u/TheBuild-A-BearGroup

It’s officially the off-season which means it's exactly early enough to start looking at the quarterback options for next year. It’s hard to guess how many of this year’s QBs won’t be in the league next year, but player turnover is just part and parcel of being a UFL fan.

Just like last year, I'm going to break this up into a multi-part series.

I’m planning the parts to be:

• Part 1: CFL Preseason Cuts
• Part 2: Unsigned FBS
• Part 3: Best Unsigned FCS
• Part 4: Best Unsigned D2/D3/NAIA
• Part 5: Best of the Arena Leagues
• Part 6: NFL Free Agents
• Part 7: NFL Preseason Cuts (early September)
• Part 8: Best of the Other Internationals (mid September)
• Part 9: UFL Showcases, XLJP, & Others (December)

I had to shuffle up the order of articles and push back the Other Internationals thanks to the AFLE having a season that will end a little after NFL preseason. So, instead we’ll talk about one of the weirdest categories of available players: the remaining free agents. These are players whose contracts expired at the end of the 2025 season and did not get signed before preseason began. This does not include guys who got signed after the season ended, but were cut before preseason, such as Desmond Ridder. Those guys will be included in the next part.

Traditionally, this group is made up of veterans who are more choosey about where they want to play, veterans who are more assistant QB coaches than players at this point, and younger dudes on the verge of either giving it one more go or being fully done.

Name	2025 Team	College	Career Stats	2024 Stats
Jeff Driskel	Washington Commanders	Louisiana Tech (2016)	229/391, 2,394 yards, 47 TDs, 16 ints	DNP
Jimmy Garappolo	Los Angeles Rams	Eastern Illinois (2014)	1,304/1,936, 15,828 yards, 96 TDs, 52 ints	-10 rushing yards
Emory Jones	Atlanta Falcons	Cincinnati (2024)	None	DNP
Brett Rypien	Minnesota Vikings	Boise State (2019)	98/168, 950 yards, 4 TDs, 9 ints	sacked once
Clayton Tune	Green Bay Packers	Houston (2023)	21/38, 112 yards, 0 TDs, 3 ints	7/15, 42 yards, 0 TDs, 1 int
John Wolford	Minnesota Vikings	Wake Forest (2018)	61/104, 626 yards, 1 TD, 5 ints	DNP

Rather than do a top three, I’m just going to write out my thoughts on each of these guys:

• Jimmy Garappolo is not going to sign with a UFL team. He's alluded that there are a few NFL teams he would sign with, but if a deal doesn’t materialize he’s going to retire. Frankly, he’s more than paid his dues to make that kind of demand and I think he gets it when the season starts ala Carson Wentz last year.
• Jeff Driskel, Brett Rypien, & John Wolford fit the mold of veteran guys who end up finding a home after QB injuries start to rack up. I would assume this means that coaches trust them enough in the third string spot, are great at coaching up younger guys, and solid in the film room. There’s really no reason for them to try the UFL at this point in their careers.
• Emory Jones was set to be a member of the DC Defenders in 2025 until the Atlanta Falcons offered him a spot on their practice squad. One futures contract and a 2026 preseason concussion later, Jones is unsigned. During his college career at Florida, Arizona State, and Cincinnati he proved to be a dual threat with good accuracy, but prone to more interceptions than you'd like to see. That said, if DC liked him before I don’t see how they wouldn’t view him as an improvement over Spencer Sanders.
• Clayton Tune is the wild card amongst these guys. On January 12th, 2026, he was signed by the Columbus Aviators and (I would assume) had a legit shot of being the starter for the new team. That was until he was released on February 9th due to his expectation of an impending contract with an NFL team. However, that contract never materialized and Tune spent the spring and summer waiting at home. The Baltimore Ravens did give him a tryout this last week, but he was passed over in favor of Austin Reed. With the rise of Jalen Morton, I don’t think the Aviators will ask him to come back, but whatever the Houston Gamblers end up becoming could use a player like him. It just depends on if the UFL can trust him not to bail.

That said, I'd love to hear what you think. And please remember that all Desmond Ridder, Seth Henigan, Jake Haener, and Diego Pavia conversations can be held until we talk about the NFL preseason cuts.

I've been following the AFLE/EFA a bit this year, but was wondering how you all would rank the national leagues under them.

I'm under the impression the German Football League is the premier one, but would love to know of any others I'm missing, are meh, or should outright avoid.

It’s officially the off-season which means it's exactly early enough to start looking at the quarterback options for next year. It’s hard to guess how many of this year’s QBs won’t be in the league next year, but player turnover is just part and parcel of being a UFL fan.

Just like last year, I'm going to break this up into a multi-part series.

I’m planning the parts to be:

• Part 1: CFL Preseason Cuts
• Part 2: Unsigned FBS
• Part 3: Best Unsigned FCS
• Part 4: Best Unsigned D2/D3/NAIA
• Part 5: Best of the Arena Leagues (IFL & AF1)
• Part 6: Best of the Other Internationals (EFA, AFLE, & LFA) (end of August)
• Part 7: NFL Free Agents (end of August)
• Part 8: NFL Preseason Cuts (September)
• Part 9: UFL Showcases, XLJP, & Others (December)

One of the more niche stories of the UFL this year was the first true breakthrough of arena football quarterbacks. A part of me thought the high water mark for this was going to be the Houston Gamblers signing the Tom Brady of arena football Sam Castronova, but releasing him after the signing of John Rhys Plumlee dashed that pretty quickly. But then star of the AF1 Southwest Kansas Storm Jalen Morton took the starting job with the Columbus Aviators and rejuvenated the team into the most fun to watch in the league.

I think that Morton is the prototype of what you can get with arena guys: dudes who have learned to make very quick decisions, can throw with pinpoint accuracy, and rather than wait too long for something to form, tuck and run with the best of them. I am curious to see if Morton can continue his success this next season, but teams should really be looking to the arena leagues to either stash a guy when they need him or truly challenge for a starting role.

