We’re less than a week away from the second season of the United Football League. Starting with the March 28 matchup between the St. Louis Battlehawks and Houston Roughnecks, eight teams will play a 10-game season that culminates in a championship game on June 14 on ABC and ESPN+.
Before we get to that, here’s a handy cheat sheet on the UFL basics, complete with logos, stadiums, coaches and key players.
Arlington Renegades
Stadium: Choctaw StadiumCoach: Bob StoopsKey players: QB Luis Perez, TE Sal Cannella, WR Tyler Vaughns
The Renegades once again are led by Stoops, who won 191 games and the 2000 BCS national championship in 18 seasons at the University of Oklahoma.
Perez is a spring football icon, as he quarterbacked Arlington to the last title in the XFL. He also has his top targets returning in Cannella (53 receptions, 496 yards, 6 TDs) and Vaughns (45 receptions, 502 yards, 3 TDs).
Birmingham Stallions
Stadium: Protective StadiumCoach: Skip HoltzKey players: QB Matt Corral, QB Alex McGough, WR Deon Cain, TE Jace Sternberger, NT Carlos Davis, S A.J. Thomas
Holtz, the son of College Football Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz, has excelled in spring football, leading the Stallions to a 32-4 record (including playoffs) and three consecutive titles (USFL in 2022-23 and the UFL last year). Prior to Birmingham, Holtz won 152 games over 22 seasons of college football.
Corral, the former Ole Miss signal-caller, will battle McGough, the 2023 USFL MVP, to start after 2024 UFL MVP Adrian Martinez signed with the New York Jets. Whoever wins will have returnees Cain and Sternberger as top targets.
The defense is led by All-UFL selections Davis and Thomas.
DC Defenders
Stadium: Audi FieldCoach: Shannon Harris (interim)Key players: QB Jordan Ta’amu, CB DeAndre Baker, WR/RET Chris Rowland
Harris replaces Reggie Barlow, who was 13-7 in two seasons in DC. He departed to take the head coaching job at Tennnessee State University. Harris has been the Defenders’ quarterbacks coach since 2023. He spent several seasons as an offensive assistant at the collegiate level prior to joining Barlow’s staff.
Ta’amu is back after starting all 10 games and ranking second in the UFL in passing yards. Rowland, an All-UFL choice as a returner, added 20 receptions for 262 yards and three touchdowns. Baker, a 2019 NFL first-round pick, also was All-UFL.
Houston Roughnecks
Stadium: University of Houston TDECU StadiumCoach: Curtis JohnsonKey players: QB Nolan Henderson, RB Kirk Merritt, MLB Christopher Allen
Johnson, a longtime NFL and college assistant, returns despite a 1-9 mark in his first season with the Roughnecks.
Henderson returns after appearing in five games last season. Merritt was hurt in the Roughnecks’ second game, but there is hope he can put some life into the running game. Allen joined Houston midseason and showed promise.
Memphis Showboats
Stadium: Simmons Bank Liberty StadiumCoach: Jim Turner (interim)Key players: QB Jason Bean, WR Daewood Davis, WR Joseph Scates, DE Jaylon Allen
Ken Whisenhunt had been scheduled to be the Showboats’ head coach, but took an indefinite leave of absence on March 24. Turner, Memphis’ offensive line coach, will fill in. He has a load of NFL and collegiate experience as an assistant, but he has never been a head coach or coordinator.
Bean, a former Kansas quarterback, was the top pick of the UFL draft. Davis was an All-UFL pick after posting 41 receptions for 446 yards and five TDs. Scates and Allen are former University of Memphis standouts.
Michigan Panthers
Stadium: Ford FieldCoach: Mike NolanKey players: QB Danny Etling, WR Marcus Simms, S Kai Nacua
Nolan brings more than four decades of coaching experience, the most recent being a 7-3 record with the Panthers last year. Nolan spent three-plus seasons as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and served as a defensive coordinator for eight NFL teams.
Etling appeared in seven games and passed for 786 yards and three TDs. Simms was All-UFL after posting 23 receptions for 426 yards and three TDs. Nacua, another All-UFL pick, anchors the defense after tying for the league lead in interceptions (three) and pass breakups (eight) and leading the team in total tackles (47).
San Antonio Brahmas
Stadium: The AlamodomeCoach: Wade PhillipsKey players: QB Kellen Mond, WR Jontre Kirklin, LB Tavante Beckett
Phillips moved to the Brahmas after a successful stint with the Roughnecks in the XFL in 2023 and promptly led them to the UFL title game. The 77-year-old was an NFL fixture for nearly 50 years as a defensive coordinator and head coach, compiling a 90-73 record (including playoffs) in nine-plus seasons as a head coach.
Mond, who played at Texas A&M and is a San Antonio native, could emerge as the starter after signing with the UFL in October. He has one of the league’s best receivers in Kirklin, who had 56 receptions for 615 yards and 3 TDs last season. Beckett, an All-UFL selection, led the defense in tackles (67) and tackles for loss (nine).
St. Louis Battlehawks
Stadium: The Dome at America’s CenterCoach: Anthony BechtKey players: RB Jacob Saylors, WR Hakeem Butler, LB Willie Harvey Jr.
Becht returns for his third season coaching the Battlehawks after leading St. Louis to a 7-3 record last year. He spent 11 seasons as a tight end in the NFL with five teams after being selected by the Jets in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft.
Saylors led all UFL running backs in rushing with 460 yards last season. Butler led the UFL in receiving yards with 652. Each was named to the All-UFL team, as were offensive linemen Jaryd Jones-Smith and Mike Panasiuk. All four return for the Battlehawks, which should help as the team searches for a new quarterback.
