Five things to watch for in Week 1 of the 2025 UFL season

Eric Williams

NFL Reporter

Up to now, the Birmingham Stallions personal skilled spring soccer.

The reigning UFL champions — and two-time USFL champs — have misplaced simply 4 video games over the previous three years. Nonetheless, as head coach Skip Holtz prepares his workforce to defend yet one more title, one other workforce lurks within the shadows: the St. Louis Battlehawks.

“We’re constructing for a championship,” Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht mentioned. “We’re not rebuilding. That’s not what we’re doing. We’re making an attempt to be higher than we’ve been, and we’ve improved each single yr. That’s my expectation stage for the 2025 season.”

[MORE: What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League]

St. Louis hits the highway to face the Houston Roughnecks to start UFL Kickoff Weekend on Friday (8 p.m. ET on FOX). It is going to be the primary of many video games held on Fridays this yr, all of which can be broadcast on FOX.

“We’re excited to see what occurs in Houston on Friday evening as a result of they (the Roughnecks) are taking part in one of many groups that has the power to problem Birmingham,” Daryl Johnston, the chief vice chairman of soccer operations for the UFL, mentioned. “The St. Louis Battlehawks must be considered one of our higher groups, so Houston goes to get a extremely good really feel for the place they’re coming off that 1-9 season final yr.”

Motion continues Saturday with a tilt between the Arlington Renegades and the San Antonio Brahmas (4 p.m. ET on FOX). On Sunday, there is a doubleheader between the Michigan Panthers and the Memphis Showboats to begin the day (noon ET), adopted by the powerhouse Stallions — the current runaway favorite to win the 2025 title — touring to our nation’s capital to face the DC Defenders (3 p.m. ET).

That mentioned, listed here are 5 issues to look at for in Week 1:

1. Battlehawks mum on alternative for QB AJ McCarron

The Battlehawks — who had the most effective residence attendance within the league by far, averaging over 34,000 followers a contest — completed the 2024 common season 7-3 however misplaced by double digits within the semifinals at residence to the Brahmas.

In response, Becht and common supervisor Dave Boller improved St. Louis’ depth by including a handful of former NFL gamers, together with quarterback Max Duggan (Chargers), kicker Rodrigo Blankenship (Buccaneers), security Nate Meadors (Steelers) and receivers Frank Darby (49ers) and Denzel Mims (Jets). They be part of final yr’s UFL Offensive Participant of the Yr, Hakeem Butler, and the league’s main working again in Jacob Saylors.

Defensively, the Battlehawks convey again an All-UFL performer in linebacker Willie Harvey, together with fellow linebacker Mike Rose and edge rushers Pita Taumoepenu, Travis Feeney and Chris Garrett.

Becht has but to announce a beginning quarterback to switch McCarron. One of many high quarterbacks statistically within the UFL final season, McCarron was not introduced again. As a substitute, the Battlehawks held a two-man competitors between final yr’s backup Manny Wilkins and Duggan. Wilkins was most just lately listed because the starter on the workforce’s official depth chart. Becht additionally likes San Jose State product Chevan Cordeiro, the workforce’s third-string quarterback.

All three present a dual-threat choice for the Battlehawks, which is completely different from the pocket passer in McCarron. Becht added former dual-threat NFL quarterback Seneca Wallace as his coach to assist prepare the trio.

The Battlehawks misplaced offensive coordinator Bruce Gradkowski, who went to the NFL because the Detroit Lions‘ offensive assistant. Becht discovered his alternative in-house, selling receivers coach Phil McGeoghan to offensive coordinator.

2. QB Kellen Mond headlines former NFL gamers becoming a member of spring league

Most soccer followers seen spring soccer with a wholesome dose of skepticism, however with the UFL on strong footing in its second yr, an increasing number of gifted gamers are involved in becoming a member of the league.

“We’ve obtained guys coming to our league that, two years in the past, there was no method they’d be coming to us,” Johnston mentioned. “You needed to be half common supervisor, half salesman to get individuals to come back our method after we first began out. Our cellphone rings much more now than it did again then. … We’ve earned their religion in what we’re doing, and that’s good.”

