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USA Today
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Former Georgia star DB named to All-UFL team
Former Georgia star DB named to All-UFL team Former Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Deandre Baker is having an outstanding season as he hopes to earn another NFL opportunity. Baker is making a significant impact with DC Defenders in the United Football League (UFL). His excellent season earned him All-UFL honors. Baker is one of four DC Defenders to make the All-UFL defense. Baker proved himself to be among the elite cornerbacks in the UFL. He finished the regular season with 22 total tackles (four tackles for a loss), two interceptions and 10 pass breakups in eight games. Baker's top play of the season came in the form of a game-clinching interception with under five seconds left in the game. Baker's interception clinched a playoff berth for the Defenders, who finished the regular season with a 6-4 record. Baker is a former New York Giants 2019 first-round NFL draft pick, but has not played in the NFL since the 2021 season with the Kansas City Chiefs. Baker has battled several serious injuries throughout his career including suffering a broken left femur in Jan. 2021. The former UGA standout tried out with the Dallas Cowboys last offseason, but he failed to make the Cowboys' roster. Former Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, another All-UFL selection, and the St. Louis Battlehawks will play the DC Defenders in the playoffs on Sunday, June 8 at 6:00 p.m. ET (televised on FOX).
Fox Sports
07-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
High-flying Battlehawks highlight biggest storylines from UFL Week 2
Jacob Saylors led all running backs last season on his way to earning All-UFL honors, and it appears the 25-year-old is picking up right where he left off, finishing with 79 scrimmage yards and three scores in the St. Louis Battlehawks' 26-9 victory over the visiting St. Louis Brahmas in front of 32,115 fans at the Dome at America's Center in Week 2. "Jacob is playing his ass off because he's trying to get back somewhere (the NFL)," St. Louis quarterback Manny Wilkins said. "That's the one thing I keep reiterating to these guys, and this league is doing such a good job of creating an opportunity. That's what this league is — it's a chance for guys to go out there and show who you are." [MORE: What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League ] Through two weeks, Saylors leads the league in touchdowns (four) and is second in rushing yards (144). Week 2's game was a rematch of last year's XFL Conference final, a game that the Battlehawks lost by double digits, 25-15. So, St. Louis earned a measure of revenge and continues to look like the team to beat in the UFL this season. Here's a look at other storylines from Week 2: Battlehawks offensive coordinator Phil McGeoghan is on a heater St. Louis has the top scoring offense through two weeks, averaging a league-high 28.5 points a contest. At the forefront of the Battlehawks' success is the creative play calling of new offensive coordinator Phil McGeoghan, who replaced Bruce Gradkowski when he left to become an offensive assistant for the Detroit Lions. A longtime receivers coach in the NFL, McGeoghan worked as an offensive assistant for four seasons with the Miami Dolphins alongside one of the brightest NFL offensive innovators in new Chicago Bears head coach, Ben Johnston. St. Louis has scored seven touchdowns on 18 possessions and punted just three times through two weeks. It also leads the UFL in total yards (388.5 per game), third down conversion percentage (59.3) and rushing yards (217.5 per game). What's more, the Battlehawks' offense has accomplished that with 2024 UFL Offensive Player of the Year Hakeem Butler having zero catches on target over that same span. "I'm really proud of the way Phil McGeoghan has called plays the last two weeks," St. Louis head coach Anthony Becht said. "He's done an incredible job in the short amount of time he had to get this playbook together and get us rocking and rolling." Becht also said don't sleep on St. Louis' defense, led by former NFL defensive back and current defensive coordinator Donnie Abraham. The Battlehawks are holding teams to a league-low 15.0 points a game. "Donnie is a guy to me who never speaks to the media," Becht said. "He's very unsung. Nobody wants to talk about him. Everybody else gets a lot of credit around the league for being good coordinators, but Donnie Abraham is the best coordinator in the league, in my opinion. He's got them prepared. He's got buy-in, and he's got credibility with the players because he played in the league at the highest level." Subbing for injured Alex McGough, Matt Corral helps Stallions rebound In his second game back