2025 UFL Power Rankings: Battlehawks, Stallions rise; Defenders, Panthers fall
Week 9 of the 2025 UFL season featured some narrow wins, dominating performances and one shocking upset.
The St. Louis Battlehawks took sole possession atop the XFL Conference with a 39-13 win over the struggling San Antonio Brahmas , marking the team's league-leading fifth consecutive win.
The Birmingham Stallions snagged a 26-22 victory over the visiting Michigan Panthers on Saturday in what was a preview of the USFL Conference title game, while the Arlington Renegades got back on track with a 30-12 victory over the Memphis Showboats in a weather-delayed game.
In the final game of the weekend, the Houston Roughnecks stunned the DC Defenders in a last-minute thriller, 24-21 .
[MORE: What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League ]
That said, here's a look at my updated UFL Power Rankings following Week 9: 8. San Antonio Brahmas (1-8)
Current odds to win 2025 title: N/A
Jashaun Corbin continued to be the shining light in an otherwise dark season for the Brahmas, who were clobbered by the Battlehawks. He rushed for 85 yards on 14 rushes, which was just 19 yards short of what San Antonio was able to amass with Kellen Mond at quarterback. The former Texas A&M signal-caller finished 14-for-26 for 103 yards, while the San Antonio defense didn't do much to keep the offense in the game.
In total, the Brahmas' defense gave up more than 400 yards, including 169 yards on the ground. 7. Memphis Showboats (2-7)
Current odds to win 2025 title: N/A
In a mostly forgettable season for Memphis, the Showboat quarterbacks E.J. Perry and Dresser Winn played a mostly forgettable game against Arlington last week. Neither threw for more than 100 yards — 89 and 83, respectively — and neither got much help from a rushing attack that accumulated just 42 yards on 20 rushes.
Though the Renegades committed 11 penalties for 96 yards, the Showboats could do little to nothing to take advantage of those opportunities. 6. Houston Roughnecks (4-5)
Current odds to win 2025 title: N/A
Head coach Curtis Johnson has done a remarkable job keeping his team composed and engaged this season with many ups and downs, and a win against the best team in the UFL is certainly sweet. It'll serve as proof of what Houston can do in 2026, especially if it's able to return the duo of QB Jalan McClendon and WR Justin Hall.
McClendon completed 21 of 30 passes for 232 yards, including 10 for 126 yards to Hall, who is the Roughnecks' best offensive weapon. Houston can secure its first non-losing season with a win this weekend. 5. Arlington Renegades (4-5)
Current odds to win 2025 title: N/A
In a game about pride, the Renegades showed what they might've been capable of had one or two plays gone their way prior to Week 9 and earned them the chance to play in the postseason. As it stands, an 18-point shellacking of the Showboats will have to do.
QB Luis Perez completed 20 of 30 passes for 206 yards with two touchdowns, and wideout Tyler Vaughns enjoyed an outstanding day with eight catches for 107 yards and a score. The Arlington defense also recorded five sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception to help the Renegades earn a chance to finish this season without a losing record. 4. DC Defenders (6-3)
Current odds to win 2025 title: +470
Despite QBs Jordan Ta'amu and Mike DiLiello combining to complete 31 of 51 passes for 371 yards, the Defenders fell to the Roughnecks in the only upset of the weekend. Two fumbles contributed to their woes, but it seemed Houston found itself playing for its pride at a moment when DC knew it was already playing postseason football.
However, no team should feel good about accepting a loss to an opponent it knows it should beat. That will be the message interim head coach Shannon Harris delivers his team with postseason football just over a week away. 3. Michigan Panthers (6-3)
Current odds to win 2025 title: +185
Without Bryce Perkins, former LSU quarterback Danny Etling earned another chance to start. He ended the game completing 22 of 39 pass attempts for 239 yards with two touchdowns. And while the Panthers' rushers pushed the ground game tally to over 100 yards, their defense couldn't get off the field.
Of 13 third-down attempts by the Stallions, the Panthers allowed 11 conversions and did not record a single takeaway. 2. Birmingham Stallions (6-3)
Current odds to win 2025 title: +280
In a game that served to decide which team would have home-field advantage in the USFL Conference Championship Game, the Stallions found a way to defeat what had been a red-hot Panthers team.
J'Mar Smith's play has given head coach Skip Holtz a solid starter at quarterback, a position that has seen more rotations than a 50-yard spiral. Smith went 22-for-31 for 307 yards with two touchdowns against a stingy defense. Not only did Smith spread the ball around to 10 different receivers, but he also made sure the offense converted 11 of 13 third downs in the biggest game of the regular season. 1. St. Louis Battlehawks (7-2)
Current odds to win 2025 title: +195
The Battlehawks had the luxury of knowing they play for the XFL Conference title in two weeks, and there were signs that they're still getting better this late in the season. While Max Duggan and Brandon Silvers each saw significant time behind center, the offense never showed it was out of sync, with the duo combining to complete 19 of 27 passes for 233 yards and the offense averaging better than six yards per play.
