2025 UFL MVP Power Rankings: Bryce Perkins, Jordan Ta'amu remain on top
Bryce Perkins or Jordan Ta'amu ?
The two UFL QBs have established themselves as the clear front-runners for the league's MVP honors following six weeks of action.
Perkins, the former Virginia standout who is in his second year in the UFL, has been lights out for the Michigan Panthers this season, leading the team to a 4-2 mark and tied atop of the USFL Conference standings.
Ta'amu, who played his college ball at Ole Miss, is on his second stint with the DC Defenders and is putting together an impressive season himself. Ta'amu has the Defenders sitting at 4-2 overall, tied with the Battlehawks for first place in the XFL standings.
Where do Perkins and Ta'amu land in my latest MVP rankings, and is there anyone else who can gain ground in the race?
Here's a look at my sixth UFL MVP power rankings of the season.
5. St. Louis Battlehawks RB Jacob Saylors
Week 6 stat line: 14 carries, 57 yards
Week 6 result: 12-6 win over Arlington
Saylors has cooled down a bit after his hot start to the season, but the former East Tennessee State star still remains the most prolific back in the league. He leads the UFL in rushing with 312 rushing yards and is tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns with four.
Saylors' 14-carry, 57-yard performance was his second-highest rushing yardage output this season, and he did it in a victory. The Battlehawks are tied with the Defenders atop the XFL Conference standings and will rely heavily on Saylors down the stretch.
4. Houston Roughnecks QB Jalan McClendon
Week 6 stat line: 20-of-28 for 149 passing yards, 1 TD
Week 6 result: 21-20 win over Memphis
McClendon continues to be a spark for the Roughnecks' offense, leading the team to another victory this past weekend. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown in Houston's narrow 21-20 victory over Memphis.
After not playing in the first three games of the Roughnecks' season, McClendon has been a revelation for this team and has brought this offense to life. Houston is averaging 21.3 points per game since McClendon took over as the team's starting QB.
3. Arlington Renegades QB Luis Perez
Week 6 stat line: 16-of-23 for 145 passing yards, 1 INT
Week 6 result: 12-6 loss to St. Louis
Perez didn't have his best outing this past weekend, completing just 16 passes for 145 yards in a 12-6 loss to the Battlehawks. He failed to find the end zone, marking just the second game this season Perez hasn't thrown a touchdown pass.
Through six weeks of action, Perez ranks second in the UFL in passing yards (1,145) and completion percentage (70.8), while his three passing TDs are tied for fifth in the league.
2. DC Defenders QB Jordan Ta'amu
Week 6 stat line: 19-of-36 passing for 259 yards, 2 TDs
Week 6 result: 38-14 loss to Michigan
Ta'amu let it fly once again in Week 6, throwing for 250-plus yards and two touchdowns. However, the Defenders' defense couldn't stop the Panthers, making it hard for Ta'amu to keep up.
The former Ole Miss standout leads the league in passing with 1,472 yards and 11 touchdowns through six weeks. But if Ta'amu wants to lock up the MVP award, his Defenders team needs to win down the stretch.
1. Michigan Panthers QB Bryce Perkins
Week 6 stat line: 13-of-18 for 188 passing yards, 2 TDs, 76 rushing yards, 1 TD
Week 5 result: 38-14 win over DC
Perkins continues to get it done with both his arm and his legs. The Panthers' dual-threat signal-caller was dominant in Michigan's 38-14 win over the Defenders, proving to be the best QB on the field.
Through six weeks of action, Perkins ranks third in the UFL in passing yards (1,111), second in passing touchdowns (eight), eighth in rushing yards (209) and is tied for first in rushing touchdowns (four).
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 and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube .
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
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
American Press
35 minutes ago
- American Press
Little Rock 'walks' all over LSU to force must-win Monday game
Sunday's Game —Little Rock 10, LSU 4 Monday's Game (8 p.m. / ESPN2) — Little Rock vs. LSU LSU coach Jay Johnson was confident he had plenty of options for the NCAA regional's championship round after burning his co-ace starting pitchers to win the first two games. The options are still there — and maybe Johnson can find one who can throw a strike. But the Tigers, who dominated those first two regional games without allowing a run, are fresh out of wiggle room after struggling to find the plate Sunday night in a gift-wrapped 10-4 loss to Arkansas-Little Rock. It sets up a regional winner-take-all game Monday between the Tigers, the No. 6 national seed, and the tournament's latest and perhaps most unlikely Cinderella story. 'We've done a good job all year of bouncing back after a tough game, individually and collectively,' Johnson said. 'It gives me great confidence. 'Less than 24 hours ago, we probably played the cleanest and best brand of baseball that you could possibly play at this level. So I'm excited to see them do that tomorrow.' Throwing strikes would be a start. The Trojans, now 27-33, but still the only team in the NCAA tournament with a losing record, won their third straight game in Baton Rouge since falling to LSU 7-0 in the regional opener Friday night. The latest was a walk in The Box. The Tigers used five different pitchers to issue a season-high 11 walks. It didn't matter that LSU out-hit the Trojans 11-8. Eight of the Trojans' 10 runs reached base via walks, the last one, perhaps fittingly, scoring on the last of the Tigers' four wild pitches. 'Our game tonight kind of speaks for itself where it got away from us,' Johnson said. 'We'll leave it here tonight, turn all our focus to tomorrow and find a way to play great.' The Tigers' hitters won't be doing much finger-pointing. After taking a 3-0 lead in the first, the Tigers had only one base runner over the final four inning — briefly before he was erased by a double play. But LSU stranded 11 over the first five innings, seven of them in scoring position. The Tigers left the bases loaded without scoring in both the third and fourth innings. 'Credit them,' Johnson said of the four pitchers Little Rock pieced together for the nine innings. 'I thought they executed a few good pitches at key times and we … trying to do too much is not a good plan.' Regardless of who wins Monday, Trojan first baseman Angel Canon pretty well wrapped up the regional MVP award. He hit a 2-run homer and a 3-run double against LSU, giving him three bombs, three doubles and 14 RBIs in the Trojans' three wins. The Tigers set the table for him. LSU starter Jaden Noot walked a man just before Cano's home run in the second and Chase Shores walked the first three batters of the third inning before Cano cleared the bases with a double. Somehow LSU stayed within striking distance until the Trojans put it away with four runs in the eighth— all four reaching by walks, three of them scoring before the only hit of the inning. It was LSU's first-ever loss at home to a regional No. 4 seed. They're now 19-1 since the current format began in 1999. Little Rock has done this before. The Trojans needed a tie-breaker just to make the eight-team field of the of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament, then won five games in four days to claim a bid to the NCAA tournament. They bounced back from Friday's loss to LSU to beat Rhode Island on Saturday and took down Dallas Baptist earlier Sunday afternoon to get another shot at the Tigers. 'They're a hot team,' Johnson said. 'They've been playing well for the past two weeks. You give a team that's playing well more opportunities, you put yourself in a tough spot. 'Just like everybody else, I would have rather won tonight and wrapped it up. We didn't and that's because the opponent did a great job. I just think about the opportunity for tomorrow.'
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Predicted to Repeat Feat Not Seen Since LeBron James
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Predicted to Repeat Feat Not Seen Since LeBron James originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Oklahoma City Thunder face the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals. The Thunder have home-court advantage in the series since they had the best record in the league during the regular season. Advertisement OKC defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. The 2011-12 Thunder faced the Miami Heat in the 2012 NBA Finals, a series the Heat won in five games. NBA legend LeBron James won the 2012 Finals MVP Award. He also won the 2012 MVP Award. The leading scorer in NBA history won back-to-back MVPs and Finals MVPs in 2012 and 2013. James is the last player to win MVP and Finals MVP in the same season. Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderAlonzo Adams-Imagn Images Thunder star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the MVP Award this year. If OKC wins the NBA Finals and Gilgeous-Alexander wins the Finals MVP Award, he will become just the 11th player in NBA history to accomplish that feat and Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report thinks it will happen. Advertisement "The Pacers' home games will be competitive, but OKC is going to cap off this championship run with a sweep," Bailey wrote. "And SGA will be on stage after Game 4, hoisting a Finals MVP that will cement this as one of the best team and individual seasons ever." Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.7 points during the regular season. He led the NBA in total points and points per game. In the 2025 Western Conference playoffs, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 29.8 points. He won the Western Conference final MVP Award. Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers is on Thursday. Related: LeBron James' Four-Word Reaction to Kevin Love and J.R. Smith's Latest Interaction This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Pittsburgh Steelers Ex 5th-Round Running Back Released From CFL Team
Pittsburgh Steelers Ex 5th-Round Running Back Released From CFL Team originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back and fifth-round draft pick Jaylen Samuels is once again looking for a new home. Advertisement Samuels signed with the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks early last month but was released over the weekend as part of the team's final roster cuts. Samuels was one of 21 players cut. The 28-year-old was drafted by the Steelers in the fifth round at No. 165 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. The former NC State Gamecocks running back played for Pittsburgh for three seasons, appearing in 14 games each year, spreading out eight starts. He totaled 459 yards rushing on 131 attempts with one touchdown. Samuel left Pittsburgh to join the Houston Texans in 2021 before signing with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. He was cut before the season started that season. Advertisement He went back to Houston to join the XFL's Roughnecks in 2022 and then to San Antonio to the UFL's Brahamas in the 2024 UFL Draft. The Redblacks finished 2024 at 9-8-1 and in third place in the East Division, losing 58-38 to the Toronto Argonauts in the East Semifinal game of the playoffs. Samuel was without a team until the Redblacks came calling from the Great White North. At 28, he should still have a ton of football left in him, and he's now available to join any other team as a free agent - either in Canada or the US - to continue his career. As the UFL season is entering its playoffs, his opportunity there might come next season if he decides that's a path he'd like to follow. Advertisement Related: Steelers Receiver Hoping To Resemble Hines Ward Related: Steelers' Mike Tomlin Getting Second-Guessed For Major QB Move This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
