This is the fifth part of an eight-part look at each UFL team’s 2026 season.
Part Three: Birmingham Stallions
What went right
Despite a change in head coach, St. Louis managed to make the postseason for the third year in a row. After cycling through Brandon Silvers and Harrison Frost early in the season at QB, with neither proving to be the answer, St. Louis pulled the trigger on a trade for Luis Perez, whom they acquired for a song. His veteran presence steadied the ship at the top. Running back Jarveon Howard stepped up from a backup role last year to replace Jacob Saylors, who is now with the Detroit Lions. Howard finished second in the league in rushing yardage. Receiver Hakeem Butler didn't lose a step and Steven McBride came out of nowhere to be the team's go-to receiver. The Battlehawks were the top defense in the league by yardage allowed and led the UFL in sacks. Punter Ryan Sanborn and kicker Tucker McCann were two of the best players at their positions until McCann's injury.
What went wrong
For the third consecutive year, the Battlehawks were ousted in the semifinals, failing to make the championship game once again. To make matters worse, all three losses were at home, where they are supposed to have a significant advantage. Perez never looked fully comfortable in coordinator A.J. Smith's offense after coming over from the Renegades. There's going to be a lot of wondering "what could have been?" when it comes to QB Michael Pratt, who signed just prior to the season and was never used as more than an option quarterback in games. A couple of key injuries, to TE Tyler Neville and McCann, hurt the team. Former XFL standout Jahcour Perason made little impact and ended up as a healthy scratch in the playoff game. Head coach Ricky Proehl experienced some growing pains in his first year as head coach, including a poor challenge decision in the playoffs. Three of St. Louis's four regular season losses came against non-playoff teams.
Stat to note
As a team, St. Louis ran for seven touchdowns. None of them came from the team leading rusher, Jarveon Howard. Howard was shut out of the end zone in the regular season, though he did get on the board with a rushing TD in the playoffs against Louisville. Given Howard's hard-running style and ability to break tackles, it's surprising he was never able to convert goal-line opportunities into scores. It was third-stringer Kylin James that was the touchdown vulture, scoring four times.
Offensive MVP
While Howard is a worthy candidate here, no one put more fear into defenses than WR Hakeem Butler - and no one made more big plays for the team than him. It's hard to believe this is a guy that had to slide into then-coach Anthony Becht's DMs to get a chance in spring football. Despite missing the season opener due to injury, Butler topped the UFL in receiving yardage and yards per catch. He also scored three touchdowns. Against the Kings in the playoffs, Louisville had to utilize bracket coverage to slow him down. Buter is the kind of play you force-feed the ball to just because of what he can do after the catch.
Defensive MVP
Now three years removed from his last gasp in the NFL, LB Pita Taumoepenu keeps on harassing quarterbacks, with no end in sight. A two-time league Defensive Player of the Year, with the XFL (2023) and UFL (2025), Taumoepenu compiled 6.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss in 2026. Just as impressively, he finished third on the team in total tackles, showing that he wasn't just about attacking the quarterback - he could get after it in the run game as well. Taumoepenu was a monster from the outset, contributing 1.5 sacks to the Battlehawks' seven-sack performance in the season opener against D.C.
Special Teams MVP
Though he only caught three passes on the year, WR Gary Jennings Jr. made his bones on special teams as a coverage ace and returner. He was the team's main kickoff return man, bringing back 19 for an average of over 23 yards per return. Jennings really shined on coverage, where he ended up leading the UFL in special teams tackles with 15. He played the sixth-most snaps on special teams and was far and away the highest-graded Battlehawk on that unit per Pro Football Focus. His work was recognized by the league as he landed on the All-UFL Team as a coverage specialist.
Most likely to succeed (in getting NFL opportunities)
Jarveon Howard's NFL stint last summer with the Buffalo Bills lasted all of a few minutes into his first practice before he got hurt and was placed on injured reserve. He should find his way back this summer, hopefully with more than a cameo appearance this time. Hakeem Butler is the first UFL player this cycle to sign, inking a deal with the Denver Broncos. Steven McBride will be an interesting case - just 23 years old, he was spurned by NFL teams when he came out for the draft last year, then went the arena route before landing in the UFL. If TE Tyler Neville gets back healthy, he could get picked up. There are several candidates along the offensive line, like Richard Gouraige, Javion Cohen and Spencer Rolland. On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Carlos Davis and Taylor Stallworth could find NFL work. So too could Steve Linton. The cupboard seems a little more bare on defense, not because it's lacking talent, but because players like Taumoepenu, LBs Jordan Williams and Travis Feeney, are so far removed from their last NFL shot that they might be overlooked once again.
QB concern level for 2027 (1-5)
Luis Perez keeps on ticking, but his lack of mobility really showed up this year. I think it's possible he keeps playing, though you have to wonder how losing the job in Dallas affected him. I don't think he wants to come back as a backup. Neither Harrison Frost nor Brandon Silvers would be a threat to Perez's job, even as Frost showed flashes in 2026. He just wasn't able to put it all together. Perez didn't exactly put together a string of games at the end that should give St. Louis decision makers confidence that he can return in 2027 and outright be The Man. He just doesn't seem like a fit for the A.J. Smith offense. Even if Perez does come back, I still think this is a 3.
Head coach return scale (1-5)
Ricky Prohel led St. Louis to the playoffs in his first year as head coach after numerous years as an assistant, including one with the Battlehawks. His playing days as a former St. Louis Ram made him a good choice for the community, even if attendance at The Dome at America's Center sagged in 2026. He may have a future back in the NFL as an assistant, though I'd be surprised if it happens before next season. He should be motivated to help get St. Louis to a UFL Championship after so many years of coming oh so close. With "5" as most likely, Proehl's return is a 4.5.
Offseason needs for 2027
Will a new QB be on the menu in 2027? That remains up in the air but has the potential to be the most important offseason decision Proehl and company make. They're bound to lose some players to the NFL, potentially along the offensive line, as they not only have front-line starter there but solid depth. That's one of the most difficult positions to patch in spring football, so they'll have to be wise in how they go about doing that. Keep an eye on retirees and players heading up north to compete in the CFL, too. While there don't appear to be a lot of holes on the roster, it's a year-to-year league in that some players decide to just not return, moving on from football when the NFL door appears to have closed. There's no way of knowing who that might be right now but those will be the situations that arise that forces St. Louis to acquire new players.