We've reached the halfway point of the 2026 UFL season. There are enough data points and game action to analyze each team's biggest strength and weakness - what they need to emphasize and improve on as we hit the home stretch of the schedule.
Strength: Pass blocking: The Stallions have allowed just seven sacks in five games, helped in part by the escapability of their main two quarterbacks during that time, Matt Corral and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. At 1-4, the Stallions have been pressed into several obvious passing situations during the first half of the season and the offensive line held up well in that regard. OT Armani Taylor-Prioleau is the highest-graded player on the Birmingham offense by Pro Football Focus. They've rotated some of their other linemen in throughout the games. With Thompson-Robinson now leading the team from under center, the sack numbers should continue to stay low.
Weakness: Coaching: It shouldn't come as a surprise that Birmingham has faced some challenges with a first-time head coach - and first-time coach at any level - in A.J. McCarron. But when you take into account he's following in the footsteps of a legendary spring football coach in Skip Holtz, leading one of the marquee franchises in the UFL, it magnifies the mistakes ten-fold. The Stallions find themselves at the bottom of the UFL standings, something previously unheard of for this team, in part because McCarron whiffed on his QB. To his credit, he didn't hesitate to pull the trigger on a trade and get someone new in there. All three phases have been incredibly inconsistent. Perrion Winfrey also criticized the coaching staff on social media on his way out; Winfrey was the only 2025 UFL graduate to make an NFL 53-man roster out of training camp last year.
Strength: Run game: All three Aviator backs are averaging over four yards per carry, no easy feat in spring football. Columbus rode their run game to the first win of the season against a gassed Dallas defense in week four. They remained balanced against Houston, running 27 times to 24 passes, and very nearly pulled off the win against the Gamblers. John Lovett, Toa Taua and ZaQuandre White all have the ability to run between the tackles. Remember that Columbus emerged out of the ashes of the Michigan Panthers franchise, who themselves had a lot of success running the ball. Taua, offensive linemen Ryan Nelson and Cohl Cabral, as well as tight end Gunnar Oakes are all former Panthers who know how to get it done on the ground. Oakes and Alize Mack shouldn't be overlooked in their contributions to the run blocking, either.
Weakness: QB ball security: As the TV announcers always remind us, Jalan McClendon is still very young in his development as a starting QB. After taking over as the starter with the Roughnecks last year, McClendon has continued to improve his passing and running ability this year. The downside has been the fumbles - six in five games. He's only lost two, but when you combine that with three interceptions, that's five turnovers from the QB position alone. In week five, a late fumble may have cost Columbus the game. The coaching staff will no doubt continue to emphasize this with McClendon, but ultimately, it's up to him to better take care of the football if the Aviators want to seriously compete for a playoff spot.
Dallas Renegades
Strength: Pass offense: We've seen what happens when the passing offense has an off day - it throws off the entire team's mojo. But for most of the season, QB Austin Reed and his talented receiving corps have had their way. Despite some few recent misses, Dallas still leads the league in passing yardage and touchdown passes. If the Renegades can solve whatever is ailing this group, there's not a defense in the UFL that can stop them. Though Tyler Vaughns has all but disappeared after his fast start, Drake Stoops has helped scoop up some of his targets in the slot. The tight ends could become more active in the pass game as well.
Weakness: Coverage units: Dallas is surrendering over 17 yards per punt return, and more than 30 yards per kick return. It's giving opponents prime field position and putting more pressure on the defense. That's when kicker Colton Theaker isn't kicking off out of bounds or short of the landing zone, something he's done on numerous occasions this year, even catching the ire of head coach Rick Neuheisel on the TV broadcast after one of them. It appears punter Brendan Hall may now be handling those duties. Dallas could opt to use more of its starters on punt and kickoff teams, or they could churn through some of the backups to find players off the street who can limit the yardage allowed on special teams.
D.C. Defenders
Strength: Defensive takeaways: Teams can emphasize takeaways in practice, but it's one of those statistics that doesn't always carry over year to year because so much of it is luck or chance. Whatever the cause, the Defenders have been extremely good in this area this year and it's a big reason why they sit atop the UFL standings at 4-1. They've taken the ball away 11 times, three more than second place. Their turnover margin is +6, while second place is +2. They've not turned those takeaways into points often enough - just 20 points off turnovers - but if the defense keeps getting the ball, the offense is bound to find the end zone more frequently.
