Skip Holtz has coached 24 professional spring football games and won 21 of them. Oh, he also guided his team – the Birmingham Stallions – to a pair of United States Football League championships.
But the USFL, or what’s left of it, anyway, joins the XFL remnants in the new United Football League. So now Holtz will try to help his charges earn the same old hardware in a brand-new venture.
And he couldn’t wait to get started.
“Yesterday was the first day we were able to get on the grass,” Holtz said on Wednesday following a workout at the UFL base in Arlington, Texas. “I saw the quarterbacks throw, and we were able to run some plays against each other a little bit. We were just in shorts and helmets so it wasn’t full speed and there certainly wasn’t any contact, but just watching these guys walking around … seeing body types and athleticism, seeing where they are mentally … I’m really excited about this team and it’s going to make the cutdowns extremely difficult.
“So, the next 10 days is a really hard evaluations process for where we are and who’re going to be the 58 that are going to get through this first cut that we’re gonna have to make a week from Saturday.”
With two leagues of 16 teams now down to one circuit of eight, there’s no question that every UFL club taking the field will be stronger than the one that played in 2023. Competing in the inaugural UFL season along with the Stallions are the Arlington Renegades, DC Defenders, Houston Roughnecks, Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers, San Antonio Brahmas and St. Louis Battlehawks.
And the Stallions – on paper – look loaded again.
The quarterback room features J’Mar Smith, Matt Corral, Adrian Martinez and Jalen Morton. Ultimately, that means a really good signal caller is going to get cut.
“We have two returnees in J’Mar and Jalen, so they know the system,” Holtz explained. “Right now, it’s been all learning for Matt and Adrian, and they probably don’t really have a good grasp on the basic concepts we’re teaching yet. But I’ve really been pleased with the way both Adrian and Matt have picked it up, with the way that they’re learning it.
“They’re extremely talented quarterbacks, both with their arms and their legs … quick feet. They both have dual threat capabilities where they can utilize their feet much like (former Stallions QB Alex McGough) did.”
A lot of fan favorites return to the fold – and they also happen to be excellent players.
CJ Marable will still be toting the freight, guys like Victor Bolden, Deon Cain and Jace Sternberger will still be catching passes, and the hits will keep coming courtesy of defensive standouts such as linebackers DeMarquis Gates and Scooby Wright.
In addition, there will be plenty of new faces, guys who made impacts in places other than Birmingham.
“I never doubt what Skip Holtz does,” UFL director of football operations Daryl Johnson said during a recent visit to Birmingham. “(General manager) Zach Potter has flipped the roster again and the more he proves his value and gains the trust of Skip, the more he gets the authority to do what’s needed. If you look at the transactions, Birmingham has a great chance to start this journey and be very, very competitive.”
Johnston adds, however, that the remaining teams in the league have reason for optimism as well.
“Memphis is exponentially better than they were last year,” he said. “Curtis Johnson has done a great job at Houston, Bob Stoops has done a great job in Arlington, and you know St. Louis is gonna have a chip on its shoulder because of not making the playoffs last year and thinking they deserved to be there.
“DC was 9-1 and had the best record in the (XFL) and got beat in the championship game, so there are some great stories going into 2024.”
The Stallions open at Arlington on March 30 in a battle of defending USFL and XFL champions. And while no one knows which team from which former league will earn bragging rights, Holtz is confident it’ll be a great showcase for the UFL.
He also hopes it’ll give fans a good idea of what to expect from the back-to-back USFL crown holders.
“There’s going to be a lot written on that game, but we have a different team than last year, Arlington is going to have a different team, DC is going to be different, St Louis is going to be different, Memphis …. we’ve infused a lot of talent on every one of these teams,” Holtz said. “But I would like to think that we’re going to be a disciplined football team. We’re not going to beat ourselves, and we’re going to do everything we can to play championship football.”
2024 BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS TRAINING CAMP ROSTER
| No. | Name | Position | College |
| 71 | Calvin Ashley | G | Auburn |
| 80 | Kevin Austin Jr. | WR | Notre Dame |
| 85 | Marcus Baugh | TE | Ohio State |
| 30 | Chris Blewitt | K | Pittsburgh |
| 21 | Bubba Bolden | CB | Miami (FL) |
| 10 | Slade Bolden | WR | Alabama |
| 7 | Victor Bolden Jr. | WR | Oregon State |
| 26 | Terrell Bonds | CB | Tennessee State |
| 65 | Deonte Brown | G | Alabama |
| 29 | Ike Brown | CB | Florida International |
| 22 | Lorenzo Burns | CB | Arizona |
| 69 | Cohl Cabral | OC | Arizona State |
| 8 | Deon Cain | WR | Clemson |
| 59 | Owen Carney | DE | Illinois |
| 20 | T.J. Carter | S | TCU |
| 14 | Nevelle Clarke | DB | Central Florida |
| 79 | Larnel Coleman | T | Massachusetts |
| 2 | Matt Corral | QB | Mississippi |
| 96 | Carlos Davis | NT | Nebraska |
| 75 | Christian DiLauro | T | Illinois |
| 74 | O’Shea Dugas | OL | Louisiana Tech |
| 47 | DeMarquis Gates | ILB | Mississippi |
| 28 | Mark Gilbert | CB | Duke |
| 77 | Derwin Gray | T | Maryland |
| 76 | Darius Harper | T | Cincinnati |
| 36 | Madre Harper | CB | Southern Illinois |
| 44 | Bobby Holly | FB | Louisiana Tech |
| 48 | Travin Howard | ILB | TCU |
| 19 | Daniel Isom | CB | Washington State |
| 1 | Chris Jackson | CB | Marshall |
| 5 | Gary Jennings | WR | West Virginia |
| 68 | Zack Johnson | G | North Dakota State |
| 63 | Matt Kaskey | G | Dartmouth |
| 55 | Carlo Kemp | DE | Michigan |
| 88 | Chris Lacy | WR | Oklahoma State |
| 27 | Ryan Langan | LS | Georgia Southern |
| 51 | Damon Lloyd | LB | Indiana (Pa.) |
| 11 | C.J. Marable | RB | Coastal Carolina |
| 9 | Adrian Martinez | QB | Kansas State |
| 50 | Hercules Mata’afa | DE | Washington State |
| 37 | Mark Milton | CB | Baylor |
| 95 | DaMarcus Mitchell | DE | Purdue |
| 13 | Myron Mitchell | WR | UAB |
| 18 | Jalen Morton | QB | Prairie View A&M |
| 54 | Chris Orr | ILB | Wisconsin |
| 23 | Ricky Person Jr. | RB | North Carolina State |
| 24 | Kenny Robinson Jr. | S | West Virginia |
| 3 | Amari Rodgers | WR | Clemson |
| 67 | Jahmir Ross-Johnson | T | Texas A&M |
| 34 | Larry Roundtree III | RB | Missouri |
| 92 | Anree Saint-Amour | DE | Georgia Tech |