The UFL's parade of Showcases made a stop at Celebration High School in Kissimmee, Florida, just outside Orlando, on Sunday, November 8. Nearly 200 players participated in the offensive and defensive sessions, under the watchful eye of UFL head coaches Ricky Proehl (St. Louis Battlehawks) and Shannon Harris (D.C. Defenders), as well as UFL scouts Rick Mueller and Patrick Austin. There was also an IFL presence with Tulsa Oilers head coach Marvin Jones and Savannah Leprechauns assistant general manager Anthony Tanza. Observing on behalf of the Orlando Storm were the team's Minority Coaching Fellows, Carl White and Marlando Stiles, who coach at nearby high schools.
From the full roster of about 200 players, I whittled that down to a couple dozen on offense (this article) and defense (in the coming days) that I wanted to profile, players that are notable names or that have interesting stories. The UFL also sent out a press release spotlighting select players, and I try not to double-dip from that list.
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.
*QB Zach Calzada, Kentucky: It was a rocky final year for Calzada, one he spent with Kentucky after three at Texas A&M, one at Auburn and two at Incarnate Word. Calzada started the first two games before suffering a shoulder injury, which led to him being replaced in the starting lineup. He played in just one more game on the season, completing 48% of his passes in total for no touchdowns and two interceptions. To add insult to injury, a controversial video surfaced of him wielding a large amount of cash and bragging about his NIL deal. Calzada retired at the end of December but returned in the spring to take part in Kentucky's pro day. Ranked as the 38th QB in the class by Brugler, Calzada spent a few weeks with the Ottawa Redblacks of the CFL this spring, played for the San Antonio Gunslingers in the IFL, then signed on with the Frankfurt Galaxy in Europe with the EFA.
*QB Joe Labas, Central Michigan: Thrown into the fire as a redshirt freshman, Labas's first college start while playing for Iowa was in their bowl game in 2022, a win over Kentucky. Labas spent another year as a backup with the Hawkeyes before transferring to CMU. He earned the starting nod in 2024, leading the team in its first six games before suffering an arm injury that caused him to miss the rest of the season. Following a brief flirtation with the transfer portal, Labas returned to the Chippewas for his last year in 2025. That season, he set a school single-season record for passing efficiency and completion percentage (70.7%). Among other numbers, Labas looked to improve on his 40-time at the UFL Showcase (5.07 at his pro day). He was Brugler's 80th-ranked QB in the 2026 draft class.
*QB Trevor Vasey, Worcester State: One of the elder statesmen of this tryout, Vasey has spent the last six years playing pro football - in Sweden. And he hasn't just been playing quarterback: He's also been a punter and in 2025, was primarily a wide receiver (averaging over 17 yards per catch on 27 receptions!). Vasey made a striking debut in 2021, earning the league's Import of the Year award as well as leading the league in passing yardage at over 300 yards per game. Of the quarterbacks throwing on Sunday, Vasey stood out with one of the most live arms of the group.
*RB Rontavious Farmer, St. Thomas: In starting 28 of 38 games played for St. Thomas, Farmer ran the ball 790 times for 4,747 yards (6.0 yards per carry) and 56 touchdowns. That's over 20 carries per game. His final three seasons saw Farmer rack up over 1,500 yards in each. In his senior season of 2024, Farmer put 243 rushing yards up in a game against Warner University. After that year, the NAIA All-American honor floodgates opened, with the AFCA, Associated Press, and others placing Farmer in that rarified air. He even achieved the all-time rushing yardage record among members of Florida college football teams. Farmer ranked as Brugler's 106th running back coming out in 2025, earning him a rookie minicamp invite with the New York Giants in May of that year.