To Johnston’s level, the UFL had a number of former NFL gamers be part of groups this offseason, together with Mond (Vikings) and Brahmas cornerback Grasping Williams (Browns), Roughnecks quarterback Anthony Brown (Ravens) and offensive lineman Zach Banner (Steelers) and Defenders cornerback Kelvin Joseph (Cowboys).

3. Two new head coaches get first style of UFL

Johnston needed to rapidly fill two head teaching vacancies this week when Memphis’ Ken Whisenhunt stepped away for private causes and the Defenders’ Reggie Barlow took the pinnacle teaching job at Tennessee State. Whisenhunt had taken over for John DeFilippo, who moved on after only one season in Memphis final yr.

Quarterbacks coach Shannon Harris was named the interim head coach for the Defenders. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will stay with the workforce — for now; he is rumored to be becoming a member of Barlow at Tennessee State. Nonetheless, Johnston mentioned the UFL requested Barlow for some grace — to assist them navigate the season earlier than asking for assistant coaches from his former teaching workers to maneuver on to Tennessee State.

Former offensive line coach Jim Turner takes over as head coach of the Showboats. Johnston mentioned Turner was a head teaching candidate for the New Orleans Breakers job within the USFL when Larry Fedora retired after his first and solely season as head coach of that workforce. Johnston additionally mentioned Turner put in Whisenhunt’s offense from the beginning of offseason work and could be very accustomed to it.

Jarren Horton stays the defensive coordinator for Memphis, and Turner has a few completely different choices for his offensive play caller, together with calling performs himself. Different candidates embody receivers coach T.J. Vernieri and offensive guru Noel Mazzone, who just lately joined the teaching workers in Memphis and served because the offensive coordinator for the Breakers when Turner was there.

On an analogous be aware, the Stallions are embarking on a season with out celebrated common supervisor Zach Potter. Birmingham misplaced the engineer of essentially the most gifted roster within the UFL when Potter took a job as GM of the Sacramento State college football program this offseason. Solely 24 years previous, Potter was among the best expertise evaluators within the league, persistently forward of the curve in recruiting and signing the most effective expertise.

Paul Roell, a longtime scout with the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars, will function Potter’s alternative.

“It’s an enormous deal,” Johnston mentioned. “He’s coming in with an excellent perspective. He talked so much to Zach Potter coming in. Skip [Holtz] has loved working with him, so he has performed a pleasant job.”

4. Improved offensive line play a precedence in 2025

The higher the offensive line, the extra factors an offense can put up as a result of improved go safety and run blocking.

Scoring was up barely within the inaugural UFL season final yr. Video games averaged 43.7 mixed factors throughout the common season, which was greater than each the legacy USFL (42.3 mixed factors) and XFL (42.9) final yr.

Johnston mentioned the UFL employed two veteran offensive line coaches in Marc Colombo and Tom Cable, which ought to assist construct on the advance in offensive line play from final season.

Cable joins Roughnecks head coach Curtis Johnson in Houston. The 2 each performed collectively at Idaho. Colombo will function the offensive line coach in St. Louis.

“We’ve obtained actually good offensive line coaches in our league already,” Johnston mentioned. “After which to have the ability to herald Mark and Tom is unbelievable. That’s an space the place we actually need to take that subsequent step.”

Bates turned his spectacular efficiency with the Panthers final season — punctuated by making three area objectives from past 60 yards — right into a beginning job within the NFL for the Lions.

In his first season with Detroit, Bates completed 26 of 29 with a protracted of 58 yards. He joins Brandon Aubrey as kickers who excelled in spring soccer and made a profitable transition to the NFL.

Now that Bates has moved on, who’s subsequent?

Lucas Havrisik (Renegades) and Blankenship (Battlehawks) have already frolicked within the NFL. Showboats kicker Matt Coghlin was essentially the most correct kicker within the league final season, making 94% of his area objectives. Robust-legged kicker and YouTube sensation Donald De La Haye returns to the Brahmas after struggling a 2024 season-ending neck damage.

In all, UFL kickers made 83% of their area objectives final season and completed 63.4% from 50-plus yards, making 5 kicks from past 60 yards.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for greater than a decade, protecting the Los Angeles Rams for Sports activities Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma Information Tribune. Observe him at @eric_d_williams.

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