After a relatively normal off-season leading into 2025, upheaval was the name of the game again leading into 2026. Three new cities and franchises have arrived, rosters were overhauled and several new head coaches are on the scene. As we approach the Birmingham vs. Louisville opener on Friday night, here's how I see the position groups stacking up across the league, starting with the offense (the defense, special teams and total ranking will appear tomorrow).
Quarterbacks
1. Dallas Renegades: Luis Perez and Austin Reed are a strong one-two punch. Luke Lehnen provides some different looks as a runner. Will we start seeing a fall-off in Perez's play this year?
2. D.C. Defenders: All three QBs are back for D.C., along with Offensive Coordinator Fred Kaiss. It's continuity no other team in the league has at the position. Jordan Ta'amu can still sling it with the best of them; his backups are relatively untested.
3. Birmingham Stallions: Taylor Elgersma was a late arrival in camp, otherwise he may have been the favorite to start. Matt Corral has experience at this level but his play has largely been uneven. Still, when he's hot, he's really good.
4. Orlando Storm: Head Coach Anthony Becht thinks he has two starters in Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Jack Plummer. Both are intriguing options with vastly different skillsets. How Becht and his Co-Offensive Coordinators utilize them in games will be an early season storyline to watch.
5. St. Louis Battlehawks: Though not official yet, the presumption is Michael Pratt is added back to this room. That immediately lifts St. Louis a couple of spots. Without him, they've got journeyman Brandon Silvers and former Seattle Sea Dragon third-stringer Harrison Frost. Don't be surprised if Pratt is vaulted into a starting role at some point.
6. Houston Gamblers: Another team with a late move at the position as the team reportedly added Taulia Tagovailoa, likely to replaced Donovan Smith as third string. Nolan Henderson is athletic and Hunter Dekkers has some NFL training camp experience.
7. Columbus Aviators: Can Jalan McClendon repeat his 2025 magic? Birmingham lured Jalen Morton out of retirement last year and he's back, along with Buckeye star Julian Sayin's brother, Aidan.
8. Louisville Kings: Jason Bean has the pedigree of being the number one overall College Draft pick of the Memphis Showboats in 2024. He'll be the starter and brings a dual-threat presence. N'Kosi Perry and Chandler Rogers offer questionable depth.
Running Backs
1. D.C. Defenders: The quality runs three-deep in the nation's capital. Deon Jackson performed well as the starter last year and Abram Smith finally seemed fully recovered from his 2024 ACL tear when the playoffs came around. Xzavian Valladay could probably start for some UFL teams.
2. Birmingham Stallions: If Anthony McFarland can stay healthy, he'll be a weapon in the run and pass game. Tyrion Davis-Price and Snoop Conner bring a few years each of NFL experience and can grind out yards if necessary.
3. Orlando Storm: The UFL's leading rusher last year, Jashaun Corbin, moves east from San Antonio to Orlando. He'll likely be happy running for Becht, whose offense helped put Jacob Saylors in the NFL. Elijah Dotson offers solid depth.
4. Columbus Aviators: From being cut at the end of training camp to leading the league in rushing touchdowns, Toa Taua will now tote the rock for Columbus. He's joined by two other relocated 2025 UFL players in ZaQuandre White and John Lovett.
5. Louisville Kings: Benny Snell and Jaden Shirden have thunder-and-lightning potential in the Louisville backfield. Ian Wheeler looks to get back to form after suffering a torn ACL with the Chicago Bears in 2024.
6. Dallas Renegades: It was a mixed bag for Dae Dae Hunter as Dallas's lead back last year. He returns, but his backups are new: Lorenzo Lingard, who had some opportunities with Houston last year; and former New Orleans Saint Ellis Merriweather.
7. St. Louis Battlehawks: One of two teams that are keeping four backs, Jarveon Howard and Kevon Latulas are back, along with Kylin James and Rahjai Harris. We'll see how the team ends up splitting carries.
8. Houston Gamblers: Kirk Merritt has shown flashes of being an effective player - he just needs to avoid injury. He's not a bell-cow back, though, and it remains to be seen which of the other three steps forward to be the chain-mover.
Receivers/Tight Ends
1. D.C. Defenders: Ty Scott, Cornell Powell, and Braylon Sanders are all explosive, downfield threats. Add in the size of Erik Ezukanma and Seth Williams, as well as the pass-catching ability of Briley Moore at tight end, and this is a recipe for another banner offensive year for D.C.