with the Birmingham Stallions, McGough had to leave the game early due to a right shoulder injury he suffered on their first offensive play on a quarterback run. Corral was solid in McGough's absence. The Ole Miss product finished 18-of-29 for 198 yards, including a dazzling 52-yard touchdown to Deon Cain that landed at the top of our list of the 10 best plays of the week. "When the opportunity presents itself, you've got to be ready," Corral said. "And that's on nobody else but yourself." Corral was picked off twice, but more importantly for Birmingham, head coach Skip Holtz got the running game going. Last year's leading rusher, Ricky Person Jr., totaled 55 rushing yards and a score. Corral and Person's efforts helped Birmingham defeat the Michigan Panthers (1-1) on the road, 21-12, evening their record after a shocking season-opening loss to the D.C. Defenders. Defenders start with a surprising 2-0 record Speaking of the Defenders, interim head coach Shannon Harris' squad continued their winning ways, earning a 17-12 home victory over the visiting Memphis Showboats (0-2). Returning from a season-ending ACL knee injury a year ago, running back Abram Smith led the Defenders with 55 rushing yards on 16 carries, while Chris Rowland added three catches for 66 receiving yards. Showboats receiver Jonathan Adams continued his strong early-season performance, posting nine catches for 128 receiving yards. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt returned to the sidelines for the Showboats in the loss. No surprise here: Luis Perez leads league in passing With 375 yards passing through two games, last year's UFL passing leader is once again sitting atop the league. The San Diego native completed 19-of-27 passes for 211 yards and a score in an 11-9 victory over the Houston Roughnecks (0-2). At 2-0, the Arlington Renegades are a game away from their three-game win total of a year ago. Playing against his former team in Houston, Renegades pass rusher Chris Odom finished with three combined tackles and a sack. Donald Payne led Arlington with nine combined tackles. Defense dominates, as points are down The UFL averaged 43.7 combined points during the regular season in 2024, which was more than both the legacy USFL (42.3 combined points) and XFL (42.9 combined points) the previous year before the merger. However, through two games this year, scoring is down, with games averaging 32.8 combined points. Quarterback play has been an issue, as they've combined to throw 10 touchdown passes and a head-scratching 13 interceptions. With four touchdowns already this season, Saylors has more touchdowns than all but three teams in the league through two games. 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 St. Louis Battlehawks Birmingham Stallions recommended Get more from United Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Fox Sports
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
UFL Week 1 By The Numbers: Battlehawks put on a show, while Kalen Ballage runs wild
Week 1 of the 2025 UFL season is in the books, and there was no shortage of must-see moments this weekend. The St. Louis Battlehawks , Arlington Renegades , Michigan Panthers and DC Defenders came out victorious, while the Houston Roughnecks , San Antonio Brahmas , Memphis Showboats and defending champion Birmingham Stallions lost. None of the losing teams scored more than 12 points, while the winning squads scored an average of 27. Here are the numbers to know after Week 1. 0: St. Louis put on a show on offense in the Friday night opener on FOX, scoring 31 points against Houston. Perhaps even more impressive was the fact that they had zero punts or turnovers across their nine total drives. 3: De'Veon Smith only received three carries in Arlington's win over San Antonio, but he made each of them count. He finished with three carries for 3 yards and three touchdowns, tying the UFL single-game record for rushing scores. 4-0: Continuity mattered in Week 1. Teams that started a quarterback who was on their roster last season went undefeated, while the teams that started a new signal-caller who was added in the offseason went 0-4. 6: Down 20-12 in the final minute, the Showboats were driving inside the Panthers' 25-yard line when Michigan's Kai Nacua stepped up and shut down Memphis' comeback hopes with the first pick-six of the season. Nacua, who earned All-UFL honors last season, took the ball back 80 yards to seal the win for Mike Nolan's crew. 8: The Defenders brought the pressure under interim head coach Shannon Harris in their upset win over the Stallions. They certainly lived up to their name with eight sacks on Sunday, with seven coming in the second half. They also held Birmingham QB and 2023 USFL MVP Alex McGough to 0-of-8 passing with an interception in the second half. 33: Wade Phillips' San Antonio defense allowed 33 points in its opener in Arlington, which is more than double what the unit allowed on average last season (league-best 15.3 points per game). 