.
Speaking to The Idaho Press before the 2018 NFL draft, Sandy said seeing Leighton develop as a football player was one of the best experiences the family had ever had:
“I think we’re all just living our dreams through Leighton. Watching him from a little boy playing junior high football to high school and then doing well in college and the drive that he has and continues to show all of us. We’re just along for the ride.”
Caleb Vander Esch, meanwhile was born to Doug and Elizabeth. Doug, was one of Darwin's best linebackers in the history of the University of South Dakota Coyotes, being adjudged North Central Conference MVP and making the All-America First Team in 1988. So it was natural for the son to follow in his footsteps, despite having grown up in California. Caleb has an older brother, Dylan, who plays hockey.
Dylan has expressed interest in playing in the NFL with his brother, as he told The Brunswick News:
“We talk intermittently, and we’d love to play together. We did try to make some things happen last year, but it didn’t work out. He’s been great with advice. Playing together is not the goal, but we would love for it to happen.”
What are Caleb Vander Esch's stats with the Arlington Renegades?
In eight games for the Arlington Renegades (two of them starts), Caleb Vander Esch has had just 11 catches out of 20 targets for 170 yards and one touchdown. That touchdown, ironically enough, came against the Renegades' championship opponents, the Defenders, three weeks ago. He also had eight first downs in the regular season, with his longest catch being 41 yards, as well as two more in the XFL Championship Game.