Also, quick note. There are a bunch of arena leagues, so I chose to focus my list on the highest tier leagues: the Indoor Football League (IFL) and Arena Football One (AF1). Next year I might include guys from the second tier leagues like the National Arena League (NAL) or The Arena League (TAL), but the quality of competition needs to improve for that to happen.

As for the stats below, please note that the IFL has a 16 game season and AF1 has a 12 game season.

Name	League	Team	College	Stats
Nate Davis	IFL	San Diego Strike Force	Ball State (2009)	240/394, 2,721 yards, 55 TDs, 12 ints
Paxton DeLaurent	IFL	Orlando Pirates	Southeast Missouri State (2025)	263/371, 2,751 yards, 57 TDs, 14 ints
TJ Edwards II	IFL	Tulsa Oilers	Indianapolis (2020)	229/355, 2,476 yards, 59 TDs, 9 ints
Daquan Neal	IFL	Quad City Steamwheelers	Elizabeth City (2018)	211/349, 2,305 yards, 45 TDs, 17 ints
Liam Thompson	IFL	Green Bay Blizzard	Wabash (2024)	172/286, 2,238 yards, 48 TDs, 6 ints
Sam Castronova	AF1	Albany Firebirds	Bethel (2019)	101/173, 1,698 yards, 38 TDs, 4 ints
Malik Henry	AF1	Michigan Arsenal	Nevada (2020)	215/411, 2,700 yards, 57 TDs, 13 ints
Rudy Johnson	AF1	Oceanside Stealth	Winston-Salem (2016)	182/325, 2,290 yards, 40 TDs, 15 ints
Josh Kulka	AF1	Albany Firebirds	St. Francis (2026)	115/182, 1,501 yards, 36 TDs, 3 ints
Tyler Kulka	AF1	Nashville Kats	Lawrence Tech (2023)	206/310, 2,824 yards, 54 TDs, 7 ints

Some extra notes:

• Malik Henry’s stats aren’t complete thanks to the AF1 not compiling a box score for one game he played in Week 14.
• Not sure how many folks remember 2009 5th round draft pick Nate Davis, but he was only 30 yards away from leading the IFL in passing yards this year. I don’t think the UFL should look into him (he will turn 40 during the 2027 season), but was truly impressed he’s still slinging it that well.

Now on to my top 3-ish:

• Paxton DeLaurent: I was big on the UFL signing DeLaurent right out of college, but that didn't happen. Now that he's finished the IFL season as the league leader in passing yards, completion percentage (70.9%), and was 2nd in passing touchdowns, I think it would be sheer madness to not sign him somewhere. I should note he was also 2nd in interceptions, but with his kind of accuracy I believe that this number goes down when he shifts from a small arena field to the larger outdoors.
• Tyler Kulka: Last season Kulka had a good season with the Kats, but didn’t make my top 3. This year, he was the AF1’s version of DeLaurent in that he also led in passing yards, completion percentage (66.5%), and was 2nd in touchdown passes. The main difference is that Kulka had half as many interceptions.
• Sam Castronova/Josh Kulka: The reason I’m combining both of these guys is that, despite sharing the starting gig with the Albany Firebirds, they both put up the kind of numbers you’d expect from a season-long starter. Josh ‘Younger Brother to Tyler” Kulka lit it up in the start the year, but when the Gamblers released Castronova, the Firebirds immediately re-signed him. I’m unsure how interested Castronova is to return to the UFL, but if you want to get on the ground floor with a guy that matched his talent, then Josh Kulka is a no-brainer of a signing. Honestly, getting both in the UFL next year would be a win.

That said, I’d love to know what everyone else has to say. Was there someone else who deserves a look? Someone who signed halfway through the year who looked far better than their final numbers?

It’s officially the off-season which means it's exactly early enough to start looking at the quarterback options for next year. It’s hard to guess how many of this year’s QBs won’t be in the league next year, but player turnover is just part and parcel of being a UFL fan.

Just like last year, I'm going to break this up into a multi-part series.

I’m planning the parts to be:

• Part 1: CFL Preseason Cuts
• Part 2: Unsigned FBS
• Part 3: Best Unsigned FCS
• Part 4: Best Unsigned D2/D3/NAIA
• Part 5: Best of the Arena Leagues (IFL, AF1, & NAL) (beginning of August)
• Part 6: Best of the Other Internationals (EFA, AFLE, & LFA) (end of August)
• Part 7: NFL Free Agents (end of August)
• Part 8: NFL Preseason Cuts (September)
• Part 9: UFL Showcases & Other (December)

Currently, the only unsigned D2/D3/NAIA guy to get signed out of college by the UFL is the Dallas Renegades’ Luke Lehnen. In college he amassed a ridiculous career at D3 North Central where he threw for 12k yards, 162 touchdowns, ran for 3k yards, and won back-to-back Gagliardi Awards (the D3 equivalent of the Heisman). Luke Lehnen is literally a modern legend of D# football. This has translated to limited play in the UFL and ending the last season as the back-up to Austin Reed.

Looking at the accomplishments of last year’s best unsigned guys has also been a bit lackluster. I mentioned Zack Zebrowski in the CFL cuts edition and still think he has a future in the UFL at bare minimum as a back-up. Other than him, the only other quarterback who has played since graduation is Sammy Edwards, who has settled into a starting role with the IFL’s Jacksonville Sharks. He has played pretty well, but needs a full season under center before I’d be willing to say he should get a promotion to the UFL.

So, very long way of saying that even the best players at this level are far from guaranteed to make a UFL team, let alone play any snaps. But miracles can and do happen.