The result was the kind of performance that head coach Anthony Becht knew his club was capable of all season, as St. Louis tries to win its first XFL Conference title with the best home-field advantage in spring pro football.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young .
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Fox Sports
11 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Birmingham Stallions' Skip Holtz, J'Mar Smith reunite with chance to make history
For the fourth time in four years, the Birmingham Stallions ended up right where they expected to be when the 2025 UFL regular season came to a close: in the postseason, hosting the USFL Conference Championship Game at Protective Stadium. But the route they took to get back to within two wins of claiming a fourth consecutive professional spring football league title was circuitous. The Stallions entered their first season without former general manager and wunderkind Zach Potter and with some new faces making their way to Birmingham out of sheer necessity. The Stallions, who have never looked like an unbeatable team even when they have been virtually unbeatable, have made finding ways to win their hallmark. This season stands as the best example of that, especially at quarterback. What began with a former league MVP and championship-caliber QB in Alex McGough quickly became a near-season-long exercise in triage by coach Skip Holtz, who also acts as quarterbacks coach and playcaller. In 10 weeks, he's been forced to play five different quarterbacks and start four. Not one Birmingham QB has started more than three games, and only one has not been forced to miss playing time due to injury. And yet the Stallions enter the postseason sitting at 7-3 with an offense and defense that is playing so well that they beat the Memphis Showboats 46-9 in their regular-season finale. With so many changes in place, from injuries to new individuals running his offense, how has Holtz managed to come through this season with not only a winner, but a team that looks capable of taking the 2025 UFL crown? "I don't know," Holtz said with a brief chuckle as he attempted to put a season unlike any other he's coached into context. In 10 regular-season games, the Stallions have suffered injuries on the offensive line, defensive line and both cornerback positions. Still, the circumstances surrounding the team's quarterback room were unique. Just two of the five QBs on Birmingham's roster this season, McGough and Matt Corral, were present for the first five days of installation at training camp. Veteran Case Cookus joined the team a week late and was thrust into duty after McGough and Corral went down with injuries. Holtz even brought in former Wyoming QB Andrew Peasley to play meaningful snaps. That is when it became clear that Holtz wanted J'Mar Smith to return to the team. Holtz not only needed a player he could trust, but someone he was familiar with. When Corral went down, Holtz knew he needed to get a QB in his room who knew his offense, his scheme, and could give them a chance to finish the season with an offensive identity. "I tried to call J'Mar, but he was getting a new phone or something, and didn't call me back," Holtz said. "And so I went and moved on Peasley, not thinking that he would be interested." Eventually, Smith got in touch with Holtz and let him know that he was indeed interested, but the timing didn't work, as an offer had already extended to Peasley. Corral suffered a shoulder injury and was placed on injured reserve by the Stallions, and that's when Smith got the call. Holtz found a roster spot and succeeded in getting Smith on the sideline in time for Birmingham's game against conference rival Houston in Week 7. Down 25-6 at halftime, the Stallions looked like they were on their way to another loss, which would put them squarely on the bubble to make the postseason with just three games left in the regular season. And then Cookus, who started that game, reaggravated a knee injury. Holtz put his former Louisiana Tech star quarterback in, and the Stallions finished with the biggest comeback win in UFL history, scoring 27 unanswered points in a memorable 33-25 win. In that game, Smith looked like the player he was at Louisiana Tech, where he averaged better than 3,000 passing yards per season as a three-year starter. The former Bulldog standout, who has thrown for more than 10,000 yards with Holtz as his playcaller, showed off his elite playmaking ability, completing 3-of-5 passes for 63 yards and adding a rushing score in the victory. It was then, in that Week 7 comeback win over the Roughnecks, that Holtz found his quarterback. Since then, the Stallions have gone 3-1 when Smith is under center, including going 22-of-31 for 306 yards and two touchdowns against conference-title foe Michigan in Week 9. "I still had my questions after the St. Louis game [Week 8]," Holtz said. "But it was after the game against Michigan that I said, 'There you go now.' That's when the thing went off where you went, 'All right, that's our guy.'" Smith has relished the opportunity to lead the Stallions into the postseason as QB1. Though he started the first-ever USFL game for Holtz, he has never had the chance to be "The Guy" in the postseason, and now, Smith's son will get to see his father play for a championship too. "I'm literally thinking about it, getting chills," Smith said of playing in front of his one-year-old son. "It's just one of the big things that was very special to me about having this opportunity to play again." It's a gorgeous moment for Holtz and Smith, who have known each other for 11 years — half of Smith's life — across college and professional