United
With the opening weekend for baseball underway, the last stages of the March Madness tournament, and the playoffs set to begin for basketball and hockey, you just might have missed some big sports news. Football season is back. Don’t worry, you didn’t accidentally step into a tardis and fall into a wormhole somewhere in space in time. After all, you can’t without a sonic screwdriver. But if you did, don’t talk to the Ood. It will be a very forgettable conversation. And if you see a Weeping Angel statue, run!
Okay, now I’m going to talk about something that we can all understand. The new incarnations of the XFL and USFL have merged to create the UFL (United Football League) still under the ownership of Dwayne Johnson and his partners. The Arlington Renegades, Birmingham Stallions, D.C Defenders, Houston Roughnecks, Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers, San Antonio Brahmas, and St. Louis Battlehawks remain from the two leagues. There are some names you might recognize from the NFL and from some other spring leagues that have come and gone. Let’s take a look.
Dallas
Vic Beasley, former Clemson and NFL DE
Marquette King, former NFL punter
Luis Perez, former DII player who has been making the rounds as a QB. His first chance came with the Birmingham Iron with the now defunct Alliance of American Football.
Birmingham
Deion Cain, former Clemson WR
Taco Charlton, former Michigan DL and former first round pick by the Cowboys
Matt Corral, former Ole Miss QB who was drafted in the third round by the Carolina Panthers
Gary Jennings, former West Virginia WR
Adrian Martinez, former Nebraska and Kansas State QB
Amari Rodgers, former Clemson WR and Packers draft pick
Larry Roundtree III, former Missouri RB and Chargers draft pick
Jace Sternberger, former Texas A&M TE and Packers draft pick
Binjimen Victor, former Ohio State WR
Scooby Wright, two time USFL champion LB
Isiah Zuber, former Mississippi State WR turned corner
D.C.
Gareon Conley, former Ohio State corner and former Raiders first round pick
Keke Coutee, former NFL WR
Deondre Francios, former Florida State QB
Kaden Smith, former Stanford TE who is most known for his game winning catch with the Giants. Check it out here.
D.J. Swearinger, former NFL saftey
Jordan Ta’amu, spring football veteran QB
Houston
Reuben Foster, former Alabama LB and first round pick by the Niners
Jarrett Guarantano, former Tennessee and Washington State QB
Memphis
P.J. Hall, former second pick by the Raiders at DL
Alec Lindstrom, former Boston College OL
Michigan
Danny Etling, former LSU QB and seventh round draft pick by New England
E.J Perry, former Brown QB
San Antonio
K.D Cannon, former Baylor WR
Anthony Macfarland Jr, former Maryland RB and draft pick of the Steelers
Teez Tabor, former former Florida corner and second round pick by the Lions
Quincy Wilson, former Florida corner and former second round pick of the Colts
Brad Wing, former NFL punter
St. Louis
Hakeem Butler, former Iowa State WR and fourth round pick by the Cardinals
Wayne Gallman II, former Clemson RB and Giants fourth round draft pick best known for backing up Saquon Barkley and winning a championship at Clemson
A.J McCarron, former Alabama and NFL QB
If you forgot about some of these guys, you aren’t alone. I honestly did too. But it’s great to see them get another chance. The hope is that the UFL finally becomes a spring football league that sticks around to give players, coaches, and everyday people to do what they love. There are also some new rules, one of which is now coming to the NFL. A modified kickoff to promote returns and reduce injuries where there are no running starts and nobody is allowed to move until the ball is caught by the returner. Additionally, there are one, two, and three point conversions in place of extra points and an overtime format similar to college.
It’s also great to see football back in St. Louis, and that the city is supporting them. It became a great story that A.J McCarron played again for his kids to see him. St. Louis got robbed of the playoffs last year due to a technicality despite having a winning record. This year, they are poised for another great run with all the support in St. Louis. You love to see it. The city deserves this more than anyone can put into words.
We’re skipping the best fits series this year. But fear not my friends! I’ve got another article coming out soon.