2. Orlando Storm: K.J. Hamler and Chris Rowland lead the charge for the Storm in their inagural campaign. Hamler in particular has had a strong camp. Elijah Badger and Aron Cruickshank could do some damage, too. Tight ends are mostly blockers for Becht, and he kept three instead of his usual two this season.
3. Birmingham Stallions: Speed will not be in short supply in Birmingham. John Ross and his 4.2-40 is the most interesting of the bunch. Gadget player Laviska Shenault should see plenty of manufactured touches. Deon Cain has been the #1 receiver for Birmingham in the past and should be in that conversation again this year. Expect TE Jordan Thomas to see an expanded role with Jace Sternberger retiring.
4. Louisville Kings: A couple of Renegade transplants in Isaiah Winstead and JaVonta Payton lead this room. Lucky Jackson was a fantastic off-season addition, coming off multiple NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. Offensive Coordinator Steve Logan has spoken highly of TE Zach Davidson. Fellow TE Tre' McKitty is worth watching, too.
5. Dallas Renegades: The team lost some key receivers, though they return Tyler Vaughns and Deontay Burnett. Drake Stoops is likely to man the slot. There's a big hole to fill at tight end with Sal Cannella now in the NFL. Seth Green will get the first crack at replacing him.
6. St. Louis Battlehawks: In typical A.J. Smith fashion, just one tight end is rostered for St. Louis. The run-and-shoot offensive coordinator emphasizes size in his receivers and he has that with Hakeem Butler, Justin Smith and James Bostic. Expect Jahcour Pearson to be on the receiving end of a lot of screens and efforts to get him into space.
7. Houston Gamblers: Jontre Kirklin has excelled at this level before, but was inconsistent last year. Was that a product of a struggling San Antonio team, or something more? Justin Hall is a target monster and security blanket for whatever QB emerges as starter. Jalen Cropper could be the one who stands out as the most productive. The tight ends are raw and unproven.
8. Columbus Aviators: There's a pretty stark drop-off between seven and eight here. Based on social media posts of training camp, Keke Chism may be the one to break out as the star of this group. Columbus will have two spring football veterans at tight end in Gunnar Oakes and Alize Mack.
Offensive Line
1. Birmingham Stallions: Birmingham has been known to consistently possess one of the best offensive lines in spring football. This year should be no different. There are seven possible starters on the roster, many of whom have experience in spring football starting lineups over the years.
2. St. Louis Battlehawks: What had been an unusually consistent set of starters from 2023-2025 has been broken up, but the quality may not suffer greatly. It all starts with Mike Panasiuk as the lynchpin in the middle. There are new additions from recent NFL camps and practice squads that are likely to push for time.
3. Dallas Renegades: Luis Perez is not the fleetest afoot, which makes strong pass protectors a must. Getting Keaton Sutherland from Birmingham was a coup, and he'll pair with the returning Marcus Minor at guard. Raiqwon O'Neal, Josiah Ezirim and Alex Akinbulu are strong tackle candidates.
4. Columbus Aviators: A couple of former Michigan Panthers (Ryan Nelson, Cohl Cabral) team with a couple of former San Antonio Brahmas (Aaron Monteiro and Chuck Filiaga), among others. Bless Harris and Chris Glaser are new to the UFL but should compete for starting roles.
5. Houston Gamblers: Houston boosted its status here with the training camp acquisition of Gottlieb Ayedze from D.C. He'll help fortify one of the tackle spots. Jack Kramer is a returnee at center, one of the best in the league. There are some question marks elsewhere along the line.
6. D.C. Defenders: There are a few intriguing first-time spring footballers here like Jaelyn Duncan and Trey Wedig. D.C. returns a couple of starters from last year, but nowhere near the retention numbers they have at other positions.
7. Orlando Storm: It's a complete retool from last year for Orlando. They inherited San Antonio's roster, though they kept only Zuri Henry. They didn't carry over any Battlehawks from Becht's previous stop, either. The coaches will have some work to do to turn this into another year of the Knights of Columbo.
8. Louisville Kings: From the Memphis Showboats came the Louisville Kings, and strangely, they decided to keep several linemen from last year's 2-8 squad. We'll see how that translates with a different coaching staff and supporting cast.