Author: Scott Adamson

During the two-year revival of the modern United States Football League, Skip Holtz led the Birmingham Stallions to back-to-back titles, a 21-3 overall record, and earned a Coach of the Year nod.

Beginning in March, he’ll try to guide the Stallions to a threepeat spanning two leagues.

Birmingham – along with a combination of seven other former USFL and XFL teams – will usher in the era of the United Football League this spring. The two-time USFL Stallions will open against the XFL titlist Arlington Renegades on March 30 at Choctaw Stadium.

“What an exciting time right now for everybody,” said Holtz, who was at Protective Stadium in Birmingham on Tuesday to talk about the upcoming season. “I know there’s been a lot of questions out there about how it’s gonna work or how we’re gonna do it, and we have as many questions as everybody else does.

“We’re in the process right now of getting these questions answered as far as rules and how we’re going to do dispersal drafts, so it’s unique and it’s new for everybody. I think the thing that excites me the most is that there are going to be eight cities around the country that are going to have the opportunity to host and support spring football, and Birmingham is one of them.”

Training camp opens in Arlington on February 24, and all eight teams will use it as a hybrid hub; players will live and train there, but play games in home markets.

Birmingham, the Houston Roughnecks, Memphis Showboats and Michigan Panthers comprise the USFL Division, with Arlington, the DC Defenders, San Antonio Brahmas and St. Louis Battlehawks populating the XFL Division.

Teams that failed to survive the merger were the New Jersey Generals, New Orleans Breakers, Philadelphia Stars and Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL and Orlando Guardians, Seattle Sea Dragons and Vegas Vipers of the XFL.

The Houston Gamblers of the USFL will assume the identity of the XFL Roughnecks, meaning for all practical purposes the UFL is an even split of four teams from each league.

“I know it was disappointing for the four out of each league that weren’t able to be part of this, but hopefully, we can make this work,” Holtz said. “We’re gonna watch this continue to grow and hopefully those other eight will be back together again. I think there’s been an incredible amount of vision on how to make this work.

“I think it’s great for spring football and solidifies spring football. It’s gonna make the product even better than it has been.”

Although 2023 USFL MVP Alex McGough is now with the Green Bay Packers, former starting quarterback J’Mar Smith is back with the Stallions.

There are also plenty of other familiar faces returning to the roster, including wide receivers Victor Bolden Jr., Deon Cain and Amari Rodgers, tight end Jace Sternberger, and running backs CJ Marable and Ricky Person Jr.

Defensively, linebacker Scooby Wright is back with Birmingham for the third consecutive year, and Kyahva Tezino (linebacker) and Travin Howard (linebacker) are some free agent signings that should bolster the 2024 bruise crew. All-USFL cornerback Channing Stribling, who played with the now defunct Philadelphia Stars last season, was picked up on Monday via the dispersal draft, along with Anree Saint-Amour (defensive end, New Orleans Breakers), Chris Orr (linebacker, New Jersey Generals), and Hercules Mata’Afa (defensive end, Generals).

“We’ve lost a lot of good players, but we’re adding a lot of good players,” Holtz said. “J’Mar is coming back after injuring his finger last year, and he was the quarterback who helped lead us to the championship in our first season. And we’ve added a guy like Adrian Martinez, who was a college quarterback at Kansas State and Nebraska, and had great success.

“Scooby Wright, Mr. Excitement – the Shark-Dog – is back and we added guys like Tezino and Orr … I think the talent level in this league is going to go up. If you’re not getting better, you’re getting passed.”

And while kickers don’t always land in the spotlight, that’s not the case with the Stallions.

Brandon Aubrey parlayed a successful run with Birmingham into an NFL All-Pro rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys, and this spring he’ll be replaced by Chris Blewitt.

Blewitt, who spent time with three NFL clubs, played for the Pittsburgh Maulers last season. He finished with 94 points and made 27 of 33 field goals, including a five against the Stars in an April 30, 2023, USFL matchup.

As for the coaching staff, there have been several changes heading into a new league and new year.

“We’ve got some staples that are returning,” Holtz said. “John Chavis, our defensive coordinator, is going to return, and we’re bringing back both Bill Johnson and Corey Chamblin, who were our defensive line coach and secondary coach the first year we were here.”

Mikes Jones returns to handle wide receivers, Daric Riley will coach cornerbacks, Steven Smith will coach the offensive line and Chris Boniol will again be in charge of special teams.

“There are some new faces in there,” Holtz said. “I felt like it was important with us going in since half the teams we play are coming from the XFL that I have no knowledge of or have never played against, that we bring in some guys from that side.”

Johnson was D-line coach for the XFL Roughnecks last season while Chamblin worked for the Brahmas in 2023

As for rule changes, Holtz said that remains a work in progress. The UFL will adopt XFL conversions (no PATS, only tiered one, two, and three-point scrimmage plays) and the USFL kickoff formation (ball is kicked off from the 20 and kicking team members must be stationary until the ball is kicked. The receiving team must have a minimum of eight players and maximum of nine lined up between its 30 and 40-yard line).

The UFL will hold another dispersal draft on January 15.

All teams will bring 75 players to camp but rosters must be cut down to 50 by opening weekend.

Each club will play a 10-game regular season.

“Wow, a new league … it’s really exciting,” Holtz said. “The product is gonna get better, it’s gonna get stronger, and I think there’s gonna be even more interest with Fox and ABC and ESPN and everybody involved.

“Where before you had everybody pulling the rope in a different direction, now we’re pulling the rope in the same direction and we stopped fighting each other. And I think you’re gonna see the UFL really take off from where it is today.”

BIRMINGHAM ROSTER