Name	College	Division	Senior Year Stats	College Career
Reed Charpia	Newberry	D2	326/485, 3,978 yards, 30 TDs, 11 ints	South Carolina (20), Georgia Military (21), Louisburg CC (22), Newberry (23-25)
Alex Johnson	Tiffin	D2	235/346, 3,014 yards, 31 TDs, 10 ints	Santa Barbara CC (21-22), Washington (23), Tiffin (24-25)
RJ Martinez	West Texas A&M	D2	315/475, 4,122 yards, 36 TDs, 8 ints	Northern Arizona (21-22), Baylor (23), Texas State (24), West Texas A&M (25)
Drew Nash	Western Colorado	D2	218/369, 2,938 yards, 33 TDs, 6 ints	Saddleback (21), Western Colorado (22-25)
Matthew Rueve	Indiana (PA)	D2	261/371, 3,338 yards, 31 TDs, 11 ints	Boston College (20-23), Findlay (24), Indiana (PA) (25)
Gavin Sukup	Indianapolis	D2	253/350, 3,695 yards, 41 TDs, 7 ints	DuPage (21), Indianapolis (22-25)
Kaleb Blaha	Wisconsin-River Falls	D3	388/570, 4,680 yards, 40 TDs, 10 ints	Winona State (20-21), Wisconsin-River Falls (22-25)
Mark Forcucci	Wheaton	D3	221/336, 3,340 yards, 36 TDs, 8 ints	Holy Cross (22-23), Wheaton (24-25)
Bay Harvey	Johns Hopkins	D3	233/349, 3,304 yards, 33 TDs, 5 ints	Johns Hopkins (21-25)
Jackson Waring	Grand View	NAIA	168/302, 2,554 yards, 34 TDs, 4 ints	Illinois State (20-22), Grand View (23-25)

The top 3 for this a bit tough because there's not exactly a ton of info about these guys beyond glowing college newspaper articles and self-uploaded game highlights. So that said, if you're a connoisseur of this level of college football or saw them play, I'd love to hear what you think.

• Gavin Sukop: I’m starting this list off with a bit of an inadvertent cheat. Sukup did have a really great career at UIndy, threw the most touchdowns that all D2 seniors, and was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award (the D2 Heisman). But what makes this a cheat is I found out after I started writing this that Sukup was signed by the Salzburg Ducks of the Austrian Football League. Rather than pick another QB, I'm just sticking with Sukup. Not to shade the AFL, but they rank around 3rd tier in European American Football (correct me if I’m wrong, but top tier is EFA/AFLE, 2nd tier is the German Football League) and the only news announcing his signing is in German. All that said, he had a pretty decent season (59.5% comp, 1,417 yards, 13 TDs, 5 ints, 430 rush yards, 4 TDs) with the Ducks and led the team to the playoffs. These aren’t MVP caliber numbers, but they do show solid competence. I’d be interested to see if he gets a look from the GFL, but there are also far worse options for a third string kind of guy.
• RJ Martinez: Admittedly the thing that has me so intrigued with Martinez is that FBS schools like Baylor and Texas State saw talent in the guy. He wasn’t able to play that much for either team, but he did see the field with both teams as a back-up. He did make a solid statement throwing over 4000 yards this last season at West Texas A&M, the most out of all D2 seniors. While these aren’t the kind of numbers that would make an NFL take a risk to draft or sign them, he did earn an invite to Packers mini-camp. And honestly, if Spencer Sanders can be justified as a third strong option, I don't see why Martinez wouldn't be either.
• Kaleb Blaha: Out of the all the college guys, Blaha has had one of the more unique arcs. Initially at Winona State, he played as a wide receiver and didn’t move to quarterback until he transferred to River Falls. This ended up being the right call seeing as he won the Gagliardi Award this last year. Pros are that his accuracy is great, but 40 touchdowns to 10 interceptions isn’t stellar. Another con is that when he was invited to Saints mini-camp he was listed as a wide receiver. John Rhys Plumlee has shown that even when the NFL thinks you should be at WR you can still be a QB in the UFL, but whether that happens depends on if Blaha aspirations. And if he gets signed.

As always, I'd love to know what everyone else thinks.

For those of you preoccupied by summer, the World Cup, or life in general, the Continental Football League (CoFL) is a pro-ish outdoor football league that just finished their first season. It was a very rough year.

Of the 8 inaugural teams, 3 folded before the season began (Ft. Worth Braves, Indianapolis Capitals, Michigan Arrows) and 1 folded mid-season (Ohio Valley Ironmen). Two travel teams created by the league (Norfolk Neptunes, Vegas Gamblers) were going to fill out the schedule, but neither came into being and three regional amateur teams were slotted in.

League parity was a joke as only one team was run well (San Antonio Toros) with the rest dealing with not having an actual QB for most of the season (Tall City Black Gold), only one inexperienced QB (Texas Syndicate), or a roster made up of mostly amateur players (Cincinnati Dukes).

So, out of all of that, I do think some players really showcased talent that the UFL could use:

