This is part two of my profiles of notable players from the Houston UFL Showcase, focusing on the defensive side of the ball. Part one can be found here. These are names from a roster provided to me by a UFL source, though the league did not publicly release the list of participants. The UFL, as it has done for past Showcases, did select their own players to profile in a press release prior to the event.
As I did for the D.C. Showcase when the roster was made available, I wanted to pick a few players at each position to spotlight. I attempted to include at least one player from a Power 5 school, when applicable, and one from a smaller school, since finding those undiscovered gems is a big part of what these Showcases are all about.
Once again, I'm using Dane Brugler's rankings in his yearly "The Beast" draft guide in The Athletic, one of the most in-depth and respected lists out there, to give perspective on how these players were viewed by the draft community coming out of college.
*DT Ru'Quan Buckley, Michigan State: After nine games in three seasons at Nebraska, Buckley transferred within the Big Ten conference to Michigan State for his final two years. He fit immediately into the team's defensive line rotation, though he never started a game among the 23 he played in East Lansing. In those 23 games, he managed 23 tackles (four for loss) and two sacks. He also blocked a kick against Purdue in 2024. The 148th-ranked interior defensive lineman coming out in 2026 according to Brugler, Buckley was not signed nor invited to any rookie minicamps. The UFL Showcase is for players like him, those that want to continue their football careers, but who may not have enough tape to intrigue NFL decisionmakers.
*DT Josh Ellison, Memphis: Despite growing up in College Station, Texas, home of the Texas A&M Aggies, Ellison never suited up for the team. Rather, his journey began elsewhere in the state at Blinn College. From there, he went to Oklahoma, where he started six of the 37 games he played from 2020 to 2022. His final year of 2023 was played at Memphis. There, he started all 13 games. Ellison made 30 tackles, with four tackles for loss and a sack. Ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, Brugler positioned Ellison as the 136th defensive tackle in his rankings. Ellison has kept his skills sharp by playing for the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League since then.
*DT Dominique Ratcliff, Indiana: A member of the College Football National Champion Hoosier squad of 2025-2026, Ratcliff had a unique final season in that he didn't move into the starting lineup until the playoffs. He started all three games in the post-season, including the National Championship against Miami. It was his only season at Indiana; prior to 2025, he played a Louisiana-Lafayette for two years, followed by three years at Texas State. He excelled at stopping the run with the Bobcats. With Indiana, five of his 13 tackles came for a loss. Despite ranking as Brugler's 62nd defensive tackle, Ratcliff did not participate in NFL rookie minicamps in May. Ratcliff's Relative Athletic Score of 1.46 did him no favors.
*DE Josh Griffis, Tarleton State: Even in an era where transfers are the norm, Griffis has taken a particularly circuitous route to the pros. Griffis played at the famed IMG Academy in Florida in high school, landing at Florida State for college. He played there for two seasons and seven total games before moving on to Jackson State under Deon Sanders, where he won a conference championship. Next was Tarleton State in 2023 where he had his best year yet: 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. He leveled up to Oregon State in 2024 but didn't play because he was suspended from the team. Then it was back to Tarleton State for 2025. His 2025 was nearly as fruitful as 2023, registering nine tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
*DE Damarcus Hendricks, Arkansas State: One of the more decorated players to appear at the Houston Showcase, Hendricks played five seasons at Texas A&M-Kingsville and in 2024, led the team in tackles for loss (15) and sacks (7.5). His lone season at Arkansas State saw him make All-Sun Belt First Team on the strength of his 13.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, which paced the Red Wolves. At 238 pounds, he's almost strictly a stand-up edge rusher. His ability to get into the backfield and to finish plays (he made a lot of tackles in his career) could be appealing. Brugler had him as the 85th-ranked edge rusher in 2026.
*DE Noah Miles, Howard: It doesn't hurt to have players with championship pedigrees in a team's locker room, and that's what Miles brings. A two-time MEAC Champion, Miles also made the All-MEAC First Team twice, in 2024 and 2025. Across those two seasons, Miles accrued 72 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks. He added two blocked kicks as well. The 176th edge rusher in Brugler's draft preview, Miles worked out in front of NFL scouts at the HBCU Showcase in March, where he met with the Tennessee Titans, later working out for the Washington Commanders at their local pro day prior to the draft. That didn't lead to a contract after the draft, however.
*LB Andrew Awe, Rice: A walk-on success story at Rice, Awe clawed his way into the starting lineup in 2024 and excelled in 2025, when he led the team and ranked fifth in the conference with 106 tackles. Included in that total was 8.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks, good enough to make the American All-Conference Third Team. Awe lacked a little in the peripheral stats, batting down just three passes and forcing one fumble despite his extensive playing time (second on the team in snaps as a senior). Awe surprisingly did not make it into Brugler's draft guide; at his pro day, he put up an impressive 27 reps on the bench press but ran a slower 4.87 40 time.
