It’s Kickoff Day for the 2025 UFL season. Here are 30 players that I am excited to see return to the UFL for another season.
1. Alex McGough – Birmingham Stallions · QB
- Why I’m Excited: 2023 USFL MVP before spending the last 2 seasons with the Green Bay Packers. Over 10 games in 2023, he passed for 2,105 yards and 20 touchdowns with 5 interceptions and added 403 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns.
2. Luis Perez – Arlington Renegades · QB
- Why I’m Excited: Perez led the league in passing yards as he completed 67% of his passes for 2,308 yards over the season with 18 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He was the highest-graded passer by PFF. His ability to make plays while under pressure was on full display last season as he elevated everyone around him. Perez was recently with the Los Angeles Chargers this past NFL preseason.
3. Matt Corral – Birmingham Stallions · QB
- Why I’m Excited: Matt Corral split time with Adrian Martinez at quarterback last season; who is now a New York Jet after being the UFL MVP last season. Corral was the QB2 more often than not, but he still put up 614 yards passing with 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions with a 61.6% completion percentage. He had one of the highest yards per attempts at 8.4 and the only quarterback to have a higher passing grade than him from Pro Football Focus last season was Luis Perez. Watching him play last season, it was obvious to me why he was a 3rd round pick to the Carolina Panthers in 2022.
4. Jacob Saylors – St. Louis Battlehawks · RB
- Why I’m Excited: Saylors had the most rushing yards among running backs last season after rushing 94 times for 461 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also caught 23 passes for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns. He spent time with both the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns this past NFL preseason. Saylors was named All-UFL last season.
5. Walter Palmore – Michigan Panthers · DL
- Why I’m Excited: Walter Palmore is one of the prospects I am most excited about for being viable to have success at the NFL level. He was tied with Jalen Redmond (who remains with the Minnesota Vikings) for having the highest defensive grade among interior defensive linemen and was arguably the best run stopper in the UFL last season. He had 19 total tackles and 4 sacks over the season last year.
6. Mike Rose – St. Louis Battlehawks · LB
- Why I’m Excited: Rose recorded 23 solo tackles, 22 assisted tackles, 2 interceptions, 3 pass breakups, and 2 forced fumbles over 7 regular season games last year. He was the highest-graded linebacker by PFF, in large part due to his run defense.
7. Hakeem Butler – St. Louis Battlehawks · WR
- Why I’m Excited: Butler finished the season with the most receiving yards after catching 51 passes for 710 yards and 5 touchdowns over the season and playoff. Over his 2 seasons as a Battlehawk, he has had 102 receptions for 1,315 yards and 13 touchdowns. He spent some time with the Cincinnati Bengals last season. Butler was named All-UFL last season and was All-XFL the season before.
8. Jontre Kirklin – San Antonio Brahmas · WR
- Why I’m Excited: Kirklin finished the season 2nd in receiving with 56 catches for 610 yards and 3 touchdowns. He spent some time with the San Francisco 49ers this past pre-season.
9. Breeland Speaks – Michigan Panthers · DE
- Why I’m Excited: Speaks was the Defensive Player of the Year last year after he wracked up 9.5 sacks over 10 games and 31 tackles. He has 18.5 sacks over the last 2 seasons. He appeared in each of the last 2 NFL preseasons with San Francisco in 2023 and Jacksonville in 2024. Speaks was named All-UFL last season.
10. Delontae Scott – San Antonio Brahmas · DE
- Why I’m Excited: Scott recorded 16 total tackles, including 4 sacks over 7 games last season, and added 7 total tackles in the playoffs. He had the 3rd highest pass rush grade from PFF last season. Only Jonathan Garvin and Dondrea Tillman had a higher grade and both are still currently rostered on NFL teams.
11. Bryce Perkins – Michigan Panthers · QB
- Why I’m Excited: Perkins was one of four quarterbacks to see playing time for the Panthers last year, and the offense felt the most efficient with him under center. A challenge for QBs on the Panthers last year was the frequent pressure they would face and Perkins did well under pressure as he had one of the highest yards per attempt at 9.0 last season and a 78.9% percentage in his limited playing time which saw him pass for 343 yards and 2 touchdowns with 1 interception. He also added 181 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. If Perkins is the starter for Michigan and can build off where he left off last season it would not be surprising to me if he is named league MVP.
12. Justin Hall – Houston Roughnecks · WR
- Why I’m Excited: Despite playing on a struggling team, Hall managed to finish 3rd in receiving after catching 55 passes for 602 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was briefly with the Minnesota Vikings this past preseason. Hall was All-USFL in 2023 with the Houston Gamblers.
13. John Lovett – San Antonio Brahmas · RB
- Why I’m Excited: Lovett rushed 103 times last season over 8 games for 421 yards (4 yards per carry) and 5 touchdowns.
14. Carlos Davis – Birmingham Stallions · DL
- Why I’m Excited: Over 9 regular season games last year, Davis had 21 total tackles, including 6 sacks. He was named All-UFL last season. He spent part of last year’s NFL preseason with the Cincinnati Bengals.
15. Kenny Willekes – Michigan Panthers · DE
- Why I’m Excited: Willekes recorded 20 total tackles over 9 games last season, including 4 sacks. He had the 7th highest pass-rushing grade among edge rushers from PFF.
