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Fox News
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Five things to watch for in Week 6 of the 2025 UFL season
The St. Louis Battlehawks have work to do. Head coach Anthony Becht said at the start of the year that he believed the Battlehawks built a roster that could win the 2025 UFL Championship Game, which takes place on June 14 in front of his team's hometown fans in St. Louis. [MORE: What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League] If the playoffs started today, however, the Battlehawks would miss out and be watching from home. "We've got a huge game next week against a divisional opponent," Becht said. "And I'm just asking everyone to bring a friend." The contest Becht is referring to is the opening game of Week 6, with the Battlehawks hosting the Arlington Renegades in an all-important XFL Conference tilt on Friday night (8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). It's a crucial matchup, with both teams sitting at 3-2 on the season and fighting for the second playoff spot in the division. The Renegades won the previous head-to-head matchup earlier this year, a 30-15 victory in Arlington in Week 4. Elsewhere, the Memphis Showboats (1-4) travel to face the Houston Roughnecks (2-3) on Saturday (noon ET). Closing out the week, the Michigan Panthers (3-2) host the DC Defenders (4-1) at Ford Field on Sunday (noon ET), followed by the San Antonio Brahmas (1-4) traveling to face the Birmingham Stallions (3-2) at Protective Stadium (4 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). Here's a closer look at five things to watch for in Week 6: One of the main reasons for Arlington's continued success on defense this season is Harris' sharp play. The USC product and Los Angeles native just earned UFL Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive week, finishing with two picks and six combined tackles in a late-game loss to the Defenders last week. Through five weeks, Harris leads the league in interceptions (three), pass breakups (11) and forced fumbles (two). "He's continually coming up with big plays," head coach Bob Stoops said about Harris. "And he plays multiple positions … so he understands all the positions. He's really a bright player, on top of being a skilled player." One of the top runners in spring football, Memphis brought Hills back to shore up the team's depth at running back. Williams finished with 277 rushing yards and five touchdowns in eight games for the Panthers in 2024. The year prior, Hills led the legacy USFL in rushing with 679 yards and 10 touchdowns while playing for current Memphis offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone as a part of the now defunct New Orleans Breakers organization. The Showboats also activated receiver Daewood Davis from IR. An All-UFL selection in 2024 who finished with 41 receptions for 446 receiving yards and five touchdowns, Davis signed with the NFL's Carolina Panthers after the 2024 UFL season but was released due to injury. The Renegades also executed a trade this week, sending linebacker Storey Jackson to the Brahmas for defensive end Ikenna Enechukwu. Kellen Mond could be holding a clipboard for the Brahmas when they travel to Birmingham this weekend. An ineffective Mond was replaced in the second half by Jarrett Guarantano in San Antonio's home-opening loss to the Roughnecks in Week 5. However, Brahmas head coach Payton Pardee indicated that the quarterback switch could be permanent, as he declined to name a starter for this weekend's game. "I believe in all three quarterbacks we have," Pardee said. "I think they're all very talented. They all have unique skill sets, so I feel very confident in the players that we have in that room, but that's going to be something that we evaluate this week in practice." In five starts, Mond has completed 56.8% of his passes for 597 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Guarantano finished 6-of-15 for 29 yards in his first action of the season last week. Houston defeated Memphis by one point, 18-17, on the road in Week 3 — the team's first victory of the season at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. This week, the Showboats get a shot at revenge when they travel to face the Roughnecks in Houston. Starting for the first time this season, Memphis QB Dresser Winn earned Offensive Player of the Week honors for Week 5, completing 17 of his 29 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown in a 24-20 overtime win over Birmingham. Winn gets an opportunity to see if he can play efficient football for a second straight week against a Houston defense holding opponents to 14.3 points per game over the past three weeks, with the Roughnecks winning two of those. On the other side, Houston QB Jalan McClendon continues to play solid football. Since taking over as the team's starter, he has completed 70% of his passes for 407 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. McClendon has also rushed for 34 yards and a score. The UFL announced this week that it handed down a one-game suspension without pay to Nacua after a video emerged showing him striking a Battlehawks fan in an altercation after the Panthers' Week 5 road game in St. Louis. Nacua, who agreed to participate in community service, will miss this weekend's away game against the Defenders. Nacua is the older brother of Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua. His other brother, Kai Nacua, plays in the UFL as a safety for Michigan. 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!