*LB Shad Banks, UTSA: After four years and 42 games at TCU, Banks transferred to Texas-San Antonio for his final year of eligibility - his high school coach was on staff there. Initially a receiver in college, Banks transitioned to linebacker early on. At UTSA, he was a standout, earning First-Team All-AAC honors. His stats were impressive: 94 tackles, three interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and 7.5 tackles for loss. The 33rd-ranked linebacker in the class, Brugler wrote of Banks, "Banks is a stiff yet rangy defender with adequate diagnosis and tackling skills. His pro upside will depend on whether his coverage instincts continue to mature." Though undrafted, Banks signed with the Tennessee Titans and was cut in early August after suffering an injury in training camp.
*LB Isaiah Major, Florida A&M: Saving his best for last, Major was named the Celebration Bowl MVP in 2023 where he grabbed a game-sealing interception in Florida A&M's win over Howard. That season, he also won the conference Defensive Player of the Year award, thanks to 106 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and five passes defensed. He had a combined 26 tackles for loss in his final two seasons. Major played in the HBCU Legacy Bowl post-season all-star game. Despite being the 146th-ranked linebacker in the draft by Brugler, Major earned rookie minicamp tryouts with both the Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints in 2024.
*CB Shawn Collins, Emory & Henry University: Stationed in Emory, Virginia, Emory & Henry University is a D-II school nicknamed the "Wasps." That was all news to me. Collins is not news to Division II enthusiasts, who recognize him from numerous All-American and All-Conference teams. He finished his career with 13 interceptions (for 173 return yards) as well as 15 pass break-ups. After the 2025 season, Collins blazed a 4.47 40 and came in at number 93 in Brugler's pre-draft cornerback rankings. He worked out at rookie minicamp as a tryout player for the New York Giants.
*CB Joshua Eaton, Michigan State: Three years at Oklahoma were followed by two at Texas State and one at Michigan State for Eaton. He started most of his final three years, totaling 55 games of college experience. During that time, he made 75 tackles and had 15 passes defensed. With the Spartans, he made 19 tackles and defensed two passes. Somehow, in all of those games and starts, Eaton never intercepted a pass in college. He still managed to get an invite to the Hula Bowl post-season all-star game. The 84th corner ranked by Brugler ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, Eaton got some time on the west coast in trying out at the rookie minicamps of the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.
*CB Benjamin Wilson, CSU-Pueblo: Pro football is in Wilson's blood: His dad, Robert, was a 3rd round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1991 and his uncle played in the NFL as well. Benjamin appears to be a chip off the old block. After starring at Midwestern State, Wilson moved on to Colorado State-Pueblo for two seasons. In 2024, he led the conference in pass break-ups with 11. That season, he also set a school record with the longest blocked kick return, taking one back 75 yards for a touchdown. Wilson was timed at 4.49 during his pro day 40 and after being ranked the 66th corner in the class by Brugler, received a minicamp tryout invitation from the New York Jets in May.
*S Joshuah Bledsoe, Missouri: Briefly a San Antonio Brahma, Bledsoe signed with the team in November 2024 before eventually agreeing to a futures deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers in January. One of the few draft picks to attend these workouts, Bledsoe was a 2021 6th round pick by the New England Patriots. He has four games of regular season NFL experience and was most recently with the Washington Commanders in training camp this summer. At Missouri, Bledsoe started two seasons and picked off one pass. He amassed 90 tackles over his final two years as a Tiger.
*S Jaiden Francois, Duke: Listed as a linebacker on Duke's website, Francois' size (5'10", 189 pounds) is better suited for the back end. Francois quickly moved from Nebraska to UCF, then after three years there, went to Utah State for two seasons. His final stanza was at Duke in 2025, where he won the team's Newcomer of the Year Award. He started 12 of 14 games, with 74 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss. In his career, he played in 51 games, starting 25, notching 184 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and two interceptions. Francois was the 104th safety on Brugler's pre-draft list and tried out for the New York Jets at rookie minicamp in May.
*S Dion Kuinlan, Assumption: Kuinlan joined three others in school history to be named an AFCA Division II All-American in 2024. That season, Kuinlan rang up 97 tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, and five passes defensed. In four years, three as a starter, Kuinlan accumulated 211 tackles, 10 for loss, five interceptions and 16 passes defensed. Passed over by NFL teams, Kuinlan plied his trade in the NAL with the Salina Liberty. In his rookie season, he had 88 tackles, four interceptions and 12 pass break-ups.