football. "A lot of people can't say that they've been with their coach this long, especially playing football," Smith said. "In my situation, me being a quarterback and him being an offensive playcaller and coach, it is a great connection, a great feeling. "You understand what he wants. You know the offense: front, back, side-to-side." Both Holtz and Smith admitted that their connection has been a true strength over the last four weeks, and that is quite possibly the reason the Stallions could win the UFL title. In a league where change is a part of the game and being comfortable with the unfamiliar is the best trait you can possess, Holtz and Smith have the one attribute every coach and player in the UFL craves: chemistry built on experience, earned trust and an insatiable desire to be better tomorrow than each was today. RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast "The Number One College Football Show." Follow him at @RJ_Young . [Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily .] FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience recommended Get more from United Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Fox Sports
13 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Five things to watch for in UFL conference championship weekend
Unable to land a roster spot for a full season last year, Rodrigo Blankenship decided to pursue a blueprint to get back his NFL dream job that former UFL kickers Brandon Aubrey and Jake Bates successfully took advantage of in spring football. "There's definitely been a precedence established where if you can kick at a really high level in a spring league, it can definitely provide opportunities for you," Blankenship told FOX Sports. "Jake Bates last year had some really big kicks. Branden Aubrey, when he was with the Stallions, was just automatic for them for a couple [of] years, and then he got his opportunity and is crushing it as well. "That definitely gave me a lot of hope and a lot of inspiration to see that if you can execute and do your job, then hopefully the opportunities are going to be there for you when it's all said and done." Blankenship signed with the St. Louis Battlehawks in January after attending a UFL showcase in San Diego hosted by former NFL kicker John Karney the month prior. His plan has so far worked to perfection. The Georgia product went 21-for-22 on field goals during the regular season with a long of 56 yards. The only kicker close to achieving those results in the UFL was the Birmingham Stallions' Harrison Mevis, who made 20 of 21 field goals with a long of 54 yards. The lone miss for Mevis was from 63 yards, while Blankenship had a 58-yard field goal bounce short off the crossbar. Blankenship won the Lou Groza Award as the best kicker in college football in his final season at Georgia in 2019. He entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie with the Indianapolis Colts, eventually earning the starting job. However, Blankenship suffered a hip injury during his second season that landed him on IR. He was waived after the season opener of his third season with the Colts, missing a 42-yarder that would have won the game in overtime. Blankenship appeared in a game with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022 and lost a kicking competition to Chase McLoughlin with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during training camp 2023. He finished 47-for-56 (83.9%) on field goals with a long of 53 yards during his three seasons in the NFL. Blankenship is fully healthy after having surgery to fix his hip injury in January 2023. He and his wife relocated to Birmingham, Alabama, where his longtime kicking coach, Mike McCabe, resides. The year away offered a time to work on his craft and reflect on his career. Blankenship posted weekly updates of his workouts last year on social media. "It was different," he said. "It was a little frustrating, to not get a phone call throughout the entire season, but it was a time for me to have to grow mentally and emotionally — to have to persevere and have to stay the course. Just to trust that whatever plans are in store for me are unfolding the way they are supposed to." Blankenship has been one of the main reasons the Battlehawks are a league-best 8-2 heading into the postseason. St. Louis hosts the DC Defenders (6-4) in the XFL Conference title game on Sunday (6 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX Sports app), followed by the defending champion Stallions (7-3) will host the Michigan Panthers (6-4) in the USFL Conference title game (3 p.m. ET). Here's a closer look at what else to watch for during conference championship weekend. XFL Conference title game: Battlehawks vs. Defenders The two teams split during the regular season, as the Defenders defeated the Battlehawks by double digits, 27-15, in St. Louis in Week 3 when Manny Wilkins was still the starting quarterback. However, the Battlehawks took care of the Defenders in the final game of the regular season, 13-8, with both teams resting key players for the playoffs. St. Louis head coach Anthony Becht is 15-6 (including the postseason) in two years in the UFL and finished with a 7-3 record during his one season in the legacy XFL. Defenders interim head coach Shannon Harris is 6-4 in his one season at the helm. The Defenders hold a 4-3 all-time record against the Battlehawks. Key matchup: Battlehawks defense vs. Defenders QB Jordan Ta'amu A strength for St. Louis this season has been the team's potent pass rush, led by UFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate Pita Taumoepenu (7.5 sacks). The Battlehawks have held teams to a league-low 16.3 points per game and finished tied for