*RB Justin Jones, Auburn: Special teams was Jones's calling card at Auburn. In four years on offense, he had just 16 carries for 110 yards (6.9 yards per carry) and two receptions. But he was an important special teams contributor. He was offensive scout team player of the year in 2022 for the Tigers after transferring over from UAB. The 2024 season saw him nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy, given annually to the most outstanding player in FBS who began his career as a walk-on. Jones beat the odds again as a pro, turning a minicamp tryout with the Seattle Seahawks into two separate stints on the team in training camp. Showing that special teams ability that shined at Auburn, he made a stop on the kick coverage unit against KaVontae Turpin of Dallas in the pre-season. Jones came in at number 78 in Brugler's rankings of 2026 draft-eligible backs.
*RB Desmond Reid, Pittsburgh: The smallest back in the 2026 NFL Draft class at just a hair over 5'6", Reid arrived at Pitt via Western Carolina for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. At WCU, he averaged nearly seven yards per rush on 250 carries. He made the Freshman All-American team there in 2022 and was Second Team All-American in 2023. His ground dominance continued at Pitt where he was inserted into the starting lineup immediately. Though he was an able pass-catcher at Western Carolina, Reid more than doubled his career reception total with the Panthers in 2024, catching 52 passes for 579 yards. As Brugler's 25th-ranked back in the class, he was brought in to Buffalo Bills training camp, though he got hurt and was released. As recently as August, Reid was reportedly exploring a return to college football via the legal process.
*FB/LS Mason Arnold, FSU: Listed on the Showcase roster as a fullback, Arnold's primary position in college was long snapper. He snapped in six games for Ohio State in 2022 before moving on to the Seminoles. He was the starting snapper on punts and kicks for two seasons, including for All-American punter Alex Mastromanno and future Carolina Panthers draft pick, kicker Ryan Fitzgerald. Arnold was voted FSU's Special Teams MVP following the 2024 season. Brugler had Arnold ranked as the 27th long snapper, and he had a minicamp tryout with the Bills. At the Showcase, Arnold did some snapping in addition to other position work.
*TE J.T. Byrne, Georgia Tech: Byrne's pass-catching stats are not eye-popping (six receptions for 42 yards in his final season at GT), but that doesn't mean he can't catch the ball. Rather, he was utilized mostly as an in-line blocking tight end in college. In fact, his blocking played a part in the Yellowjackets ranking as a top 25 rushing unit nationally in 2025. Byrne also has experience on special teams and lining up as a fullback. After this past season, he earned an invitation to the Hula Bowl, which was followed by stops at rookie minicamp with the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles. Brugler had him as the 63rd-ranked tight end in the draft class.
*TE Johnny Pascuzzi, Tulane: Mostly a blocker for the University of Iowa, Pascuzzi transferred to Tulane for his final season. There, he managed 12 receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown as he was a more active part of the passing game. A three-time Academic All- Conference selection, Pascuzzi was the number 56 TE in the draft class according to Brugler. After trying out at rookie minicamp with both the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers, Pascuzzi signed on with L.A. for training camp. During pre-season action, Pascuzzi caught four passes for 46 yards.
*TE Colin Weber, Rutgers: An ironman who played in all of his final 40 college games, Weber was a part-time starter, first at Charlotte then at Rutgers. His 6'3", 264-pound frame was mostly used for blocking, though he did collect 73 receptions in his five seasons. Statistically, his junior season at Charlotte was his best, where he corralled 34 receptions to lead the team, along with 362 receiving yards. He was chosen as the team's Offensive MVP that season. Just one year was spent at Rutgers, where Weber started three games and hauled in 17 catches for 102 yards. He made Brugler's draft list at number 106 and tried out for the Tennessee Titans at rookie minicamp.
*WR Ahmarean Brown, South Carolina: Brown is a former spring football draft pick, chosen by the Birmingham Stallions in the 8th round of the 2024 UFL College Draft. At the time, Brown was in training camp with the Cleveland Browns. He spent some time that year on the practice squad of the Buffalo Bills before being released in October. Brown scorched a 4.37 40 at his pro day, though his college production didn't match his speed. He never caught more than 26 passes and a season, and his career-highs for yardage and touchdowns came as a freshman at Georgia Tech. Still, it was enough for Brugler to place him 44th among receivers, writing of Brown, "Overall, Brown is undersized and doesn't have draftable tape, but his speed traits could shine once he gets into an NFL camp."
