Latest news with #JordanTaamu
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Kansas City Chiefs WR leads the UFL in touchdown receptions through 9 weeks
Cornell Powell was a fifth-round pick out of Clemson in the 2021 NFL Draft. He played in three regular-season games in his Kansas City Chiefs career but is making a serious case for a return to the NFL. Powell is currently garnering attention from the DC Defenders of the UFL for his play this spring season. He leads the league with seven touchdown receptions to go along with 29 catches for 418 yards. The former college standout is taking advantage of the playing time as a starter and properly showcasing his abilities to potential suitors. The UFL continues to pride itself on providing additional opportunities for players who face obstacles in their professional football journey. Some players have helped resurrect their careers and carved out roles in the NFL, especially with training camp invites quickly approaching for prospective players. Advertisement Powell's quarterback this season is former Chiefs backup Jordan Ta'amu, likely a league MVP candidate. The Defenders clinched a playoff spot and are currently 6-3 on the year, which is good for second in the XFL conference. This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Former Chiefs WR leads the UFL in touchdown receptions through 9 weeks
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Kansas City Chiefs players team up to win the 2025 UFL Championship
The 2025 UFL Championship game ended with the D.C. Defenders defeating the Michigan Panthers 58-34. Three standout players who previously wore the Kansas City Chiefs' uniform led the new spring league champions. Quarterback Jordan Ta'amu led D.C. to victory with a fantastic performance. He passed for a league record 390 yards, four touchdown passes, and one rushing score. He earned title game MVP honors like his former Chiefs teammate and quarterback room starter, Patrick Mahomes. Advertisement Ta'amu is one of several ex-Chiefs players on the championship-winning team, including wide receiver Cornell Powell and cornerback DeAndre Baker. "We're going to put up 80 points for disrespecting our quarterback," Baker said in an ESPN clip before the game about Michigan quarterback Bryce Perkins being named league MVP. "We know who the real MVP is." D.C. scored 58 points, the most ever scored in a UFL game in the league's short history. All three players made their mark on the league this season and could be candidates to return to the NFL with training camp around the corner. This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Ex-Kansas City Chiefs players team up to win the 2025 UFL Championship
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Jordan Ta'amu's UFL MVP snub motivated Defenders in 2025 championship game
ST. LOUIS — The UFL named Michigan Panthers quarterback Bryce Perkins its MVP for the 2025 season on its social media channels at 1:49 p.m. local time on Friday. It didn't take long for DC Defenders tight end Briley Moore to reach out to his quarterback, Jordan Ta'amu, who Moore believed "was a lock" to win the distinguished honor. Advertisement At 2:51 p.m. local time, Moore sent a text to his quarterback. The 27-year-old shared the message verbatim in a news conference following the Defenders' 58-34 win over the Panthers in the 2025 UFL championship game. "I can't wait either at all," Moore read. "But when you're holding up that trophy on stage tomorrow night, I'm gonna be chanting MVP." That's exactly what happened. The entire Defenders team serenaded its quarterback after Ta'amu put together a record-breaking performance in the championship game. Ta'amu completed 21 of 28 passes for a league-record 390 yards while logging five total touchdowns in DC's rout. Despite being a part of the action, Moore could hardly believe what his quarterback had achieved. Advertisement "I mean, this stat line is insane," Moore said, while glancing over a stat sheet from Saturday's game. "But that's just him. After getting that news (he didn't win MVP) 24 hours ago, he didn't flinch. He didn't try to do too much. He didn't let him affect him, and he just balled out." Moore believes one of the reasons Ta'amu progressed so much in 2025 — a season during which he led the league in passing touchdowns with 17 — was that the quarterback was playing "with a different confidence." Ta'amu explained his confidence stemmed from the trust he has in his teammates, who he said motivated him after he finished behind Perkins in the regular-season MVP voting. "Just having that brotherhood behind me meant a lot," Ta'amu said when he explained how he felt about Moore's pregame message to him. Advertisement While Ta'amu praised Perkins as a "great quarterback" who deserved to be the MVP, he acknowledged that his missing out on the award fueled him and the entire Defenders team. "It just gave us a big chip on our shoulder to go out there and play hard," Ta'amu said about the championship game. The Defenders were able to do that, thanks in no small part to their offense. DC scored on its opening 10 possessions and set a UFL record for points scored in a game with 58. Moore was among those happy DC exacted revenge on Michigan, both for the team's sake and for Ta'amu's. Advertisement "I feel like I didn't do enough throughout the season to get him that MVP," Moore said. "So, this game was a little personal." All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Jordan Ta'amu's UFL MVP snub motivated Briley Moore, Defenders