• Cam Echols-Luper, WR, San Antonio: Spring league regulars might remember Echols-Luper from his two seasons with the New Jersey Generals. Since then he has played a couple of seasons in the CFL and took part in Birmingham's training camp this year. After the Stallions cut him, he took a chance with the Toros. It helps that he was on the one team with consistently decent quarterback play & Cam led the league in all receiving categories with 18 receptions, 325 yards, and 4 touchdowns. I'd say that he was easily the league MVP.
• Oscar Cardenas, TE, San Antonio: Cardenas wasn't slated to be the starting tight end for the Toros, but after an injury in the first game he hopped in and put up a 5 reception, 78 yard game. He reminds me a decent bit of Tyler Neville and could make for a solid 2nd string guy while he hones his skills at a higher level.
• Dominic Oliver, DL, Tall City: Oliver began playing for Tall City weeks after getting his diploma from Western Kentucky and was a force every single week. The Black Gold offense was not the greatest, so their defense often had to pick up a lot of slack. Oliver ended the season with (by my count, so numbers are not going to be the most accurate) the most TFLs (7) and sacks (4.0) in the league. He can also play a little tight end, which could be nice for an OC addicted to trick plays.
• More of an honorable mention, but I'd love to see Praise Amaewhule (DL, Tall City), Nana Asante (DL, Texas), and Thomas Ibrahim (DL, San Antonio) get a chance as well.
• Abraham Temoney III, DB, Texas: The big defensive star of the first week was this recent Coastal Carolina grad. Temoney ended the year tied with the most interceptions and 3 tackles for a loss. I'd be interested to see him against tougher opponents, but he's definitely shown he's capable of snatching opportunity when it gets near him.
• Jamison Lindsey, DB, Tall City: The one thing that surprised me about the CoFL was its ability to sign regional 2026 grads. Lindsey graduated from Nicholls State in 2026 and not only did he also tie for the most interceptions, but he led the league in passes defended. Again, would love to see him play harder teams, but the talent is there.
• Kenneth Almendares, K, San Antonio: Of all the players, this is the guy who the UFL needs to sign as soon as possible. Almendares isn't just some rando either. In 2024 he won the Lou Groza Award in his senior year at Louisiana, which earned him a minicamp with the San Francisco 49ers. They didn't sign him and he hasn't played since. With the Toros, he went 20/23 on extra points & 8/11 on field goals. Admittedly, those aren't super stellar numbers, but the o-lines of all the CoFL teams were somehow less than paper thin. I wouldn't be shocked for him to get near perfect numbers with a line that could give him an extra second more time.
• Daniel Trejo, K/P, Texas Herd: And finally, the weirdest one. The Texas Herd were one of the teams the league brought in to fill out the schedule. Trejo had been the punter for them last year, but signed to the Ft. Worth Braves. When the Braves folded, he re-signed with the Herd. During his two games, he was exceptional. His punts boomed and his kick-offs often landed right between the 1 and the 5. Trejo has had the crushing misfortune of signing with so many teams or leagues that have folded, but his skill is undeniable.

It’s officially the off-season which means it's exactly early enough to start looking at the quarterback options for next year. It’s hard to guess how many of this year’s QBs won’t be in the league next year, but player turnover is just part and parcel of being a UFL fan.

Just like last year, I'm going to break this up into a multi-part series.

I’m planning the parts to be:

• Part 1: CFL Preseason Cuts
• Part 2: Unsigned FBS (beginning of July)
• Part 3: Best Unsigned FCS (middle of July)
• Part 4: Best Unsigned D2/D3/NAIA (end of July)
• Part 5: Best of the Arena Leagues (IFL, AF1, & NAL) (end of July)
• Part 6: Best of the Other Internationals (EFA, AFLE, & LFA) (end of August)
• Part 7: NFL Free Agents (end of August)
• Part 8: NFL Preseason Cuts (September)
• Part 9: UFL Showcases & Other (December)

Let’s kick this off-season off with the CFL training camp cuts! I looked at last year’s list and was surprised to notice out of the 10 cut quarterbacks, the UFL signed 2: Hank Bachmeier (Orlando) and Michael Hiers (Birmingham). While neither really lit up the field this year it did show there was decent interest in bringing in some CFL cast-offs as back-ups.

This year the UFL has a choice of 19 quarterbacks that have been cut:

Name	Last CFL Team	Graduated	CFL Seasons	Total CFL stats
McLeod Bethel-Thompson	Montreal Alouettes	Sacramento State (2011)	7	1,598/2,394, 18,755 yards, 103 TDs, 69 ints, 658 rush yards, 2 TDs
Logan Bonner	Calgary Stampeders	Utah State (2023)	3	1 start, 29/50, 378 yards, 0 TDs, 5 ints
JaColby Criswell	Calgary Stampeders	East Tennessee State (2026)	0	N/A
Arnoud Desjardin	Montreal Alouettes	Laval (2026)	0	N/A
Jarret Doege	BC Lions	Troy (2023)	3	140/210, 1,498 yards, 8 TDs, 11 ints, 52 rush yards, 1 TD
Caleb Evans	Montreal Alouettes	Louisiana-Monroe (2020)	5	311/508, 3,667 yards, 17 TDs, 22 ints, 989 rush yards, 33 TDs
Anthony Guercio	Toronto Argonauts	Clarion (2026)	0	N/A
Jeremiah Masoli	BC Lions	Ole Miss (2011)	10	1,443/2,178, 18,362 yards, 89 TDs, 67 ints, 1,614 rush yards, 22 TDs
Jordan McCloud	Saskatchewan Roughriders	Texas State (2025)	0	N/A
Gevani McCoy	BC Lions	Temple (2026)	0	N/A
JaCobian Morgan	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	Jackson State (2026)	0	N/A
James Morgan	Montreal Alouettes	Florida International (2020)	2	55/93, 547 yards, 2 TDs, 4 ints, 17 rush yards, 0 TDs
Shea Patterson	Montreal Alouettes	Michigan (2020)	4	7 starts, 134/223, 1,681 yards, 6 TDs, 5 ints, 236 rushing yards, 15 TDs
Tommy Rittenhouse	BC Lions	Illinois State (2026)	0	N/A
Chris Streveler	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	South Dakota (2018)	4	366/572, 4,144 yards, 26 TDs, 31 ints, 1,740 rush yards, 41 TDs
Hajj-Malik Williams	Ottawa Redblacks	UNLV (2025)	0	N/A
Terry Wilson	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	New Mexico (2022)	2	12/22, 83 yards, 0 TDs, 1 int, 114 rush yards, 5 TDs
Dresser Winn	Montreal Alouettes	Tennessee-Martin (2023)	0	N/A
Zach Zebrowski	Edmonton Elks	Central Missouri (2025)	0	N/A

First thing to note is that this list has quite a few players with spring league experience:

• McLeod Bethel-Thompson: Sacramento Mountain Lions (UFL ‘11), New Orleans Breakers (USFL ‘23)
• Jeremiah Masoli: Omaha Nighthawks (UFL '11)
• James Morgan: Pittsburgh Maulers (USFL ‘23)
• Shea Patterson: Michigan Panthers (USFL ‘22), New Orleans Breakers (USFL ‘22)
• Terry Wilson: Houston Gamblers (USFL ‘22-’23)
• Dresser Winn: Memphis Showboats (UFL ‘25)

While a return from these players would make sense, many of the coaches and contacts these guys played for have moved on. That said, proof of past interest is always helpful, especially if a team suddenly needs to fill their QB room as soon as possible.

