UFL Training camp is set to commence later this month. Coaches for all 8 UFL teams will report to Arlington on Monday, February 24, with players reporting on the 27th. This is all in preparation for season 2 of the UFL, which kicks off on Friday, March 28.
A year ago, a prevailing theme within the USFL and XFL’s merger was that paring down 16 teams into 8 for the United Football League would elevate level of play. The predictable outcome was that it did. The Math was definitely mathing as the best of the best condensed from two leagues helped srengthen the on-field product.
However, like any sports league, there was the typical have and have not equation in a volatile off-season that saw plenty of shake up.
The strongest squad like Birmingham bolstered their established roster even further by adding all-stars from departed league teams. While teams like Memphis and Houston struggled to form new identities from their mixed and matched grouping of players and coaches.
Ultimately, the difference in winning and losing was team continuity in all respects. It’s precisely what should aid the UFL’s strongest heading into year two of the merger.
The byproduct of the league’s quality has predictably seen turnover from last year, with players, coaches, and executives moving on to jobs in the NFL, and NCAA.
However, with the exception of Memphis, now captained by Ken Whisenhunt, and some remodeling with the Roughnecks, the majority of UFL teams in 2025 have largely maintained the same makeup. Some have retained their core for multiple seasons.
Teams like the Birmingham Stallions and Arlington Renegades are headed for a fourth campaign in the Spring led by head coaches Skip Holtz and Bob Stoops. The two experienced leaders are returning with largely the same staff and systems of play they’ve had the last few years.
Familiarity can be a vital asset. As evidenced by XFL champion San Antonio last season. The Brahmas did a complete reversal from 2023 when Wade Phillips and his Roughnecks staff from the year prior took over. General Manager Marc Lillibridge, along with the coaches, helped make a seemless transfer, oboarding a collection of Houston players from the year prior during what was a unique and unorthodox transition.
Another team that benefitted from an added year working together was the Michigan Panthers. Well respected football veteran Steve Kazor at GM, and Mike Nolan at head coach have formed quite the tandem. Under their leadership, the Panthers made the jump from a 4 win team in 2023 to a 7-3 mark last season. A perfect example of how continuity can be king and how its’ chiefly important on the coaching and personnel side.
On the player side, there are some familiar faces, who have become spring league veterans. Renegades quarterback Luis Perez, and Defenders QB Jordan Ta’amu have carved out a pro career as starters with a proven track record.
The Spring King and XFL Champion, Perez, who led the UFL in pass yards a year ago, is going to be playing in the same offense for a third season in a row. Something that was rare for him, having played for six different teams since 2019.
Ta’amu has settled in as steady pro quarterback and has the found the perfect marriage, entering his third season in Fred Kaiss’s RPO based offense, which utlizes his mobility and quick decision making perfectly.
Alex McGough is back in Birmingham after an excusrion into the NFL with Green Bay. The USFL 2023 MVP should pick right where he left off with the Stallions back at the controls for Skip Holtz.
There are many other examples like this all across the UFL. It extends beyond individual players too. Many UFL teams are returning entire units in tact.
The United Football League stablizing on the field and off is why 2025 should be modern day Spring Pro Football’s best season yet.