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hawaii's Ta'amu looks to lead DC to UFL championship
In his fifth season of professional spring football, Hawai'i's Jordan Ta'amu is once again knocking on the door of a league title. The Pearl City graduate and former Ole Miss quarterback will lead the D.C. Defenders into the United Football League Conference Championship this Sunday against the St. Louis Battlehawks, one of Ta'amu's former teams. Since beginning his pro career in 2020, Ta'amu has tallied more than 10,000 total yards and 72 touchdowns across the XFL, USFL, and now the UFL. Despite earning league MVP honors and spending time with NFL franchises like the Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, and Houston Texans, a championship has eluded the 27-year-old signal-caller. 'I'm just so excited and happy for our team to be where we're at right now,' Ta'amu told KHON2 Sports. 'Just to continue the journey that I'm still going, still playing, still throwing the rock around, and making my family proud. We get to play at a high level and for something big, a championship. You learn from your past, right? We're trying to rewrite history.' Ta'amu made headlines earlier this season with a highlight-reel trick play, catching his first career receiving touchdown after hurdling a defender on his way to the end zone. 'That was amazing,' Ta'amu said. 'If you haven't seen that trick play, please go watch it. It was probably the highlight of my career, catching it, hurdling somebody, and scoring. I was so hyped. It was definitely a blessing to celebrate that moment with my teammates.' Sunday's conference title game will also feature another Hawai'i connection: St. Louis reserve quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, a Saint Louis School graduate and former University of Hawai'i standout. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. HST and will air live on KHON2. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
2025 UFL MVP Power Rankings: Defenders QB Jordan Ta'amu leads after Week 8
Week 8 of the UFL season is in the books. The playoff schedule is all set and ready to go. Where do we stand in the MVP race? Heading into Week 9, the MVP race appears to be a two-man competition between a pair of quarterbacks that have stood out above the rest this season: Bryce Perkins and Jordan Ta'amu. Does Perkins or Ta'amu claim the top spot in this week's rankings? Who else is in the mix and has a chance to make a run at MVP honors? Here's a look at my updated UFL MVP rankings heading into Week 9: 4. St. Louis Battlehawks RB Jacob Saylors Week 8 stat line: 16 rushes, 118 yards, 1 TDWeek 8 result: 29-28 win over Birmingham Saylors has been the most consistent offensive weapons in the UFL throughout the season. He leads all rushers with 466 yards and is tied for first place in rushing touchdowns with five. With more performances like last week, Saylors could be the primary reason the Battlehawks win their first UFL postseason contest. 3. Arlington Renegades QB Luis Perez Week 8 stat line: 32-of-46 for 350 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INTWeek 8 result: 33-30 loss to DC Perez has consistently shown himself to be one of the league's best passers. Heading into the final two weeks of the season, he has thrown for more than 1,800 yards, completed 70.9% of his passes and has thrown seven touchdowns to five interceptions. Though the Renegades are out of the playoff hunt, Perez still has a chance to top 2,000 yards passing in 10 games. 2. Michigan Panthers QB Bryce Perkins Week 8 stat line: N/AWeek 8 result: N/A Though Perkins did not play in Week 8, it's been clear since he ascended to QB1 in Michigan that his playmaking ability is what has allowed the Panther offense to remain dynamic. Perkins plays the QB position like a point guard, passing when players are open, but he's also just as adept at moving the chains with his feet. The Panthers always have an option to run or pass when Perkins drops back, and that skill will serve them well against the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL Conference Championship Game. 1. DC Defenders QB Jordan Ta'amu Week 8 stat line: 15-of-26 for 240 passing yards, 2 TDsWeek 8 result: 33-30 win over Arlington No one has proven to be more adept at creating explosive plays for their team than Ta'amu. With 1,990 passing yards and 16 touchdowns, he has thrown for nearly 200 more yards than the second-leading passer in the league and twice as many TDs as the No. 2 QB with that mark. While his completion percentage is 53.6%, when Ta'amu completes passes, they're more than likely to be chunk plays. Those chunk plays have allowed the Defenders to clinch their first UFL playoff appearance and have Ta'amu positioned as the presumptive MVP of the league. RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. 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!