77: Former Arizona State RB Kalen Ballage made a big splash in his debut with the Renegades, setting a league record for the longest rush with his 77-yard run in the second quarter against the Brahmas on Saturday. He broke the record that was set less than 24 hours prior by St. Louis' Jarveon Howard when he ran for a 74-yard score on Friday. 273: St. Louis set a new single-game UFL record with 273 rushing yards vs. Houston. The Battlehawks were led by their powerhouse RB tandem of Jacob Saylors (16 carries for 98 yards and one score) and Howard (13 carries for 115 yards and one score), with QB Manny Wilkins chipping in with 43 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns. 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 St. Louis Battlehawks Michigan Panthers recommended Get more from United Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Fox Sports
28-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Five things to watch for in Week 1 of the 2025 UFL season
Thus far, the Birmingham Stallions own professional spring football. The reigning UFL champions — and two-time USFL champs — have lost just four games over the past three years. However, as head coach Skip Holtz prepares his team to defend yet another title, another team lurks in the shadows: the St. Louis Battlehawks. "We're building for a championship," Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht said. "We're not rebuilding. That's not what we're doing. We're trying to be better than we've been, and we've improved every single year. That's my expectation level for the 2025 season." [MORE: What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League ] St. Louis hits the road to face the Houston Roughnecks to begin UFL Kickoff Weekend on Friday (8 p.m. ET on FOX). It will be the first of many games held on Fridays this year, all of which will be broadcast on FOX. "We're excited to see what happens in Houston on Friday night because they (the Roughnecks) are playing one of the teams that has the ability to challenge Birmingham," Daryl Johnston, the executive vice president of football operations for the UFL, said. "The St. Louis Battlehawks should be one of our better teams, so Houston is going to get a really good feel for where they are coming off that 1-9 season last year." Action continues Saturday with a tilt between the Arlington Renegades and the San Antonio Brahmas (4 p.m. ET on FOX). On Sunday, there's a doubleheader between the Michigan Panthers and the Memphis Showboats to start the day (noon ET), followed by the powerhouse Stallions — the current runaway favorite to win the 2025 title — traveling to our nation's capital to face the DC Defenders (3 p.m. ET). That said, here are five things to watch for in Week 1: 1. Battlehawks mum on replacement for QB AJ McCarron The Battlehawks — who had the best home attendance in the league by far, averaging over 34,000 fans a contest — finished the 2024 regular season 7-3 but lost by double digits in the semifinals at home to the Brahmas. In response, Becht and general manager Dave Boller improved St. Louis' depth by adding a handful of former NFL players, including quarterback Max Duggan (Chargers), kicker Rodrigo Blankenship (Buccaneers), safety Nate Meadors (Steelers) and receivers Frank Darby (49ers) and Denzel Mims (Jets). They join last year's UFL Offensive Player of the Year, Hakeem Butler, and the league's leading running back in Jacob Saylors. Defensively, the Battlehawks bring back an All-UFL performer in linebacker Willie Harvey, along with fellow linebacker Mike Rose and edge rushers Pita Taumoepenu, Travis Feeney and Chris Garrett. Becht has yet to announce a starting quarterback to replace McCarron. One of the top quarterbacks statistically in the UFL last season, McCarron was not brought back. Instead, the Battlehawks held a two-man competition between last year's backup Manny Wilkins and Duggan. Wilkins was most recently listed as the starter on the team's official depth chart. Becht also likes San Jose State product Chevan Cordeiro, the team's third-string quarterback. All three provide a dual-threat option for the Battlehawks, which is different from the pocket passer in McCarron. Becht added former dual-threat NFL quarterback Seneca Wallace as his coach to help train the trio. The Battlehawks lost offensive coordinator Bruce Gradkowski, who went to the NFL as the Detroit Lions' offensive assistant. Becht found his replacement in-house, promoting receivers coach Phil McGeoghan to offensive coordinator. Most football fans viewed spring football with a healthy dose of skepticism, but with the UFL on solid footing in its second year, more and more talented