Second, I could see it being tempting to try and grab CFL veterans Jeremiah Masoli and McLeod Bethel-Thompson. Both have tons of experience and over 18k career yards in Canada, but last season was not kind to either quarterback. If these were still early years for the UFL, taking a flier on a veteran QB would have a lot of upside. But at this point in the UFL’s life, I think it's moved beyond taking on players for the sake of credibility. I could be convinced otherwise though if either were offered a hybrid back-up QB/QB coach contract.

All that said, there are three players I’d love to see move into the UFL:

• Jordan McCloud: I noted last year that McCloud was the best available option on the unsigned FBS quarterbacks. His college career saw him play for four schools over seven years. He put up bad to middling numbers at South Florida and Arizona, but had stellar numbers for James Madison and Texas State. Quality of competition and an alleged poor attitude are potential issues, but his accuracy in college was phenominal. He may not prove be starting caliber, but a guy with 65% accuracy in FBS football could supply a lot of calm if a starter gets the yips or goes down.
• Hajj-Malik Williams: Last year I completely missed Williams in my write ups, but by the time I realized my mistake he’d been signed by the Redblacks. Admittedly, Williams didn’t have eye catching passing stats (never threw more than 20 TDs a season or threw over 3,000 yards), but the guy has wheels. Over his five year career at Campbell and UNLV he ran for 2,441 yards (851 of which came in his last year) and tallied 32 rushing touchdowns. I am truly a sucker for a dual threat quarterback and I believe Williams could fit a Jalen Morton role as a speedy game manager.
• Zach Zebrowski: D2 quarterbacks often have to rely on gaudy numbers to get the NFL to even glance their way and Zebrowski’s final two seasons with Central Missouri produced some truly buck wild stats. He threw for 9,881 yards, tossed 102 touchdowns to 17 interceptions, ran for 1,165 yards, and won the Harlon Hill Trophy (the D2 Heisman) both seasons. And all of this earned him a mini-camp tryout with the Minnesota Vikings and nothing else. The Edmonton Elks also moved on from him after five months, but I think the UFL is perfect for guys like him. I doubt he’d win a starting job in his first year, but he could ride a Luke Lehnen track and bide his time until he’s called up.

But what do you think? Should teams take a risk on a CFL veteran, bring back someone with spring experience, or does a different CFL cut deserve a shot?

Every UFL season I’ve wondered ‘what if the league had a rookie of the year award?’ Not a ‘oh, you’re new to the league’ kind of rookie, but a true rookie to professional outdoor football. Well, each year since 2024 I’ve been tracking that very question and since the regular season is over, here are the best rookies on defense in the league.

Small note: to be a rookie a player must have:

• Graduated in 2025 and DID NOT play in the 2025 UFL season or
• Graduated in 2026 or
• Would have graduated in 2025, but did not play due to any myriad of issues. The only player who fits that definition this season is WR Steven McBride who missed his final season at Hawai’i due to domestic abuse charges

DL

Player	Team	College	Stats
Xavier Carlton	Louisville	California	41 tackles, 2 sacks, 6 TFLs, 3 PD
Jah Joyner	Houston	Minnesota	31 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 6 TFLs, 1 PD
Patrick Jenkins	Columbus	Tulane	20 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 6 TFLs
Ricky Correia	Birmingham	California	23 tackles, 2 TFL
Jasheen Davis	Orlando	Wake Forest	7 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PD
RJ Oben	Louisville (released)	Notre Dame	2 tackles
Nate Becker	Birmingham (released)	Minnesota	None
Quashon Fuller	Columbus (released)	Maryland	None
Jereme Robinson	Louisville (released)	Kansas	None
Syrus Webster	Columbus	Washington State	None

Not every year is going to feature a Jalen Redmond or Ron Stone, Jr. Suffice to say, this season of rookie defensive linemen was fairly lackluster. Louisville does seem to have found a solid player in Xavier Carlton who racked up a decent amount of tackles and finished tied for 11th in tackles for a loss. Three passes defended is also a stellar stat for a d-lineman.

It should also be noted that Jah Joyner and Patrick Jenkins also tied for 11th in tackles for a loss.

• 2024 DL RoY: Jalen Redmond, Arlington; Taron Vincent, San Antonio; TJ Pesefea, St. Louis
• 2025 DL RoY: TJ Franklin, Houston; Ron Stone, Jr., Michigan; Kyon Barrs, Arlington
• 2026 DL RoY: Xavier Carlton, Louisville; Jah Joyner, Houston; Patrick Jenkins, Columbus

LB

Player	Team	College	Stats
Jaheim Thomas	Louisville	Wisconsin	65 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 1 TFL, 2 PD
Nick Kubitz	Louisville	North Dakota State	49 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 TFL, 1 PD
Eugene Asante	Houston	Auburn	40 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 PD, 1 FF
LaVonta Bentley	St. Louis	Colorado	35 tackles, 2 sack, 4 TFL, 1 FR
Macklin Ayers	DC	Massachusetts	15 tackles, 1 FR
Jailin Walker	Columbus	Indiana	9 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL
Tuasivi Nomura	St. Louis	Fresno State	7 tackles, 1 PD
Matt Jones	Dallas	Baylor	5 tackles

Continuing the theme of Louisville finding solid defensive rookie talent, the combo of Jaheim Thomas and Nick Kubitz held things down throughout the year. Thomas in particular notched the 4th most tackles in the league while Kubitz finished tied for 15th.

Eugene Asante and LaVonta Bentley both stood out, but were less consistent than the pair of Thomas and Kubitz.