Fox Sports
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Five things to watch for in Week 6 of the 2025 UFL season
The St. Louis Battlehawks have work to do. Head coach Anthony Becht said at the start of the year that he believed the Battlehawks built a roster that could win the 2025 UFL Championship Game, which takes place on June 14 in front of his team's hometown fans in St. Louis. [MORE: What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League ] If the playoffs started today, however, the Battlehawks would miss out and be watching from home. "We've got a huge game next week against a divisional opponent," Becht said. "And I'm just asking everyone to bring a friend." The contest Becht is referring to is the opening game of Week 6, with the Battlehawks hosting the Arlington Renegades in an all-important XFL Conference tilt on Friday night (8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). It's a crucial matchup, with both teams sitting at 3-2 on the season and fighting for the second playoff spot in the division. The Renegades won the previous head-to-head matchup earlier this year, a 30-15 victory in Arlington in Week 4. Elsewhere, the Memphis Showboats (1-4) travel to face the Houston Roughnecks (2-3) on Saturday (noon ET). Closing out the week, the Michigan Panthers (3-2) host the DC Defenders (4-1) at Ford Field on Sunday (noon ET), followed by the San Antonio Brahmas (1-4) traveling to face the Birmingham Stallions (3-2) at Protective Stadium (4 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). Here's a closer look at five things to watch for in Week 6: 1. Renegades CB Ajene Harris leads league in interceptions One of the main reasons for Arlington's continued success on defense this season is Harris' sharp play. The USC product and Los Angeles native just earned UFL Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive week, finishing with two picks and six combined tackles in a late-game loss to the Defenders last week. Through five weeks, Harris leads the league in interceptions (three), pass breakups (11) and forced fumbles (two). "He's continually coming up with big plays," head coach Bob Stoops said about Harris. "And he plays multiple positions … so he understands all the positions. He's really a bright player, on top of being a skilled player." 2. RB Wes Hills returns to UFL with Showboats One of the top runners in spring football, Memphis brought Hills back to shore up the team's depth at running back. Williams finished with 277 rushing yards and five touchdowns in eight games for the Panthers in 2024. The year prior, Hills led the legacy USFL in rushing with 679 yards and 10 touchdowns while playing for current Memphis offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone as a part of the now defunct New Orleans Breakers organization. The Showboats also activated receiver Daewood Davis from IR. An All-UFL selection in 2024 who finished with 41 receptions for 446 receiving yards and five touchdowns, Davis signed with the NFL's Carolina Panthers after the 2024 UFL season but was released due to injury. The Renegades also executed a trade this week, sending linebacker Storey Jackson to the Brahmas for defensive end Ikenna Enechukwu. Kellen Mond could be holding a clipboard for the Brahmas when they travel to Birmingham this weekend. An ineffective Mond was replaced in the second half by Jarrett Guarantano in San Antonio's home-opening loss to the Roughnecks in Week 5. However, Brahmas head coach Payton Pardee indicated that the quarterback switch could be permanent, as he declined to name a starter for this weekend's game. "I believe in all three quarterbacks we have," Pardee said. "I think they're all very talented. They all have unique skill sets, so I feel very confident in the players that we have in that room, but that's going to be something that we evaluate this week in practice." In five starts, Mond has completed 56.8% of his passes for 597 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Guarantano finished 6-of-15 for 29 yards in his first action of the season last week. 4. Roughnecks host Showboats in rematch Houston defeated Memphis by one point, 18-17, on the road in Week 3 — the team's first victory of the season at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. This week, the Showboats get a shot at revenge when they travel to face the Roughnecks in Houston. Starting for the first time this season, Memphis QB Dresser Winn earned Offensive Player of the Week honors for Week 5, completing 17 of his 29 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown in a 24-20 overtime win over Birmingham. Winn gets an opportunity to see if he can play efficient football for a second straight week against a Houston defense holding opponents to 14.3 points per game over the past three weeks, with the Roughnecks winning two of those. On the other side, Houston QB Jalan McClendon continues to play solid football. Since taking over as the team's starter, he has completed 70% of his passes for 407 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. McClendon has also rushed for 34 yards and a score. 5. Panthers WR Samson Nacua suspended one game for altercation with fan The UFL announced this week that it handed down a one-game suspension without pay to Nacua after a video emerged showing him striking a Battlehawks fan in an altercation after the Panthers' Week 5 road game in St. Louis. Nacua, who agreed to participate in community service, will miss this weekend's away game against the Defenders. Nacua is the older brother of Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua. His other brother, Kai Nacua, plays in the UFL as a safety for Michigan. 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 Get more from United Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
USA Today
21-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Packers on final UFL rosters for 2025 season
