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Spring football is here again, as the UFL starts its third season since the merger between the XFL and USFL. Football in the spring is still largely a year-to-year experiment. Viewership was primarily down for the UFL in 2025, but the league survived another year and is headed into 2026 with a number of former NFL and college football players you might recognize. The league isn't unchanged, as three new teams have replaced previous teams, while two more have rebranded. The D.C. Defenders are the reigning champions, winning the 2025 title in convincing fashion with a 58-point explosion against the Michigan . The Defenders are looking to become the first back-to-back champion since the merger. Here's a look at the UFL's quarterbacks and other notable players in 2026. MORE: Quarterbacks in the UFL QB UFL team College Taylor Elgersma Birmingham Stallions Wilfrid Laurier (CAN) Matt Corral Birmingham Stallions Ole Mi s Michael Hiers Birmingham Stallions Samford Donovan Smith Birmingham Stallions Texas Tech Jalan McClendon Columbus Aviators Baylor Jalen Morton Columbus Aviators Prairie View A&M Aidan Sayin Columbus Aviators Penn Luis Perez Dallas Renegades Texas A&M-Commerce Luke Lehnen Dallas Renegades North Central Cody Ceci Jersey Austin Reed Dallas Renegades Western Kentucky Mike DiLiello DC Defenders Austin Peay Spencer Sanders DC Defenders Ole Mi s Jordan Ta'amu DC Defenders Ole Mi s Hunter Dekkers Houston Gamblers Iowa State Nolan Henderson Houston Gamblers Delaware Taulia Tagovailoa Houston Gamblers Maryland Jason Bean Louisville Kings Kansas N'Kosi Perry Louisville Kings FAU Chandler Rogers Louisville Kings California Hank Bachmeier Orlando Storm Wake Forest Jack Plummer Orlando Storm Louisville Dorian Thompson-Robinson Orlando Storm UCLA Harrison Frost St. Louis Battlehawks Mercer Brandon Silvers St. Louis Battlehawks Troy Only one UFL quarterback on a current roster has made an NFL start: Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who started five games for the between 2023 and 2024. He is playing forthe Orlando Storm this season. There are still some notable former college football quarterbacks on UFL rosters. Birmingham's Matt Corral garnered some Heisman Trophy consideration at Ole Mi s in 2021 and was a third-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2022, but he never appeared in an NFL game. Taulia Tagovailoa, brother of Tua, was a longtime starter at Maryland, while N'Kosi Perry saw starts at Miami and Jason Bean got some run at Kansas when Jalon Daniels was injured. Hank Bachmeier (Wake Forest), Hunter Dekkers (Iowa State) and Donovan Smith (Texas Tech) also served as power-conference starters. Aidan Sayin is a new addition, as he is the brother of Ohio State QB Julian Sayin and will be playing in familiar territory for the family with the Columbus Aviators. Here's a look at the other notable players on UFL rosters: MORE: Other notable UFL players John Ro s, WR, Birmingham Stallions A former holder of the NFL Combine record for fastest 40-yard dash, Ro s was selected ninth overall by the in the 2017 draft but struggled to catch on. Ro s finally landed a larger role in 2019 but suffered an injury after putting up 506 yards and three touchdowns acro s eight games, and he would haul in only 14 more receptions between stops with the and after Cincinnati. Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Birmingham Stallions A second-round pick of the in 2020, Shenault showed promise with a 600-yard season in an otherwise dismal year for Jacksonville as a rookie but struggled to break through in the years that followed. Shenault was traded to the Panthers in 2022 and last played with the and in 2024. Benny Snell, RB, Louisville Kings A standout running back at Kentucky in 2018, Snell was selected by the in the fourth round of the 2019 draft and served as a change-of-pace back in Pittsburgh in both 2019 and 2020. Snell last played in the NFL in 2022 and never appeared in a game for a team other than the Steelers. Deandre Baker, CB, D.C. Defenders Baker was selected No. 30 overall by the Giants in 2019 and started 15 of 16 games in his rookie season. The Georgia product was arrested on armed robbery charges in 2020 and later released by the Giants, but he latched on with the and spent two seasons in Kansas City after the charges were dropped. Greg Ward Jr., WR, Dallas Renegades A standout quarterback at Houston, Ward converted to wide receiver in the NFL and latched on with the Eagles, starting 10 games when Philadelphia was short on healthy receivers in 2020. Ward totaled 768 yards and 10 touchdowns in three seasons in Philadelphia, and he was on the receiving end of Jalen Hurts' first NFL touchdown pa s. MORE: Denzel Mims, WR, Dallas Renegades The Jets were thrilled to see Denzel Mims fall to them near the end of the second round in a 2020 draft loaded with wide receiver talent, but Mims simply didn't pan out. The Baylor standout posted only 676 yards in three seasons in New York, never finding the end zone, and he never appeared in a game with another NFL team. Damon Arnette, CB, Houston Gamblers Arnette was a surprise first-round pick of the Raiders in 2020, but he only appeared in 13 games with Las Vegas before his release in 2021. Off-field i sues contributed heavily to Arnette's quick fall out of the NFL, as he has been arrested multiple times and was released after a video surfaced showing him brandishing a gun and making threats. Gareon Conley, CB, D.C. Defenders Another former Raiders first-round pick who flamed out in the NFL, Conley started 26 games acro s three seasons, recording four interceptions. After being traded to the Texans in the middle of the 2019 season, Conley never resurfaced in the NFL. Justyn Ro s, WR, Birmingham Stallions Ro s was a major part of Clemson's succe s in the late 2010s, but he was derailed by a congenital spinal i sue in college and went undrafted in 2022. Ro s did spend time with the Chiefs, but he only recorded six catches in Kansas City and last played in the NFL in 2024. KJ Hamler, WR, Orlando Storm Hamler was part of a crowded wide receiver cla s in the 2020 draft but struggled to stick after the Broncos selected him in the second round. The Penn State product posted 381 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie but recorded only 12 NFL catches over the following two seasons and hasn't played at the NFL level since 2022. Cameron Dantzler, CB, Louisville Kings Dantzler was a third-round pick of the Vikings in 2020 and started 10 of his 11 games as a rookie. The Virginia Tech product made 26 starts over three seasons in Minnesota and recorded three interceptions. Quentin Musty Jersey |
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