This is the first part of an eight-part look at each UFL team’s 2025 season.
What went right
Due to a number of factors, a team that was supposed to be a wide-open passing attack ended up finishing second in the league in rushing offense. The team’s top two backs, Jashaun Corbin and Anthony McFarland, both averaged over five yards per carry. Matthew Sexton delivered the only punt return for a touchdown this season in the UFL. Brad Wing continued to excel as punter and special teams blocked two kicks.
What went wrong
What seemed like a loaded roster fell well short of expectations, especially coming off a UFL title game appearance in 2024. It starts at the top and the leave of absence taken by Wade Phillips after three games, as well as offensive coordinator A.J. Smith’s departure, shook up the coaching staff in a way the team never seemed to recover from. Payton Pardee was forced to go from wide receivers coach to both interim head coach and offensive coordinator. The result was a fundamental shift offensively, and because of this, the team finished in the bottom of most offensive rankings. The hometown hero, quarterback Kellen Mond, ended up getting benched at one point in the season. He got no help from an experienced receiver group that dropped a lot of critical passes, climaxing with Jontre Kirklin letting a deep ball that would’ve been a sure touchdown go right through his hands. Defense has always been a strength of Phillips-coached teams but they finished second to last in passing yards and rushing yards per game, as well as dead last in scoring defense. There were a number of strange personnel decisions made, from limiting McFarland’s workload to not taking advantage of Mond’s mobility to not playing Sexton more to the mid-and-late season releases of some significant contributors, to the point that it makes you wonder if things were as messy behind the scenes as on the field.
Stat to note
The Brahmas’ anemic passing game was exemplified by Mond’s paltry 5.0 yards per pass attempt average, indicating lots of short, quick throws. Defenses adjust swiftly when they realize you can’t or won’t go deep. By comparison, the top 25 NFL quarterbacks in 2024 averaged 7.5 yards per attempt.
Offensive MVP
Though he started the season third on the running back depth chart, injuries led to RB Jashaun Corbin getting the opportunity as the lead back for much of the year. Even when McFarland and John Lovett returned to health, Cobin retained his hold on the job. Corbin led the UFL in rushing yardage and was, for some stretches, the only legitimate offensive threat San Antonio had.
Defensive MVP
San Antonio’s pass rush was relatively toothless in 2025, accumulating just 13 sacks across 10 games. DE Kobe Jones was one of the few who was able to apply consistent pressure off the edge. He led the team with three sacks and six tackles for loss while also recovering a team-high two fumbles. After six NFL stops and a short stint in the CFL, Jones may have found a home in San Antonio even if the rest of the defense around him needs to be reset for 2026.
Special Teams MVP
It’s difficult to give this to anyone but the man to score the only return touchdown, kick or punt, in the UFL, so it’ll go to PR Matthew Sexton. Sexton curiously only returned eight punts, though he was used on coverage teams as well and made four tackles there. This was his second spring football go-round, as he was with the Vegas Vipers in the XFL in 2023 before getting NFL opportunities with the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, and Miami Dolphins in ’23 and 2024.
Most likely to succeeed (in getting NFL opportunities)
Corbin was one of the first UFL-to-NFL signings of this cycle and it wouldn’t surprise me if he gets other opportunities if he doesn’t make the Falcons. On offense, perhaps WR Jacob Harris gets a look. Sam Tecklenburg at center played well enough to warrant a signing if a team gets thin at that position. The NFL has seemed to move on from San Antonio’s most productive defenders like Tavante Beckett, Jordan Williams and Jordan Mosley. A younger player like Sean Fresch, draft eligible in 2025, would be a name to watch (he’s already snagged at least one tryout). Tristan Vizcaino is a kicker who is frequently brought in by teams in need of an injury replacement at that position and could be again.
QB concern level for 2025 (1-5)
In hindsight, the decision to trade QB Quinten Dormady to Memphis for a player that ended up retiring (LB Jordan Ferguson) set in motion what turned out to be some really poor decisions in terms of roster management. Dormady could’ve provided a spark that Mond and Kevin Hogan failed to ignite. Mond wasn’t terrible – he was put in some tough situations with the change in coordinator and his receivers didn’t help much – but he probably can’t walk into camp this year, if he returns, assured of being QB1. It’s difficult to predict what will happen as Phillips could stay on as head coach and retain Pardee was coordinator, or a whole new coaching staff could be brought in. There are some pieces here if a few of the QBs return, though the ceiling is low. I’ll go a 3.5 for now.
Head coach hot seating rating (1-5)
It’s unclear the status of Wade Phillips, who missed the last seven weeks of the season due to health-related issues. At his age, it’s entirely possible he doesn’t return in 2026. That said, UFL brass is likely to allow him to coach for as long as he wants – his seat will never be hot from management given his name recognition and the legitimacy his background brings to the league. That said, changes need to be made for a team that finished 1-9, definitely with the roster if not the coaching staff. Pardee did an admirable job for being dealt such a bad hand, and he may be a head coach someday – I just don’t see that day being now. Considering Phillips is still technically the head coach, this will rank as a 2.
Offseason needs for 2025
It was somewhat surprising to see a team that went to the UFL Championship game in 2024 make as many roster changes as the Brahmas did for 2025. Clearly, it was not for the better. At QB, they’ll need someone to fit whatever offensive system to the new coordinator runs – we saw what happens when that goes awry as clearly Mond wasn’t a fit for A.J. Smith’s air raid. Perhaps that quarterback is already on the roster. I’d be a little surprised – though not shocked – if San Antonio stands pat there. The receiver group needs an upgrade and they could use a more dynamic tight end, something that wasn’t featured in Smith’s system. Defensively, they need to improve their pass rush as well as their secondary.