Former Packers on final UFL rosters for 2025 season The Green Bay Packers will have former players on seven of the eight teams in the United Football League (UFL) to start the 2025 season. All eight teams set final 50-man rosters on Wednesday. Five different teams have multiple former Packers, with the San Antonio Brahmas leading the way with five. Among the former Packers on UFL rosters are three draft picks of general manager Brian Gutekunst and three former Packers quarterbacks. The biggest name players are tight end Jace Sternberger and receiver Amari Rodgers, two third-round picks who didn't work out in Green Bay but have found great success at this lower level with the Birmingham Stallions. Others include three former backup quarterbacks developed under Matt LaFleur. The UFL will begin a 10-week regular season on Friday, March 28. The season ends with the 2025 UFL Championship Game on Saturday, June 14. Here are the former Packers on UFL rosters to start the 2025 spring season Arlington Renegades TE Sal Cannella (with Packers in 2022) OL Adrian Ealy (2021) DE Chris Odom (2017) Birmingham Stallions QB Alex McGough (2023-24) WR Amari Rodgers (2021 third-round pick, 2021-22) OL Cole Schneider (2022-23) TE Jace Sternberger (2019 third-round pick, 2019-21) DC Defenders CB Kiondre Thomas (2022-23) Houston Roughnecks DL Olive Sagapolu (2019) Memphis Showboats No former Packers Michigan Panthers QB Danny Etling (2021-23) RB Nate McCrary (2023-24) WR Malik Turner (2020) San Antonio Brahmas LB Tariq Carpenter (2022 seventh-round pick, 2022-23) OLB Kobe Jones (2022) OL Chuck Filiaga (2023) TE Alize Mack (2022) S Henry Black (2020-21) St. Louis Battlehawks QB Manny Wilkins (2019-2020) RB Jarveon Howard (2024) Last year, the Stallions beat the Brahmas 25-0 to win the first UFL Championship Game. The Stallions have won three straight titles dating back to 2022.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Packers on final UFL rosters for 2025 season
The Green Bay Packers will have former players on seven of the eight teams in the United Football League (UFL) to start the 2025 season. All eight teams set final 50-man rosters on Wednesday. Five different teams have multiple former Packers, with the San Antonio Brahmas leading the way with five. Among the former Packers on UFL rosters are three draft picks of general manager Brian Gutekunst and three former Packers quarterbacks. The biggest name players are tight end Jace Sternberger and receiver Amari Rodgers, two third-round picks who didn't work out in Green Bay but have found great success at this lower level with the Birmingham Stallions. Others include three former backup quarterbacks developed under Matt LaFleur. The UFL will begin a 10-week regular season on Friday, March 28. The season ends with the 2025 UFL Championship Game on Saturday, June 14. Here are the former Packers on UFL rosters to start the 2025 spring season TE Sal Cannella (with Packers in 2022) OL Adrian Ealy (2021) DE Chris Odom (2017) QB Alex McGough (2023-24) WR Amari Rodgers (2021 third-round pick, 2021-22) OL Cole Schneider (2022-23) TE Jace Sternberger (2019 third-round pick, 2019-21) CB Kiondre Thomas (2022-23) DL Olive Sagapolu (2019) No former Packers QB Danny Etling (2021-23) RB Nate McCrary (2023-24) WR Malik Turner (2020) LB Tariq Carpenter (2022 seventh-round pick, 2022-23) OLB Kobe Jones (2022) OL Chuck Filiaga (2023) TE Alize Mack (2022) S Henry Black (2020-21) QB Manny Wilkins (2019-2020) RB Jarveon Howard (2024) Last year, the Stallions beat the Brahmas 25-0 to win the first UFL Championship Game. The Stallions have won three straight titles dating back to 2022. This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Former Packers on final UFL rosters for 2025 season
Fox Sports
23-02-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
UFL 2025: Breaking down upcoming season by the numbers
Here's what to know about the upcoming 2025 UFL season by the numbers: 43: League media partners FOX, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, and ESPN Deportes will present all 43 UFL games during the league's second season (40 regular-season games, two playoff games, one championship game). 21: FOX Sports will show 21 regular-season and postseason games across FOX (20) and FS1 (1) this season. 10: The number of weeks in the regular season and the number of live regular-season matchups on Fridays as part of the new FOX UFL Friday. Action begins with UFL Kickoff Weekend on Friday, March 28. The kickoff game will be the first of many games held on a Friday this year, as the league adds Friday night football to its 2025 campaign. 8: The UFL features eight teams — four former USFL and four former XFL teams. The USFL Conference is made up of the Birmingham Stallions , Houston Roughnecks , Memphis Showboats and Michigan Panthers . The XFL Conference includes the Arlington Renegades , DC Defenders , San Antonio Brahmas and St. Louis Battlehawks . 5: This season's number of doubleheaders, which will be broadcast on FOX, ESPN and ABC. 4: The UFL is owned by four entities — FOX Sports, RedBird Capital Partners, Dany Garcia and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. FOX Sports owns half of the league, while the other half is shared by the other three. Garcia was previously the co-owner and chair of the XFL. 2: The conference championships, which will feature the top two teams with the best records in their respective conferences playing against each other for a spot in the title game, will air on Sunday, June 8 on ABC (3 p.m. ET) and FOX (6 p.m. ET). The 2025 UFL Championship Game will follow on June 14. 74: The percentage of all UFL games that will air either on FOX or ABC this season. 7: The number of cities hosting UFL games this season. Season tickets for the 2025 season are available in Arlington, Birmingham, D.C., Houston, Memphis, San Antonio and St. Louis and are on sale now at . 25-0: The Stallions shut out the Brahmas in the inaugural UFL Championship Game last year, 25-0. The win marked the third straight spring football title for Birmingham after back-to-back USFL championships in 2022 and 2023. 250: The number of UFL players who were called to the NFL for workouts after Year 1, with 78 individuals signing contracts to attend 30 NFL team training camps and 21 stars landing on NFL rosters . Read more: What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League Who's coaching the UFL this season? See the complete staffs for all eight teams 2025 UFL Championship odds: Birmingham Stallions early favorites to win it all 2025 UFL schedule: Dates, times, when does the regular season start? UFL announces the team matchups for 2025 season 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
