Holtz excited about UFL’s future

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.

Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Threads @sladamson1960 and Adamsonmedia on Facebook.

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

NamePositionCollegePrevious Team
Calvin AshleyOTAuburnNJ
Marcus BaughTEOhio StNO
Chris BlewittKPittsburghPIT
Victor Bolden Jr.WROregon St
Lorenzo BurnsCBArizona
Cohl CabralOCArizona St
Deon CainWRClemson
Cam CarterOTMurray StNJ
TJ CarterSTCU
Nevelle ClarkeDBUCF
Christian DiLauroOTIllinois
O’Shea DugasOGLouisiana Tech
Derwin GrayOTMaryland
Darius HarperOTCincinnati
Travin HowardLBTCU
Daniel IsomSWashington St.PHI
Chris JacksonCBMarshall
Gary JenningsWRWest Virginia
Zack JohnsonOGNorth Dakota St
Matt KaskeyOGDartmouth
Carlo KempDEMichigan
Damon LloydLBIndiana (Pa.)
CJ MarableRBCoastal Carolina
Adrian MartinezQBKansas St
Hercules Mata’afaDEWashington StNJ
Mark MiltonCBBaylor
DaMarcus MitchellOLBPurdue
Chris OrrILBWisconsinNJ
Ricky Person Jr.RBNorth Carolina St
Kenny RobinsonSWest Virginia
Amari RodgersWRClemson
Anree Saint-AmourDEGeorgia TechNO
Cole SchneiderOCUCF
J’Mar SmithQBLouisiana Tech
Jace SternbergerTETexas A&M
Channing StriblingCBMichiganPHI
Elijah SullivanOLBKansas St
Alex Taylor-PrioleauOTSouth Carolina St
Kyahva TezinoILBSan Diego St
Jordan ThompsonDTNorthwestern
JoJo TillerySWofford
Dondrea TillmanDEIndiana (Pa.)
Jaylen TwymanDTPittsburgh
Binjimen VictorWROhio St
Colby WadmanPCal-Davis
Eli WalkerFSKansas StPIT
Tre’Vour Wallace-SimmsOGMissouri
Curtis WeaverDEBoise St
James WigginsSSCincinnatiNO
Marlon WilliamsWRUCF
Marvin WilsonDTFlorida St
Scooby Wright IIIILBArizona
Willie YarbaryDLWake Forest

The United Football League

OK, so one league with eight teams merges with another league with eight teams and the result is … one eight-team league?

That’s the new reality of spring professional football now that the USFL and XFL have blended parts of their families to form the United Football League.

Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Threads @sladamson1960 and Adamsonmedia on Facebook.

The UFL – not to be confused with the original UFL (1961-64) or the second UFL (2009-12) – is comprised of four XFL survivors (Arlington Renegades, DC Defenders, San Antonio Brahmas and St. Louis Battlehawks) and four former USFL clubs (Birmingham Stallions, Houston, Memphis Showboats and Michigan Panthers). Houston – known as the Gamblers during its two USFL years – has rebranded as the Roughnecks, which played in both the 2020 and 2023 XFL. They’ll be led by Curtis Johnson, who was the head coach of the Gamblers last season.

Skip Holtz (Stallions), Mike Nolan (Panthers), Bob Stoops (Renegades), Reggie Barlow (Defenders) and Anthony Becht (Battlehawks) return to their respective teams this spring. Wade Phillips, who coached the Roughnecks last year, has moved to San Antonio.

John DeFilippo coached the USFL New Orleans Breakers in 2023 and has taken over as boss of the Showboats.

Fox and ESPN will be the primary broadcast partners.

Arlington, the defending XFL champion, will play the two-time defending USFL champion Birmingham to kick-off the inaugural season on March 30. No site has been officially announced but speculation is that the game will be contested in Arlington, where league headquarters are located.

Training camp opens there on February 24.

Birmingham, Houston, Memphis and Michigan will play in the USFL Division, with Arlington, DC, San Antonio and St. Louis populating the XFL Division.

Gone from the USFL contingent are the New Jersey Generals, Breakers, Philadelphia Stars and Pittsburgh Maulers, while the XFL shuttered the Orlando Guardians, Seattle Sea Dragons and Vegas Vipers.