• 2024 LB RoY: Momo Sanogo, DC; Willie Taylor III, Arlington; Callahan O’Reilly, St. Louis; Garret Nelson, San Antonio
• 2025 LB RoY: Steele Chambers, Memphis; Xavier Benson, Houston; Jaylon Allen, Memphis; Shayne Simon, DC
• 2026 LB RoY: Jaheim Thomas, Louisville; Nick Kubitz, Louisville; Eugene Asante, Houston; LaVonta Bentley, St. Louis

DB

Player	Team	College	Stats
Major Burns	Houston	LSU	47 tackles, 5 TFLs, 4 ints, 8 PD
Mishael Powell	Orlando	Miami	39 tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 int, 6 PD, 1 TD
Josh Minkins	Orlando	Cincinnati	39 tackles, 3 PD, 1 FR
Glendon Miller	Houston	Maryland	37 tackles, 3 PD
Gabe Taylor	DC (IR)	Rice	21 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 int, 3 PD, 1 FF
Hudson Clark	Birmingham	Arkansas	21 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 int, 2 PD
O’Donnell Fortune	Columbus	South Carolina	13 tackles, 1int, 4 PD
Roman Parodie	Houston	Ohio	11 tackles, 2 PD, 1 FR
Te’Rai Powell	Dallas	Massachusetts	12 tackles, 1 PD
BJ Mayes	Houston (released)	Texas A&M	12 tackles
DeAgo Brumfield	Louisville	Mississippi State	6 tackles, 1 PD
Kory Chapman	Louisville	UTEP	5 tackles, 1 TFL
Ra’Mello Dotson	Houston	Kansas	1 tackle
Davion Ross	Birmingham	Memphis	1 tackle
Clarence Lewis	Birmingham	Syracuse	None
Shaquan Loyal	Birmingham	Rutgers	None

Major Burns was such a menace. He led the league in interceptions, was 4th in passes defended, and got All-UFL honors while playing in only 9 games. Dude is destined to return to the NFL and we should all be glad that we got to witness this amazing season from him.

The downside is that Burns was so good he overshadowed the very decent year Mishael Powell had. Powell tied for 10th in passes defended and while he didn’t get as many interceptions, he was the one rookie to rack up a pick six.

Josh Minkins and Glendon Miller make the list out of pure consistency and because Gabe Taylor got injured in week 5.

• 2024 DB RoY: Steven Jones, Jr., Arlington; Colby Richardson, Houston; Kedrick Whitehead, Jr., Michigan; Scott Nelson, San Antonio
• 2025 DB RoY: Rayshad Williams, Houston; Jayden Price, Arlington; Keaton Ellis, Memphis; Keni-H Lovely, Michigan
• 2026 DB RoY: Major Burns, Houston; Mishael Powell, Orlando; Josh Minkins, Orlando; Glendon Miller, Houston

P & LS

Player	Team	College	Stats
Brendan Hall (P)	Dallas	Montana State	18 punts, 50.1 average yards, 2 in 20
Payton Bunch (LS)	Columbus	Virginia	10 starts

Since Brendan Hall and Payton Bunch were the only rookies in their positions this year, they win purely by default. But I don’t want that to overshadow that both played pretty well.

Brendan Hall’s average punt length would have put him first in the league, but Dallas used him so rarely, he didn’t have enough punts to end up on Fox Sports’ final UFL stats for that metric. Notably, there were two straight weeks that Dallas didn't even call him out to punt.

As for Bunch, I don’t have a trained eye for it, but it looked like all of his hikes were on point.

• 2024 P RoY: Paxton Brooks, DC

• 2025 P RoY: None

• 2026 P RoY: Brendan Hall, Dallas

• 2024 LS RoY: None

• 2025 LS RoY: Marco Ortiz, Houston

• 2026 LS RoY: Payton Bunch, Columbus

And finally, who is the UFL Defensive Rookie of the Year?

It’s Major Burns. It just has to be. You can’t lead the league in interceptions and not be the DRoY. Even then, his closest competition was Jaheim Thomas and consistency without flashy stats is never going to be enough to top someone like Burns.

• 2024 UFL DRoY: Steven Jones, Jr., DB, Arlington
• 2025 UFL DRoY: Steele Chambers, LB, Memphis
• 2026 UFL DRoY: Major Burns, DB, Houston

Every UFL season I’ve wondered ‘what if the league had a rookie of the year award?’ Not a ‘oh, you’re new to the league’ kind of rookie, but a true rookie to professional outdoor football. Well, each year since 2024 I’ve been tracking that very question and since the regular season is over, here are the best rookies on offense in the league.

Small note: to be a rookie a player must have:

• Graduated in 2025 and DID NOT play in the 2025 UFL season or
• Graduated in 2026 or
• Would have graduated in 2025, but did not play due to any myriad of issues. The only player who fits that definition this season is WR Steven McBride, who missed his final season at Hawai’i due to domestic abuse charges.

QB

Player	Team	College	Stats
Chandler Rogers	Louisville	California	86/138, 1,118 yards, 5 TDs, 3 ints, 106 rush yards, 2 TDs
Hunter Dekkers	Houston	Iowa Western	69/112, 748 yards, 3 TDs, 2 ints, 74 rush yards, 2 TDs
Hank Bachmeier	Orlando	Wake Forest	None
Aidan Sayin	Columbus	Penn	None
Donovan Smith	Birmingham	Houston	None

Chandler Rogers had a bit of a slow start to the season, but it can’t be denied that he is shaping into one hell of a leader. He may not have the flashiest stats in the league, but he is improving each week and I can’t wait to see how he factors into the Kings’ post-season.

I am also bummed that Hunter Dekkers was unable to fully get over his shoulder injury and got relegated to sharing snaps with John Rhys Plumlee. Here’s hoping he gets a chance to heal over the summer and bounces back.

• 2024 QB RoY: Adrian Martinez, Birmingham
• 2025 QB RoY: Andrew Peasley, Birmingham
• 2026 QB RoY: Chandler Rogers, Louisville

RB

Player	Team	College	Stats
Marcus Yarns	Houston	Delaware	346 yards, 1 TD, 10 recs, 76 yards
Jalen White	Houston	Georgia Southern	267 yards, 2 TDs, 11 recs, 128 yards, 1 TD
Marcus Major	Houston	Minnesota	228 yards, 3 TDs, 6 recs, 37 yards
Kylin James	St. Louis	UNLV	168 yards, 4 TD, 11 recs, 93 yards
Tre Stewart	Orlando	Jacksonville State	109 yards, 4 recs, 27 yards
Keegan Jones	Dallas	UCLA	8 yards, 2 recs, -1 yards
Rahjai Harris	St. Louis (IR)	East Carolina	8 yards, 1 rec, -6 yards, 191 KR yards

Houston may not have made the playoffs, but they did succeed in finding the three best rookie running backs in the league. All three had impressive moments, but Marcus Yarns finishing with the 5th most yards in the league wins him the top spot.