*WR Michael Jackson III, Purdue: Presumably no relation to the King of Pop, this Michael Jackson spent time at USC and Georgia before ending up a Boilermaker. It was his first opportunity to start for a full season, and he made the most of it: 63 receptions, 570 yards and a touchdown. His receptions led the team, though he averaged well under 10 yards per reception. Jackson added punt and kick return duties to his resume throughout his career. Down the list as receiver #124 as ranked by Brugler, Jackson tried out at New York Giants rookie minicamp in May.
*WR Wayne Ruby, Mount Union: Following in the footsteps of fellow Mount Union WR and former Jacksonville Jaguar draft pick WR Cecil Shorts III, Ruby signed with the Jaguars after the 2024 NFL Draft but was released in mid-July. Before that, Ruby lit up the Division III level. He was an All-Conference First Team pick not once, not twice, but four times in his career. He was also twice voted to the Division III All-American First Team. Ruby put up back-to-back 105-reception seasons in 2021 and 2022, with three total 1,000-yard-plus seasons as well. He scored on 74 receptions and had 30 receiving TDs in 2022 alone. He left school in 2023 as the school's career leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
*OT Brandon Baldwin, Michigan State: A product of Independence Community College, one of the top community college football programs in the country, Baldwin moved up to the D-I level in 2021 with the Spartans. The next season, 2022, is when he really started seeing meaningful game action, starting five of nine games at left tackle. Baldwin was a full-time starter at left tackle in 2023, then in 2024, added guard to his duties, starting nine on the right side. Brugler graded Baldwin was an offensive tackle, the 71st in the class.
*OT Derrick Graham, Tulane: A starter at two different schools, Graham was in the lineup for nine games at right tackle as a true freshman for Troy in 2020. He redshirted in 2021 and was then used as an extra lineman in 2022. He returned to the starting lineup in 2023. Graham transferred to Texas A&M but before he could play a down, he went back into the transfer portal, landing at Tulane for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. There, he started at left tackle for two years. In 2025, he was a Third Team All-Conference selection. Brugler's 76th offensive tackle in 2026, Graham spent training camp with the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks.
*G Chasen Hines, LSU: Playing for a prestige program like LSU helped get Hines drafted, by the New England Patriots in the 6th round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He was part of the 2019 National Championship squad and was a two-year starter on the interior, playing both left and right guard while also working as a backup center. Hines had some injury issues, never playing a full season in college. Still, Hines was the 15th guard ranked by Brugler, who wrote of Hines, "Overall, Hines has sloppy tendencies and must maintain his conditioning for peak performance, but his explosive movements and length are traits worth drafting and developing. He projects best in a power scheme in the NFL due to his frame and pulling skills." Hines lasted a year as a Patriot, then spent parts of two seasons on the practice squad of the Miami Dolphins. He was added to the Birmingham Stallions roster in October 2025 but never made it to camp.
*G Matthew Bedford, Oregon: Once thought to be a potential high NFL draft pick, Bedford now hopes to be a draft pick of another kind in the UFL. He began his career at Indiana where he started eight games at left tackle as a true freshman in 2019. Over the next two seasons, he started games at right tackle, right guard and left guard. His 2022 season was cut short after one game due to a knee injury, but he was back in the lineup in 2023 starting at right guard. After moving on to Oregon in 2024, he had another lost season with one game played because of a knee injury. His final season was spent as a reserve in seven games. Ranked 76th as a guard by Brugler, Bedford had a minicamp tryout with the New Orleans Saints. If his medicals check out, some team may get a steal with Bedford.