Weakness: Discipline: For a few years now, D.C. has been a team built on emotion, teetering on the edge of disorderly. The intensity of defensive coordinators Gregg Williams, then his son, Blake, is evident in games. One of head coach Shannon Harris's mantras is "the terror must be maintained." All of that has bled over into the players, which can lead to an undisciplined nature. CB Bryce Thompson had to be removed from the game in the opener against St. Louis, with the younger Williams caught on camera telling him to get off the field. He was inactive the following week. The Defenders are the most penalized team in the league. So far, that hasn't hurt them too much. But as the season winds down and teams get desperate, they could play on the short fuse Defenders players seem to have.
Houston Gamblers
Strength: Special Teams: Kicker John Hoyland has one of the strongest legs in the league. He's made over 80% of his field goals with a long of 59. It seems like only a matter of time until he connects on a four-pointer. His game-winner from 50 yards helped Houston defeat Birmingham in week two, their first victory of the season. Punter Mike Rivers is third in the UFL in punting average. Returner Lawrence Keys ranks near the top in both kickoff return and punt return average. With Houston at different times struggling on offense and defense this year, it helps to have an effective special teams unit bail you out.
Weakness: Drops by Receivers: Nolan Henderson finished last week's game against Columbus with a completion percentage of just 50%, but that was in part due to receivers not being able to catch the football. Houston was charged with five drops in that game, giving them 13 for the year, the most in the UFL. Justin Hall and Armani Rogers both have three, while Jontre Kirklin has two. Kirklin has struggled at times with drops both this year and last. He most notorious play in 2025 was a miss of a deep ball in San Antonio, where he ended up running out of the end zone and sitting in the stands after a sure touchdown fell through his hands. If the Gamblers hope to vie for a playoff spot in the next five weeks, the receivers need to do their part.
Louisville Kings
Strength: Edge pressure: Louisville is home to the league leader in sacks, Cam Gill, with 5.5. On the other end of the line is Jaylon Allen, a former Memphis Showboat who has 2.5 sacks. In reserve, there's Xavier Carlton, who also has a sack. Edge rushers account for nine of the team's 11 sacks at the midway point of the schedule. If they can continue to disrupt the quarterback at this rate, we may see the Kings garner more turnovers, as they did against Austin Reed and the Renegades.
Weakness: Run blocking: The run game showed the first signs of life all season against Dallas, thanks in part to wholesale changes made along the offensive line. Of the five week one starters, only center Mike McAllister remains in the lineup. Three others were released while one has been benched. Credit first-year head coach Chris Redman for making the necessary changes. The running backs may deserve some of the blame as well, but for the most part, there just haven't been lanes opened by the line, so I hesitate to knock them too much, even though Benny Snell was the back that took the fall for the running game not getting on track.
Orlando Storm
Strength: Rush defense: Orlando is giving up a league-low 77 rushing yards per game, keeping teams under four yards per carry. Opponents have rushed for just three touchdowns against the Storm. The interior of the defensive line, led by Isaiah Buggs and Isaiah Mack, has been a stone wall, together accounting for nine tackles for loss. While Keshawn Banks has been lauded for his skill at getting to the QB off the edge, he's played a role in the run defense as well. Two of their games have been against Louisville, a team with a weak rush offense, so that may skew these numbers a bit.
Weakness: Creating turnovers: The good news is, Orlando has only turned the ball over twice all season. The bad news is they've only taken the ball away four times, seventh in the league. Thus far, it hasn't hurt the Storm, as they're allowing the fewest points per game in the UFL at 15.4. I can bet head coach Anthony Becht and defensive coordinator Donnie Abraham would prefer to see the defense get possession of the ball for the offense more often, though. With most everything else clicking for Orlando, that could be a focal point in practice moving forward.
St. Louis Battlehawks
Strength: Home-field advantage: No other team in the UFL has home-field advantage quite like St. Louis does, even if their attendance wanes a little in 2026. The number of fans plus the dome that holds all the noise in makes for a difficult environment for their opponents. St. Louis is 2-0 on the season so far at The Dome at America's Center, and three of their final four games are in St. Louis. For a team that is just one game up for a playoff berth, that closing streak of games at home could play a big part in them making the post-season.
Weakness: Inconsistent QB play: It's not just that Harrison Frost's play can be scattershot on a week-to-week basis; it can be like that on a drive-by-drive basis. Witness his first game action, throwing interceptions on his first two passes, only to come back and throw for three touchdowns in a St. Louis win. The next week, he completed just six of 21 passes, stymied by the D.C. Defenders. The following week, he was the hero again in handing Orlando its first loss of the season. St. Louis acquired Luis Perez as insurance, but they seem willing to ride Frost for now. How long they'll put up with his inconsistency remains to be seen.