a league-high nine interceptions on the year. However, St. Louis faces the best playmaking quarterback in the UFL this season with league MVP frontrunner Ta'amu. The Ole Miss product finished first in the league in passing touchdowns (17) and second in the UFL in passing yards (2,153). Keeping Ta'amu from creating explosive plays will be a top priority for St. Louis' defense. Key stats: Battlehawks running back Jacob Saylors finished second in the UFL in rushing yards with 499, leading a St. Louis offense that topped the league in rushing, averaging 144 rushing yards a contest. St. Louis receiver Jahcour Pearson led the league in punt return yards with 294. St. Louis QB Max Duggan leads all signal-callers with 300 rushing yards and totaled five rushing touchdowns during the regular season. Defenders receiver Chris Rowland led the UFL in all-purpose yards (1,100) during the regular season. Rowland's teammate Cornell Powell topped the league in receiving touchdowns with seven. Derick Roberson and Andre Mintze finished with a team-high 5.5 sacks each, while All-UFL linebacker Anthony Hines III led the Defenders with 53 combined tackles. UFL Conference title game: Stallions vs. Panthers The Stallions are seeking their fourth consecutive spring football championship, having won back-to-back USFL titles and the first UFL championship last season. "With the 2025 team, I'm only trying to win one championship with this team," Birmingham head coach Skip Holtz said. The Stallions are 39-7 under Holtz. On the other side, Michigan head coach Mike Nolan has led the Panthers to the playoffs for a second straight year, posting a 17-15 record overall in two seasons. This is the eighth meeting between the two teams, and Birmingham owns a 7-0 all-time record. The Panthers enter this weekend's contest on a two-game losing streak. However, All-UFL QB Bryce Perkins had missed the last three games with an ankle injury but is expected to play Sunday. The Stallions swept the season series this year and defeated the Panthers in the USFL Championship Game last season, 31-18. Key matchup: Stallions defensive line vs. Panthers rushing offense Michigan's best chance at stunning the Stallions is controlling the line of scrimmage by establishing the running game, playing keep away from a Birmingham offense that has averaged 33 points a contest over the past four games. The Panthers are second in the UFL in rushing, averaging 128 rushing yards a contest. Michigan has the best short yardage running back in the league in Toa Taua, who led the league with six rushing touchdowns. And the return of Perkins gives the Panthers a dynamic, dual-threat quarterback who can make plays with his feet and his arm in space. Key stats: Panthers receiver Siaosi Mariner led the UFL in receiving yards with 528. All-UFL cornerback Kedrick Whitehead Jr. led Michigan with 66 combined tackles. The Panthers committed 12 turnovers with seven lost fumbles and five interceptions during the regular season. The Stallions have forced 16 turnovers this season, tied for third in the UFL. Birmingham sack leader Bradlee Anae (4.0 sacks) is expected to return to the lineup after missing two games due to a hamstring injury. Linebacker Kyahva Tezino led the Stallions with 57 tackles, including five tackles for loss. Tezino also finished with one sack, one pass breakup and one forced fumble. QB J'Mar Smith helped lead the Stallions to a USFL title in 2022 and has been the savior of Birmingham's offense since his midseason return, going 52-for-80 for 758 yards with six touchdowns and one interception in four games played. Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him at @eric_d_williams . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily ! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience United Football League recommended Get more from United Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
USA Today
20 hours ago
- USA Today
Ex-Auburn tight end Sal Cannella earns postseason nod from UFL
Ex-Auburn tight end Sal Cannella earns postseason nod from UFL Cannella had a great season in Arlington, which led him to receive an all-league honor. Earlier this week the United Football League announced their All-UFL Team that featured a former Auburn Tiger. Arlington Renegades tight end Sal Cannella was named to the team after the productive season. The team was selected by executives, coaches, and broadcasters. It is the second time he has been awarded an honor like this one. In 2022, he was named to the All-USFL Team when he played for the New Orleans Breakers. Cannella finished sixth in the UFL with 474 yards and one touchdown. He was also second in the league with 44 receptions. The Renegades ended their season on Sunday with a 23-6 win over the San Antonio Brahmas. They ended the season with a 5-5 record and missed the playoffs. Canella had five receptions for 86 yards in the finale. Cannella played for the Auburn Tigers from 2017 to 2019 after transferring from Scottsdale Community College. During his time at Auburn, he caught 25 passes for 330 yards and five touchdowns. He was impressive when he had the ball. His head coach was Gus Malzahn, who was not known to feature tight ends often in the passing game. He scored a touchdown for Auburn in the 2019 Iron Bowl. That was a game the Tigers won 48-45. After leaving the Tigers, Cannella bounced around leagues and teams. He has spent time on the practice squads or off-season rosters for the Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has played for Arlington since the 2023 XFL season before the merger with the USFL. The Renegades won the XFL Championship in 2023. He led the UFL in receiving touchdowns in 2024 with six.