players are interested in joining the league. "We've got guys coming to our league that, two years ago, there was no way they'd be coming to us," Johnston said. "You had to be part general manager, part salesman to get people to come our way when we first started out. Our phone rings a lot more now than it did back then. … We've earned their faith in what we're doing, and that's good." To Johnston's point, the UFL had several former NFL players join teams this offseason, including Mond (Vikings) and Brahmas cornerback Greedy 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 taste of UFL Johnston had to quickly fill two head coaching vacancies this week when Memphis' Ken Whisenhunt stepped away for personal reasons and the Defenders' Reggie Barlow took the head coaching job at Tennessee State. Whisenhunt had taken over for John DeFilippo, who moved on after just one season in Memphis last year. Quarterbacks coach Shannon Harris was named the interim head coach for the Defenders. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will remain with the team — for now; he's rumored to be joining Barlow at Tennessee State. However, Johnston said the UFL asked Barlow for some grace — to help them navigate the season before asking for assistant coaches from his former coaching staff to move on to Tennessee State. Former offensive line coach Jim Turner takes over as head coach of the Showboats. Johnston said Turner was a head coaching candidate for the New Orleans Breakers job in the USFL when Larry Fedora retired after his first and only season as head coach of that team. Johnston also said Turner installed Whisenhunt's offense from the start of offseason work and is very familiar with it. Jarren Horton remains the defensive coordinator for Memphis, and Turner has a couple of different options for his offensive play caller, including calling plays himself. Other candidates include receivers coach T.J. Vernieri and offensive guru Noel Mazzone, who recently joined the coaching staff in Memphis and served as the offensive coordinator for the Breakers when Turner was there. On a similar note, the Stallions are embarking on a season without celebrated general manager Zach Potter. Birmingham lost the engineer of the most talented roster in the UFL when Potter took a job as GM of the Sacramento State college football program this offseason. Only 24 years old, Potter was one of the best talent evaluators in the league, consistently ahead of the curve in recruiting and signing the best talent. Paul Roell, a longtime scout with the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars, will serve as Potter's replacement. "It's a huge deal," Johnston said. "He's coming in with a good perspective. He talked a lot to Zach Potter coming in. Skip [Holtz] has enjoyed working with him, so he has done a nice job." 4. Improved offensive line play a priority in 2025 The better the offensive line, the more points an offense can put up due to improved pass protection and run blocking. Scoring was up slightly in the inaugural UFL season last year. Games averaged 43.7 combined points during the regular season, which was more than both the legacy USFL (42.3 combined points) and XFL (42.9) last year. Johnston said the UFL hired two veteran offensive line coaches in Marc Colombo and Tom Cable, which should help build on the improvement in offensive line play from last season. Cable joins Roughnecks head coach Curtis Johnson in Houston. The two both played together at Idaho. Colombo will serve as the offensive line coach in St. Louis. "We've got really good offensive line coaches in our league already," Johnston said. "And then to be able to bring in Mark and Tom is unbelievable. That's an area where we really want to take that next step." Bates turned his impressive performance with the Panthers last season — punctuated by making three field goals from beyond 60 yards — into a starting job in the NFL for the Lions. In his first season with Detroit, Bates finished 26 of 29 with a long of 58 yards. He joins Brandon Aubrey as kickers who excelled in spring football and made a successful transition to the NFL. Now that Bates has moved on, who's next? Lucas Havrisik (Renegades) and Blankenship (Battlehawks) have already spent time in the NFL. Showboats kicker Matt Coghlin was the most accurate kicker in the league last season, making 94% of his field goals. Strong-legged kicker and YouTube sensation Donald De La Haye returns to the Brahmas after suffering a 2024 season-ending neck injury. In all, UFL kickers made 83% of their field goals last season and finished 63.4% from 50-plus yards, making five kicks from beyond 60 yards. 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 Birmingham Stallions St. Louis Battlehawks recommended Get more from United Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