I do also want to mention that Kylin James absolutely flipped a switch in the back half of the season. If Jarveon Howard takes the same path as Jacob Saylors, the Battlehawks should be in safe hands with James next year.

• 2024 RB RoY: Jacob Saylors, St. Louis
• 2025 RB RoY: Jarveon Howard, St. Louis
• 2026 RB RoY: Marcus Yarns, Houston

WR

Player	Team	College	Stats
Elijhah Badger	Orlando	Florida	36 recs, 588 yards, 5 TDs
Steven McBride	St. Louis	Hawai’i	31 recs, 412 yards, 3 TDs
Cam Camper	Orlando	Boise State	23 recs, 340 yards, 3 TDs
Antwane Wells	Columbus	Ole Miss	25 recs recs, 237 yards, 2 TDs, 25 rush yards, 205 PR yards
Kaden Prather	Louisville	Maryland	9 recs, 148 yards
Jabre Barber	Birmingham	Texas A&M	9 recs, 98 yards, 173 KR yards, 170 PR yards
Carter Bell	Louisville	South Dakota	5 recs, 56 yards, 33 PR yards
Roc Taylor	Columbus (released)	Memphis	2 recs, 23 yards
Yulkeith Brown	Columbus	Tulane	None

Elijhah Badger started great and just kept getting better. He finished the year 2nd in receiving yards, 3rd in YAC, and tied for 3rd in receiving touchdowns. Just an electric receiver that is already challenging Hakeem Butler and Chris Rowland for the top spot in the league.

Steven McBride didn’t start the year as strongly as Badger, but he certainly found his groove despite the Battlehawks’ QB carousel. He ended the year 9th in receptions & yards and really seemed to click with a shaky Luis Perez.

And finally, we have Cam Camper. You’d think in a WR room that has both Chris Rowland and Elijhah Badger there wouldn't be much opportunity, but Camper certainly made the most of what he got. I’m not sure if it will translate to an NFL opportunity, but he’s proven himself to be a very capable option in 2027.

• 2024 WR RoY: Daewood Davis, Memphis; Ty Scott, DC; Isaiah Winstead, Arlington
• 2025 WR RoY: Lawrence Keys III, Houston; Javon Antonio, DC; Isaiah Washington, Memphis
• 2026 WR RoY: Elijah Badger, Orlando; Steven McBride, St. Louis; Cam Camper, Orlando

TE

Player	Team	College	Stats
Tyler Neville	St. Louis (IR)	Virginia	13 recs, 125 yards, 4 TDs, 7 tackles
Konner Fox	Orlando (IR)	Texas State	1 rec, 4 yards

This one bums me out so much. Tyler Neville is the runaway best rookie tight end, but his stats don’t depict his grit and tenacity. AJ Smith truly squandered Neville’s skill for finding the end zone and fighting like hell for every yard. The one bit of luck is that the lisfranc injury he got in Week 8 shouldn’t be too hard to recover from, but it may be the deciding factor for if he gets an NFL opportunity or if he returns to the UFL. It’d be great to see him play under a better OC, but Neville truly deserves to be in the NFL.

• 2024 TE RoY: Kemari Averett, St. Louis
• 2025 TE RoY: Steven Stilianos, San Antonio
• 2026 TE RoY: Tyler Neville, St. Louis

OL

Player	Team	College	Points
Michael Gonzalez	Orlando	Louisville	50 (10 starts)
Michael Tarquin	DC	Oklahoma	48 (9 starts)
Gareth Warren	Houston	Lindenwood	38 (7 starts)
Bless Harris	Columbus	TCU	38 (4 starts)
Jason Ivey	Orlando	North Carolina A&T	38 (4 starts)
Corey Stewart	St. Louis/Dallas	Purdue	35 (4 starts)
Tedi Kushi	Houston	Western Michigan	30
John Campbell, Jr.	Houston/Louisville	Tennessee	27 (3 starts)
Steven Losoya III	DC	Vanderbilt	27
Mose Vavao	Orlando	Fresno State	21
Joey Lombard	Birmingham	South Dakota	19 (2 starts)
Trey Wedig	DC	Indiana	15
Wisdom Quarshie	Columbus	Temple	13
Bryce Benhart	Orlando	Nebraska	None
Preston Wilson	Birmingham	Oklahoma State	None
Que McBroom	St. Louis (post-season)	Louisiana-Monroe	None

Apologies ahead of time, but I decided not to get a PFF account. I’d only use it to evaluate players in this section and for something I only plan to type up twice a year. I couldn’t justify paying for it based on just that. Instead, I’m using an admittedly basic scoring metric for this one: 5 points for 1st in the depth chart, 3 for 2nd, 1 for the rare 3rd, and none for inactive. It’s not perfect, but neither is a lot of o-line play.

• 2024 OL RoY: Chuck Filiaga, San Antonio; Marcus Minor, Arlington; James Tunstall, Memphis; Jarrett Horst, Michigan; Noah Henderson, Arlington
• 2025 OL RoY: Willie Tyler III, San Antonio; Zuri Henry, San Antonio; Noah Atagi, Houston; Jacob Johanning, Arlington; Bradley Ashmore, St. Louis
• 2026 OL RoY: Michael Gonzalez, Orlando; Michael Tarquin, DC; Gareth Warren, Houston; Bless Harris, Columbus; Jason Ivey, Orlando

K

Player	Team	College	Stats
John Hoyland	Houston	Wyoming	13/17 XP, 76.5%; 18/22 FG, 81.8%
Michael Lantz	Orlando	USC	24/25 XP, 96.0%; 16/22 FG, 72.7%
Ryan Coe	Columbus (released)	California	15/17 XP, 88.2%; 5/9 FG, 55.6%

It feels weird to put John Hoyland’s name with the likes of Jake Bates and Harrison Mevis, but here we are. After a truly rough year of kicking, the top rookie options put together fine-ish numbers. Hoyland edges out Lantz, but I think I could be convinced either way on who deserves this spot.