This merger, as it turns out, is really a combination of contracted leagues. Russ Brandon (former President and CEO of the XFL) will be the President and CEO of the UFL, while Daryl Johnston (former USFL President of Football Operations) will assume a similar role with the new venture.

Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson broke the news on FOX on New Year’s Eve, and unveiled a logo that was obviously inspired by the 2023 XFL logo. That leads me to believe the UFL will have more of an XFL “feel.”

That seems even more true if Arlington follows the hybrid hub model utilized by XFL 3.0. The Washington Post reports that’ll be the case, with teams practicing and living in the area throughout the regular season.

Teams will travel to their home and road games – well, Arlington will already be home – but the other seven teams will have to fly or drive to their host stadiums.

Think of it as a situation where the kids spend all week at their boarding school but get to see their parents on the weekend.

It’s better than the USFL hub situation, but not as good as a home team having, you know, an actual home.

“From day one, our mission has been to expand the game of football and be a league of opportunity, culture and innovation,” Johnson said. “As we come together to create the UFL, we can build something powerful, exciting and very cool for football fans – a spring league with lasting impact for all the players with a dream to play pro football and the ‘hardest workers in the room’ mentality to make their dreams come true.”

Added Garcia, “This new venture is possible because of a shared visionary mindset, a profound passion for the game, and first-hand experience living and creating the opportunities that football makes possible. As a unified spring league, we are able to deepen our commitment to unlocking and surpassing the dreams of our players, coaches, staff and fans. This league represents continued legacy and evolution, and we look forward to building the universe of spring football.”

While all of us who enjoy alternative football are glad it’ll return for a third consecutive year, I was hoping more than eight clubs would tee it up next spring.

I didn’t necessarily expect a 16-team league, but I thought surely there’d be 12. Eliminate the redundancies (Houston Gamblers and Roughnecks) and weed out a couple of the clubs that generated little fan interest, sure. But now 2024 basically just takes us back to 2022 where players were fighting for roughly 400 roster spots instead of the 800 available in 2023.

This’ll result in a higher concentration of talent on each club, of course, but it also means less opportunities for guys who want to keep playing for pay.

From a fan standpoint, the USFL cuts make the most sense. Despite branding themselves New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Houston and New Orleans, the Generals, Stars, Maulers, Gamblers and Breakers never once played in those cities.

It’s hard to feel a sense of loss when you lose something you never really had.

I do feel for the folks who supported Orlando, Seattle and Vegas in XFL, but I think the biggest loser in the merger might be Canton.

Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium hosted the USFL playoffs and championship in 2022, and last year the city was also the home base for the Generals and Maulers.

The league asked a lot of the fans in northeast Ohio to come out and support teams that weren’t theirs, and now they’re left with nothing.

As for the biggest winner, that would be the Canadian Football League. While there is only roster room for 20 international players per club, the CFL now has eight less teams south of its border to compete with.

Naturally, my hope – and the hope of fellow spring football supporters – is that the UFL takes root, expands, survives and ultimately thrives.

To do that, it’ll need to widen its footprint by entering more major markets (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, for example); identify roughly 20,000 host city fans willing to show up for games week in and week out; and become a TV product that draws eyes long after the novelty of “offseason” football wears off.

To that end, here’s wishing not just one Happy New Year to the United Football League – but many happy years to come.

Watch out, NFL

Think you’re spoiled by watching the best 32 football teams in the world play this fall and winter?

Well, hang on to your helmets, my fellow gridiron geeks, because in 2024 that number will rise to 56.

Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Threads @sladamson1960 and Adamsonmedia on Facebook.

Yessir, the National Football League is in for some serious competition next year when Major League Football hits the gridiron with 24 franchises scattered across the fruited plain.

The MLF Eastern Conference is made up of the North Division (Connecticut, New York, Oklahoma and Rochester), Central Division (North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia), and South Division (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Orlando).

Over in the Western Conference we’ve got the North Division (Dakota, Nebraska, Portland and Salt Lake City), Central Division (Iowa, Oakland, Sacramento and St. Louis), and South Division (Arkansas, Memphis, San Antonio and San Diego).

