With new defensive coordinator Jarren Horton and almost an entirely rebuilt roster, the Memphis Showboats defense will look completely different from last year.
Horton, the former USFL Assistant Coach of the Year in 2023, was previously the defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Maulers. Horton transformed the last-place Maulers’ defense into the league’s highest-rated. Although the Maulers won their division title that year, they lost the Championship game to the Birmingham Stallions. Meanwhile, GM Jim Monos and coach Ken Whisenhunt are banking on Horton’s ability to accomplish a similar upgrade in Memphis.
Joining Horton in his rebuild efforts are two former assistant coaches from his successful tenure in Pittsburgh, Marc Hull and Steve Meyer. Hull will oversee special teams and linebackers just as he did in Pittsburgh, while Meyer assumes responsibility for managing defensive quality control efforts.
Meyer brings NFL experience. Before joining the Maulers, Meyer spent several years with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a defensive coaching assistant and scouting intern.
Assembling A New Roster
One of the most intriguing aspects of Whisenhunt and Horton’s renovation plan is their overhaul of the roster. Except for a handful of returning defensive players including defensive linemen John Atkins, Josiah Bronson, and Dillon Faamatou, along with cornerbacks Nehemiah Shelton and Kyree Woods, the roster consists of former players from other UFL teams or athletes new to spring football.
Although these players haven’t previously played for the Showboats, they are well-known to Horton and his staff. Five of the newly signed athletes came from the Maulers. Defensive end Nasir Player, safety Eli Walker, DE Izayah Green-May, defensive tackle Owen “Boogie” Roberts, and cornerback Mark Gilbert were all members of the 2023 championship team.
Nasir Player was one of the sack leaders on the Maulers’ defense and posted 28 tackles, including three for a loss that year. Starting seven of twelve games for the Maulers, Walker played on special teams as well as defense and recorded one interception with 37 tackles, one sack, and nine punt return yards. He and Player teamed up in Pittsburgh forcing fumbles and capitalizing on turnovers.
Named to the All-USFL team in 2023, Roberts was one of the defense standouts with 32 tackles (19 solo), along with eight tackles for a loss, and three sacks. Roberts’ dominant style of play in Pittsburgh earned him a brief stint the following year with the LA Rams but now he’s back to help lead the charge in Memphis.
After appearing in five games as a late-season replacement, Green-May only saw limited action in Pittsburgh. However, he’s considered an exciting prospect with big play potential. As a Northern Illinois collegiate athlete in 2022, Green-May accounted for 34 tackles (five for a loss), three sacks, and two fumble recoveries.
Another recent Memphis roster addition who contributed to the Mauler’s championship season is Gilbert who led the USFL in interceptions in 2023. He had 32 tackles and 15 pass defenses. Gilbert was also a member of the UFL’s championship Birmingham Stallions recording 25 tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery, and five pass defenses.
Horton’s Defense
Undoubtedly, there is an advantage to Horton reuniting with former staff and players who are familiar with his style and work ethic. Horton found a successful formula in Pittsburgh that he can hopefully duplicate in Memphis. If so, the UFL’s lowest-ranked defense could very well become one of the league’s best.
1 Comment
by Ken Granito
Good piece! I do not feel the tinkering is done. As players get cut and Horton starts to see what his team has, there is a good chance they will pick up some other teams cast offs. I truly feel he and his father have been formulating in their minds and planning for this opportunity. People often write about the #1 defense and to be honest the Generals defense was better. Not included in those numbers were the massive amount of yards and points yielded by the Maulers to the Panthers and Stallions. By his own words Jarren Horton felt his aggressiveness defensively was a risk to teams with a strong passing game. There is a thing called learning and I feel since Ray and Jarren Horton would have experienced the same things, they would have made adjustments over the past couple of years. I actually had hoped Ray and not Jarren would have been the DC, but my hopes would be that Jarren would take over for his father. I am not surprised though that this isn’t the case. I have no problem rooting for Jarren as I remember him jumping up from his seat cheering for a big play on offense knowing this was more for his dad. I am glad they had that time together.