• 2024 K RoY: Jake Bates, Michigan
• 2025 K RoY: Harrison Mevis. Birmingham
• 2026 K RoY: John Hoyland, Houston

And finally, who is the UFL Offensive Rookie of the Year?

I’m sure halfway through that question all of you immediately thought Elijhah Badger and you’re right. I’d truly be shocked if he isn’t at least on an NFL practice squad next year, but my hope is that he’ll get meaningful snaps on a 53-man roster. He definitely deserves it.

• 2024 UFL ORoY: Adrian Martinez, QB, Birmingham
• 2025 UFL ORoY: Jarveon Howard, RB, St. Louis
• 2026 UFL ORoY: Elijhah Badger, WR, Orlando

Every UFL season I’ve wondered ‘what if the league had a rookie of the year award?’ Not a ‘oh, you’re new to the league’ kind of rookie, but a true rookie to professional outdoor football. Well, each year since 2024 I’ve been tracking that very question and since we’re halfway through the season, here are the best rookies in the league.

Small note, to be a rookie a player must have:

• Graduated in 2025 and DID NOT play in the 2025 UFL season or
• Graduated in 2026 or
• Would have graduated in 2025, but did not play due to any myriad of issues. The only player who fits that definition this season is WR Steven McBride who missed his final season at Hawai’i due to domestic abuse charges.

If you want to check out the write-up for the offensive side of things, you can check it out here. I also don’t have much to say about the defensive players, mainly because the stats of the leaders speak pretty well for themselves.

DL

Player	Team	College	Stats
Xavier Carlton	Louisville	California	23 tackles, 1 sack, 4 TFLs, 1 PD
Patrick Jenkins	Columbus	Tulane	14 tackles, 1 sack, 4 TFLs
Jah Joyner	Houston	Minnesota	16 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 2 TFLs, 1 PD
Ricky Correia	Birmingham	California	15 tackles, 1 TFL
Jasheen Davis	Orlando	Wake Forest	1 tackle, 1 PD
RJ Oben	Louisville (released)	Notre Dame	2 tackles

• 2024 DL RoY: Jalen Redmond, Arlington; Taron Vincent, San Antonio; TJ Pesefea, St. Louis
• 2025 DL RoY: TJ Franklin, Houston; Ron Stone, Jr., Michigan; Kyon Barrs, Arlington

LB

Player	Team	College	Stats
Jaheim Thomas	Louisville	Wisconsin	40 tackles, 2 PD
Nick Kubitz	Louisville	North Dakota State	26 tackles, 1PD
LaVonta Bentley	St. Louis	Colorado	18 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 FR
Eugene Asante	Houston	Auburn	13 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PD, 1 FF
Macklin Ayers	DC	Massachusetts	11 tackles, 1 FR
Jailin Walker	Columbus	Indiana	3 tackles
Matt Jones	Dallas	Baylor	None
Tuasivi Nomura	St. Louis	Fresno State	None

• 2024 LB RoY: Momo Sanogo, DC; Willie Taylor III, Arlington; Callahan O’Reilly, St. Louis; Garret Nelson, San Antonio
• 2025 LB RoY: Steele Chambers, Memphis; Xavier Benson, Houston; Jaylon Allen, Memphis; Shayne Simon, DC

DB

Player	Team	College	Stats
Major Burns	Houston	LSU	25 tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 ints, 4 PD
Mishael Powell	Orlando	Miami	21 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 int, 4 PD
Gabe Taylor	DC	Rice	21 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 int, 3 PD, 1 FF
Josh Minkins	Orlando	Cincinnati	32 tackles, 2 PD, 1 FR
Hudson Clark	Birmingham	Arkansas	18 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 int, 2 PD
Glendon Miller	Houston	Maryland	14 tackles
BJ Mayes	Houston (released)	Texas A&M	12 tackles
O’Donnell Fortune	Columbus	South Carolina	10 tackles, 1 PD
Te’Rai Powell	Dallas	Massachusetts	8 tackles
Roman Parodie	Houston	Ohio	3 tackles, 1 PD, 1 FR
Kory Chapman	Louisville	UTEP	4 tackles, 1 TFL
Ra’Mello Dotson	Houston	Kansas	None
Davion Ross	Birmingham	Memphis	None

This one feels like a three way tie between Major Burns, Mishael Powell, and Gabe Taylor. I do think Taylor is more likely to fall off due to being more inconsistent. That said, Burns and Powell have been excellent additions to the league.

• 2024 DB RoY: Steven Jones, Jr., Arlington; Colby Richardson, Houston; Kedrick Whitehead, Jr., Michigan; Scott Nelson, San Antonio
• 2025 DB RoY: Rayshad Williams, Houston; Jayden Price, Arlington; Keaton Ellis, Memphis; Keni-H Lovely, Michigan

P & LS

Player	Team	College	Stats
Brendan Hall (P)	Dallas	Montana State	5 punts, 46.8 average yards, 1 in 20
Payton Bunch (LS)	Columbus	Virginia	5 starts

Really nothing to say here because there is only one rookie each for punter and long snapper.

• 2024 P RoY: Paxton Brooks, DC

• 2025 P RoY: None

• 2024 LS RoY: None

• 2025 LS RoY: Marco Ortiz, Houston

As for who are the front-runners to win the overall ORoY if there was one, the top three are:

• 1. Major Burns, DB, Houston
• 2. Xavier Carlton, DL, Louisville
• 3. Mishael Powell, DB, Orlando

That said, I'd love to hear what people think of these players.