The Columbus Aviators will travel to Orlando to take on the Storm in a battle between 2 teams that are both in the first match for each franchise. The Aviators inherit the core of last year’s Michigan Panthers’ squad and will look to carry that playoff momentum into their inaugural season under head coach Ted Ginn Jr.
Game Details:
Date/Location: Sunday, March 29 / Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, FL
Kickoff Time: 8:00 PM ET, 5:00 PM PT
Channel: ESPN
Odds:
Spread: Columbus - (-), Orlando + (-)
Moneyline: Columbus -, Orlando +
Over/Under: (Over -, Under -)
Columbus Aviators (0-0):
The Aviators have some good bones to their roster despite being a new franchise after inheriting what was left of the Michigan Panthers, who made the UFL Championship last season. Jalen McClendon is the likely starting QB after spending the season with Houston.
Orlando Storm (0-0):
The Orlando Storm have a few pieces from the San Antonio Brahmas roster, but are mostly unrecognizable from what used to be the San Antonio Brahmas. Look for the Storm to lean on RB Jashaun Corbin under head coach Anthony Becht, who had much success previously coaching St. Louis. Jack Plummer has been named the starting quarterback for Orlando.
Aviators Keys to the Game
Establish the Run
There’s a lot of uncertainty regarding how exactly these 2 teams will look. One great way to add some stability on offense will be to establish the run early to help take control of the game on offense and not put too much pressure on Jalan McClendon.
Early Momentum with First Downs
It will be important to gain momentum early on the road in this new UFL landscape by getting early first downs.
Get Pressure on Plummer
Columbus will want to get pressure on Jack Plummer throughout this game to prevent him from getting comfortable in what is his first playing time in a regular-season game at the pro level. He does have 2 seasons of NFL preseason under his belt.
Big Run Stopping Day
Last season saw Anthony Becht coach a team in St Louis that was very successful in running the football. Columbus has been a great run-stopping team the last few seasons, but this will be tested to see if that remains true after many roster changes.
Aviators to Watch
8 QB Jalan McClendon
McClendon played in 7 games with 6 starts last season with Houston, which saw him complete 147 of his 225 passes for 1,464 yards and 6 touchdowns with 3 interceptions.
5 RB John Lovett
Lovett was listed as RB1 on the depth chart in the Aviators game notes. He wasn’t seen as much last season, being limited to only 3 games. In 2024, he rushed 103 times for 421 yards (4.09 average) and 5 touchdowns.
35 RB Toa Taua
Taua led the UFL in rushing touchdowns last season with 6, and also had the 2nd most missed tackles forced among running backs by my count. He rushed 81 times for the Michigan Panthers last season for 356 yards (4.4 average) over the regular season and added 138 yards and 3 touchdowns in the postseason.
48 DE Kenny Willekes
Willekes was the highest graded edge rusher by Pro Football Focus last season. For how I count QB hits, he had the most among UFL players last season, with 9 and an impressive pressure rate of applying a form of pressure on 17.4% of his snaps (by my count, cross-referenced with PFF snap data). He is a highly effective run stopper as well.
99 DT Walter Palmore
Palmore played in 6 games last season, recording 5 solo tackles and 8 assists. Palmore is an effective player at stopping the run and generating pressure, who had a year setback last season due to injuries. In 2024, he seemed very comparable to Jalen Redmond to me, who has been impactful since with the Minnesota Vikings.
Storm to Watch
13 QB Jack Plummer
The Louisville product hasn’t played a regular-season game since he threw for 3,204 yards and 21 touchdowns with 12 interceptions over the 2023 NCAA season. He has appeared in 6 NFL preseason games which he has seen him complete 66 of his 106 passes for 616 yards and 3 touchdowns with 3 interceptions.
6 RB Jashaun Corbin
Corbin led the UFL last season with San Antonio after rushing 97 times for 514 yards (5.29 average) and 4 touchdowns. Orlando’s offensive success could lean on him heavily this season.
12 WR Chris Rowland
Rowland had the 2nd most receiving yards last season after catching 42 passes for 522 yards and 3 touchdowns with DC. He was named All-UFL last season.
11 LB Tavante Beckett
Beckett is one of the few players with San Antonio to be retained after that roster was inherited by the Orlando Storm. He was named All-UFL after he registered 48 solo tackles and 41 assisted tackles, including a sack over 10 games last season.
22 S Nate Meadors
Meadors played for Coach Anthony Becth with St. Louis last season, where he had 22 solo tackles and 23 assisted tackles, including a sack over 10 games.
Depth Charts, Injuries, Inactives
Score Prediction:
Week 1 of this season feels reminiscent of week 1 of the 2024 season after there were many roster changes following the merger of the USFL and XFL. It is hard to gauge exactly what these teams will look like, but I am predicting Columbus to win on the road, 22-17.