Before I go any further with this game-changing news, we need to make sure we’re all on the same page.

This Major League Football (which was scheduled to launch in 2021, but postponed to 2022, then postponed again until 2023, and now plans to kick-off in 2024) is not to be confused with the other Major League Football, which goes by the initialism “MLFB.” If you follow alternative leagues, you know MLFB has been trying to get off the ground since 2014 but just can’t quite to seem to figure out how to make it happen.

When we last saw that hard-luck circuit in “action” in July, 2022, more than 250 players had been kicked out of their motels because MLFB ran out of money during training camp in Mobile, Alabama.

But this Major League Football – or MLF – has no such baggage.

And how do we know it’s going to be top-tier?

Because it says so right there on the website:

Major League Football (MLF) is a new professional football league that will consist of 24 teams, most of them in the top 50 television markets. The season will be played during the Fall starting in 2024. MLF is not a secondary or inferior league to any other professional football league, but instead, a professional football league consisting of the very best players, coaches and staff.

There will be few changes to the rules of MLF games as compared to other professional football leagues. One major difference will be more affordable tickets and concession prices. In addition, there will be less penalties in order to speed up the pace and increase the excitement of the game. We look forward to bringing the United States the most exciting and competitive game of professional football.

There you have it … “MLF is not a secondary or inferior league to any other professional football league.”

If that’s the case, the Kansas City Chiefs might need to sweeten the pot for Patrick Mahomes lest the quarterback and insurance spokesperson decides to become the Joe Namath of MLF.

And Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts?

I can only imagine the bidding war the Alabama and Oklahoma clubs will wage over his services.

OK … I’m being just a tad facetious.

The NFL will not have competition next year. I kinda doubt it’ll have any real competition ever again.

And I’m sorry … for an upstart like this to come along and suggest it’s not a “secondary” league sets itself up for ridicule.

The USFL and XFL (and whatever the combined circuit will call itself if and when their merger goes through) don’t pretend to stand as equals of the NFL because they aren’t. It would be ridiculous if they presented themselves as such.

Instead, they provide a showcase for their players in hopes of getting them into the NFL. When it happens promotions are celebrated, even if it’s a practice squad spot.

Oh, and they play in the spring, avoiding competition with the NFL, high school and college football.

MLF officials, however, apparently think they can carve out a niche in the traditional football season playing minor league football. I wish them luck – sincerely – but I see no scenario where this succeeds.

I get that the majority of the potential franchises are not in NFL cities. And maybe if Sacramento and Portland each had, say, $300 million payrolls and were stocked with NFL all-stars who jumped leagues, they might draw a crowd for their version of the Cascadia Cup.

But I think it’s a safe bet that there will be no $300 million payrolls.

Even if the player salaries are comparable to those of the USFL/XFL (ranging anywhere from $59,000 to $74,000 per season), you still aren’t going to have a product that’s “not a secondary or inferior league to any other professional football league.”

That’s not a criticism, just a statement of fact.

And what about “big league” stadiums?

The largest one in Rochester is the Rochester Community Sports Complex, which has room for just under 14,000 spectators.

Dakota would (I assume) play in the Fargodome on the campus of North Dakota State University – which is a neat place, but has modest seating. The best they could hope for in a game between the Orlando Blooms and Dakota Fannings is 18,700. To help support a major league budget, ticket prices would have to be astronomical.

Yet the MLF mission statement plainly states there will be “more affordable” ticket and concessions prices, ruling out $10,000 box seats and $300 hot dogs.

So, when will we get more information?

Good question (even if I wrote it myself).

Other than what I’ve already included, there isn’t much more info, at least on the website. There’s a disclaimer that they aren’t associated with the MLFB (which, according to MLF, was illegally using its name and trademark), and that the schedule is coming next June.

Oh, and MLF is also hiring general managers and coaches, and candidates are asked to email their resume to [email protected].

Again, I wish it nothing but the best, but my expectations are so low they’re non-existent. I doubt it will get off the ground at all.

Still, I hope MLF proves me wrong.

And if Mahomes takes the opening snap for the San Antonio Banderas next September, I’ll cheerfully apologize for underestimating the league that brought the United States “ … the most exciting and competitive game of professional football.”