Kyahva Tezino has consistently been one of the top linebackers in the USFL with the Pittsburgh Maulers, and now the UFL with the Birmingham Stallions. Earning All-USFL honors in 2023 with the Pittsburgh Maulers, he also got to don the black and yellow and learn from a former Steeler’s coach.
Kyahva Tezino Earns NFL Recognition
Tezino began his professional career by spending time with the Carolina Panthers in training camp before they would release him. Just days after the Panthers released Tezino he would work out with the Giants as well but it did not pan out with an NFL contract at the time.
Due to Covid 19 The Spring League had pushed back their 2020 season to October which gave Tezino an option to keep playing football. He played for the Aviators under Terry Shea and Defensive Coordinator Eric Hicks. Hicks was a long-time NFL player turned coach having spent 9 seasons in Kansas City, and one a piece in New York with the Jets, and Lions before retiring following the 2009 season, 12 years after his rookie year.
Many players went on to sign NFL, or CFL contracts following their stay in the TSL, but Tezino was left to find his way into the USFL draft in 2022. He ended up being selected in round 31, 254th overall by the then purple and orange Pittsburgh Maulers. He was the third of five (fourth of six if you include Carlo Kemp) linebackers selected in the draft process but quickly became the most productive.
Production in USFL and UFL
Joining the USFL was exactly what Tezino needed to find his way onto NFL rosters once again, however, his first season with the Maulers had not been enough to get him looks. Tezino would return to the now black and yellow Pittsburgh Maulers with 70 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 1 interception on his USFL resume. After the 2023 season, he was named All-USFL and found interest from multiple NFL teams including the Giants, Seahawks, and 49ers who ultimately signed him. He would finish with 73 tackles, and 2 interceptions this time.
His time with the 49ers was short-lived as he was waived about a month later. This left him to return to the newly reformed UFL, but he did not have the Maulers to fall back to once again. Instead he opted to sign with the Birmingham Stallions for the 2024 season. The Stallions had been the class of the USFL for two seasons, and entering the new league, they planned to load up and chase a third straight championship victory. Tezino was part of a re-tooling process that saw the Stallions collect some of the top USFL and XFL players from the past two seasons.
The Stallions had helped more players sign NFL contracts than any other USFL team, and also played more games. In a league where there weren’t many ways of making more money, playing more games amounted to the best way to do so. While many other players received 20 or fewer game checks, Stallions players who stayed healthy had played in 24 games over two seasons, plus earned the win bonuses associated with the Playoffs early on.
In 2024 the Stallions built a star-studded linebacker group bringing in Tezino, and fellow All-USFL linebacker Chris Orr while keeping Scooby Wright. On paper, this team was stacked heading into 2024, so much so that Orr retired, and they didn’t skip a beat at the position.
In 2024 Tezino did not have the season you might expect, with so many playmakers collected on one roster, Tezino saw his tackle, sack, and interception numbers fall. He would finish the season with 52 tackles, and .5 sacks on the season. This slowed down his ability to find NFL interest but did not stop it entirely.
Return to the NFL Delayed, but not Deterred
Tezino would go on to work out with the Atlanta Falcons a roster loaded with former spring football players from one league or another. The Falcons ultimately did not sign Tezino, and he was left to work out with the Steelers as well. Pittsburgh decided to bring Tezino in. With Cole Holcomb headed for the Physically Unable to Perform list, the Steelers were already short-handed at linebacker heading into week 2 of the preseason when Tyler Matakevich, and Payton Wilson both exited the game with injuries. This made signing a player at the position an immediate need. Tezino would answer that call and sign a contract returning to the black and yellow, for at least a short-term chance of making it in the NFL once again. Can he make the roster or practice squad for 2024 this depends directly on the injuries suffered by Matakevich and Wilson this past week if either or both wind up missing significant time, this dramatically increases his chances to make the team.
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