UFL Season Begins Today!
By: Kicks
We all love march madness, it’s the best tournament in the world, but the true football sickos are also excited for the UFL to get underway today. Don’t get me wrong I love me some college basketball that goes down to the wire, but nothing else compares to pounding the rock between the tackles and hearing those pads pop. If you haven’t been tapped into any of these spring leagues in the past, now is the time to do so. Before, there was a competition between the USFL and the XFL, but ever since they made the obvious choice to merge the leagues in 2024, it has been amazing at fitting it’s role as an NFL feeder league. They’re scheduled to play regular season games Fri-Sun over the next 10 weeks, so there’s plenty of time to fall in love with a team.
Don’t know which team to follow? There might be one closer to you than you think. The teams in the UFL for the 2026 season are:
Birmingham Stallions
Columbus Aviators*
Dallas Renegades
DC Defenders
Houston Gamblers
Louisville Kings*
Orlando Storm*
St. Louis Battlehawks
* = New Team
The Columbus Aviators, Louisville Kings, and Orlando Storm replaced the Michigan Panthers, Memphis Showboats, and San Antonio Brahmas.
I love the focus on putting these teams in cities that love football, it only adds to some of the franchises storylines. Louisville is going to be an interesting team this year because Kentucky doesn’t really have a true NFL team, so fans there tend to go all-in on whoever represents them. That kind of energy can carry a team. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Battlehawk games get just as loud as an NFL stadium. That fanbase has been starving for football ever since the Rams left, and you can feel it every time they play.
It may not be the big name guys you’re used to seeing son Sundays in the fall, but there’s been plenty of players who have gotten contracts from NFL teams after playing in a spring league. Since the 2024 merger, some notable names to come from the UFL are Cowboys K Brandon Aubrey, Lions K Jake Bates, and Cowboys KR/WR Kavontae Turpin. That’s just the names who made immediate NFL impact, there’s a number of guys who ended up securing practice squad or deep depth chart spots because of this league. Even before the merger, guys like PJ Walker came through spring leagues and turned it into actual NFL careers.
And it’s not just guys trying to break in. Some players are already established backups who just want to play. Look no further than a few seasons ago with AJ McCarron on the St. Louis Battlehawks. AJ had an amazing quote regarding all the questions as to why he would want to play in a spring league as a solidified NFL backup. He stated, “My 6 year old loves watching me. That's a big reason I chose to return this way” and further added, “the big thing, of course, is my kids being able to watch me play,” man how can you not be romantic about football after hearing that. It’s more than just contracts, it’s guys being able to live out their dreams for themselves and their families.
If the player storylines can’t get you to tune in, then look no further at the production. During these spring games FOX will toy-around with their coverage. In the past they’ve done mid game interviews with players right after a big play, and I think that’s so sick. Imagine if you got NFL guys immediate thoughts after they make a highlight play, we’d be getting a lot more moments like Richard Sherman’s iconic “I’m the best corner in the game,” in the 2013 NFC championship. The behind the scenes production gets experimental during the spring, and anything that the public really loves has the potential to be offered up during NFL coverage come fall.
I truly believe that this league can be a successful feeder to the NFL, and in the endgame as it keeps growing it could serve the same purpose as the MLB Minor leagues or the NBA G-League. Don’t be shocked in 10 years if every NFL team has their own UFL affiliate, and for that to start we’ve got to rally behind this league and give it some traction.
So the next time you’re surfing through the channels on the weekend, toss on a UFL game and trust me you won’t be disappointed.