After parlaying an all-star USFL season with the Birmingham Stallions into an All-Pro rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys, Brandon Aubrey set quite a standard for kickers.
And when Stallions coach Skip Holtz looked at all the options available to fill the void, Chris Blewitt was by far the best one.
“Well, watching him kick, here was a guy that was a proven entity,” Holtz said. “When we first drafted Brandon, there was a huge unknown, very similar to what Michigan just did in taking the kicker that they just took (Jake Bates), who now I’ve watched kick a 64-yarder on TV and then a 62-yarder against us.
“But the thing about Chris is, you’re getting a proven entity with very little risk. And so, it was an easy decision for (special teams coach Chris Boniol) and myself to say, “This guy is the guy.’”
Two games into the 2024 United Football League season, Blewitt has stepped in and stepped up to fill the gap left by Aubrey’s departure to the NFL.
Blewitt has made five of six field goals for the Stallions, going four-for-four in Sunday’s 20-13 victory over the Michigan Panthers. He leads in the team in points scored with 18 despite the UFL rule that eliminates PAT kicks.
“It was great to see Chris put those 12 points up on the board … that was really nice,” Holtz said. “I think he’s doing a really good job kicking the ball.”
In the 2023 USFL season, Blewitt played in just eight games for the Pittsburgh Maulers but still managed to finish tenth in the league in scoring, notching 73 points on the strength of 21 field goals and 10 extra points.
When the USFL and XFL merged to form the UFL, the Maulers folded and Blewitt came to the Stallions via the dispersal draft.
The 28-year-old played college ball for the Pitt Panthers, where he finished as the school’s all-time kick scoring leader with 363 points from 55 field goals and 198 PATs.
So far, he has been unable to find a landing spot with an NFL club.
He spent three months with the Chicago Bears before being waived two months before the start of the 2019 season, but finally got his opportunity with the Washington Football Club in 2021. Unfortunately, he had three kicks blocked over two games, and was cut by the club in November.
A spot on the Cleveland Browns practice squad in December of 2021 led to a reserve/futures contract, but that didn’t work out, either.
Spring football, however, has given him a new opportunity.
And like Aubrey, a good season with the Stallions could open up a door to the NFL.
“We played against him last year and thought he did a good job with his leg,” Holtz said. “He’s really solid. He’s very accurate and very fundamentally sound with what he does.
“And so, when we went looking for a kicker, he was one of the top guys on the notch.”
Birmingham fans will get to see him in action for the first time in 2024 when the Stallions (2-0) make their UFL home debut against the Memphis Showboats (1-1) on Saturday at Protective Stadium.
Game time is set for 6 p.m. CDT.
Earlier today, the club announced that seats in sections 110 and 142 will cost only $10.
I thoroughly enjoy your Stallions coverage. Keep it coming!