There are many standout players returning to the United Football League in 2025. Some like veteran quarterback Luis Perez have been Spring Pro Football fixtures for the last several years, and a few like quarterback Alex McGough and wide receiver Greg Ward are returning to the space after excursions into the NFL.
Then there are players who debuted in the UFL last season, who have moved on to the National Football League. There are over a dozen UFL 2024 players currently on NFL rosters.
Among them, there’s Detroit Lions record-breaking kicker Jake Bates who took the UFL by storm a season ago with Michigan, and defensive linemen Jalen Redmond, who shined brightly for the Arlington Renegades before netting a substantial role on the Minnesota Vikings defense in 2024.
There are plenty of newcomers arriving into the UFL who could follow the same path of last year’s breakout stars. Many of the league’s new arrivals have been chronicled here at UFLNewshub, including an incoming batch of young quarterbacks. But here are three other potential candidates who could take the league by storm in 2025.
3 Potential Breakout Stars In The 2025 UFL Season
Wide Receiver/Kick Returner Shi Smith, Birmingham Stallions
The Birmingham Stallions lead the league in former NFL draft picks. The reigning three-peat league champions have 22 former NFL draft selections on their roster. Birmingham has seen several of its pass catchers the last few years net NFL opportunities. So it’s not surprsing to see new wide receivers with that pedigree join the Stallions, in the hope that they can relaunch their careers.
Former South Carolina Gamecock standout Shi Smith is one of the latest new arrivals. The former sixth round draft pick in 2021 of the Carolina Panthers was a 4-star recruit out of high school. The SC native left South Carolina fourth in program history in total catches, eighth in receiving yards and 13th in career touchdowns.
In the NFL, the shifty Smith who plays much more physical than his size at 5’10 186, played in 23 games with Carolina, netting six starts, with 400 yards receiving, on 28 receptions, scoring two touchdowns. He also returned 23 punts and had one kick return for the Panthers.
Because of Smith’s experience as a returner, and playing inside and out at receiver. Carolina saw him as a viable ultility gadget player. His fearless propensity to not avoid contact is a blessing and a curse. It’s caused him to miss time but is also one of his standout traits as a receiver.
Breaking through in Birmingham’s talented receiving corps will not be easy. But it doesn’t hurt that Smith can play multiple roles, and also has some experience with his former Panthers teammate, quarterback Matt Corral.
Wide Receiver, Jalen Camp, Birmingham Stallions
Back to Birmingham, with yet another wide receiver selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Originally drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jalen Camp has been with five different NFL teams in his first four years as a pro.
After a modest collegiate career at Georgia Tech where Camp registered 48 receptions for 808 yards and five touchdowns in 48 career games. It was his absurd workout numbers that saw Camp’s stock rise in the pre-draft process.
Listed at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, He ran a 4.43 40-yard dash, with a 39.5-inch vertical jump. But the workout number that really stood out was Camp bench pressing 225 pounds an aburd 30 times, maxing out at 405 pounds.
Pound for pound, there may not be a more athletically gifted athlete in the UFL. Beyond that, Camp’s athletic score is one of the very best among any wide receiver that has entered the pro ranks in nearly four decades.
Camp’s raw freakish physical traits got him into the NFL but it wasn’t enough to get him extended playing time as a raw prospect. Mostly a practice squad player, Camp has played in only five NFL games, netting one reception for seven yards.
In the UFL, the imposing Camp has a chance to develop and stand out from the pack. Birmingham is the perfect place for him to accomplish that.
Utility Offensive Player, Lynn Bowden, D.C. Defenders
If there ever was a perfect landing spot for Lynn Bowden, it would be Reggie Barlow’s Defenders in Fred Kaiss’s versatile college styled offense.
The former Jack-off-all-trades QB/RB/WR/Kick Returner from Kentucky was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft as a utility player. Unfortunately, Bowden didn’t last long with the Raiders, as he was almost immediately traded away to Miami.
Bowden showed some flashes in his first NFL season, playing wide receiver in Chan Gailey’s offense, netting 243 yards as a spot player. But the splashy plays, Bowden made in college were scarce.
A season ending torn hamstring injury wiped out his second season in the NFL. A year later, Miami waived Bowden at final cuts. He would latch on to the New England Patriots practice squad for a season before meeting the same fate again. Bowden then signed with the New Orleans Saints in 2023, where he would finally see his first significant action since his rookie season, playing in 15 games, registering 26 touches on offense and special teams.
The brief Saints cameo wasn’t enough to get Bowden Jr. another NFL job in 2024, so here he comes into the UFL.
The Defenders have Bowden listed at running back, which would slot him behind XFL 2023 rushing leader Abram Smith. But there’s no doubt that the former first team All-SEC playmaker will be utilized in multiple roles. It would be a crime if he wasn’t.
Bowden was Mister Everything in high school and college. The Ohio native was a highly sought after four star recruit as a dual threat playmaker. A consensus All-American in the SEC, Bowden scored rushing, receiving, passing and even returned two touchdowns on punts.
In his final collegiate swan song, Bowden was named MVP of the 2019 Belk Bowl, rushing for 233 yards and completing six passes for 73 yards, which included throwing a game-winning touchdown pass with 15 seconds left to defeat Virginia Tech 37-30.
The Defenders could have Bowden returning kicks, catching passes at receiver and running back. But he could also play a role in the Wildcat formation subbing for Jordan Ta’amu at Quarterback. It’s a role that D’Eriq King played well in 2023 before hanging up his cleats for a coaching career.
If he has the right mindset, and perhaps some injury luck is on his side. Bowden can be one of the UFL’s most electrifying playmakers this coming season.
Like many others dipping their toes in the UFL waters this Spring, he is going to get the chance to shine, for the first time in a long time.