16. Darius Phillips – San Antonio Brahmas · CB
- Why I’m Excited: Phillips locked it down last year. Per PFF, he had 31 targets come his way last season and allowed only 14 receptions for 164 yards for 2 touchdowns with 1 interception and 5 breakups. He was on the field a lot, being out for 289 snaps in coverage.
17. Malik Fisher – DC Defenders · DE
- Why I’m Excited: Over 10 games last season, Fisher recorded 33 total tackles, including 7 sacks. He was one of the first players to sign an NFL deal following the UFL season when he signed with the Houston Texans, where he remained until early September.
18. Siaosi Mariner – Michigan Panthers · WR
- Why I’m Excited: Mariner breathed life into the Panthers’ offense when he arrived in week 3 and recorded 31 receptions for 406 yards and 3 touchdowns over the season and playoff. He had the highest receiving grade from PFF last season out of all players with over 20 targets.
19. Nate McCrary – Michigan Panthers · RB
- Why I’m Excited: McCrary rushed 16 times for 60 yards over the regular season. In the playoff loss to Birmingham, he was sharp, rushing 11 times for 62 yards (5.6 yards per carry). He spent preseason with the Green Bay Packers until September 6. If he can build where he left off last year, he will be very dangerous.
20. Marcus Simms – Michigan Panthers · WR
- Why I’m Excited: Simms made some monster plays last year on his way to 426 yards and 3 touchdowns. He spent some time with the Seattle Seahawks this past year as a result. Simms was named All-UFL last season.
21. Sal Cannella – Arlington Renegades · TE
- Why I’m Excited: Sal Cannella caught 53 passes last season for 497 yards and 6 touchdowns and was also an excellent pass blocker. He spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last pre-season. Cannella is a Renegades fan favorite entering his third season with the team.
22. Jace Sternberger – Birmingham Stallions · TE
- Why I’m Excited: Jace Sternberger caught 25 passes for 454 yards and 4 touchdowns last season. He was All-USFL in 2023 and was named All-UFL last season.
23. Abdul Beecham – St. Louis Battlehawks · OG
- Why I’m Excited: Last season, Beecham was not a full-season starter, but over his 70 pass blocking snaps, he did not allow a single pressure and had the highest pass-blocking grade from PFF. He is listed as a week 1 starter.
24. Yasir Durant – DC Defenders · OL
- Why I’m Excited: Durant was out for 319 snaps as a pass blocker and only allowed 3 total pressures per PFF. If he can take a step forward as a run blocker, he will be fully complete.
25. Frank Ginda – Michigan Panthers · LB
- Why I’m Excited: Ginda was the 2023 USFL Defensive Player of the Year after he led the league in tackles with 104 total tackles over 10 games. He had a season shortened by injury last season. To date, Ginda has had 227 total tackles for the Michigan Panthers over the last 3 seasons. He has a knack for being where the football is and has spent time on NFL teams each of the last 2 preseasons.
26. Kyahva Tezino – Birmingham Stallions · LB
- Why I’m Excited: Tezino led the Stallions in tackles last season with 70 (38 solo, 32 assisted) before spending time with the Pittsburgh Steelers this past NFL preseason. He was all USFL in 2023 with the Stallions.
27. Tavante Beckett – San Antonio Brahmas · LB
- Why I’m Excited: Beckett recorded 52 solo tackles, 26 assisted tackles, and 1.5 sacks over last year’s regular season and playoffs. He had the 5th highest defensive grade among linebackers from PFF. Beckett was named All-UFL last season.
28. Kai Nacua – Michigan Panthers · S
- Why I’m Excited: Nacua recorded 43 total tackles, 3 interceptions, 8 breakups, and a sack over the regular season and added 3 solo tackles in the playoff. He was named All-UFL last season.
29. Alex Mollette – San Antonio Brahmas · OL
- Why I’m Excited: Mollette was a bright spot at for the Brahmas’ offensive line at center. He played 177 pass-blocking snaps and only allowed 1 pressure per PFF. Additionally he caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from the punter on a most legendary trick play last season.
30. Willie Harvey – St. Louis Battlehawks · LB
- Why I’m Excited: Harvey’s presence was felt frequently on the field as he recorded 76 total tackles and 4 sacks and added 7 tackles in the playoff. He was named All-UFL last season.
Apologies to the many players not listed who deserve recognition; it is hard to narrow a list such as this down to 30. Consider this a loose order, as for a lot of these players on this list, you can make an argument that they are too low, and there are so many talented players coming back this season not listed who deserve recognition.
Honorable Mentions
- Austin Faoliu – St. Louis Battlehawks · DL
- Ricky Person – Birmingham Stallions · RB
- Ty Scott – DC Defenders · WR
- Garrett Nelson – San Antonio Brahmas · DE
- Deandre Baker – DC Defenders · CB
- Wyatt Ray – San Antonio Brahmas · DE
- AJ Thomas – Birmingham Stallions · S
- Matt Coghlin – Memphis Showboats · Specialist
- Anthony McFarland – San Antonio Brahmas · RB
- Alec Lindstrom – Memphis Showboats · OL
- Tyler Vaughns – Arlington Renegades · WR
- Markel Roby – Houston Roughnecks · S
- Cohl Cabral – Michigan Panthers · OL
