Speaking of restructuring... check out what the UFL is doing
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I saw a tweet this morning that Anthony Becht was just announced as the HC of the newly formed UFL team, Orlando Storm. Becht is a former Rams LB and until today was the HC of the St Louis Battlehawks from 2023-2025. He had a record of 22-8 as the HC of the Battlehawks and was respected and well-liked here. I haven't really kept up with what's happening in the UFL, but when I saw that announcement, I figured I should see what the heck is going on. Apparently, it's a lot... and to fans of the league ... it ain't all good at all. Found this article that explains:
UFL Breaking Promise to Fans, Teams Facing 2nd Redraft in 3 Seasons
4 days ago Jonathan Clink
The UFL’s offseason of chaos took another sharp turn on Thursday with the revelation that team rosters will be “blown up”. Just over a month after the UFL Communications Department released a statement explicitly stating that “all team rosters will remain unchanged” during its football operations reorganization, it has been revealed that the rosters are going to be subject to a major overhaul period.
This news contradicts the statement from the league on November that assured fans that this was not going to happen. However, for the 2nd time in 3 seasons, the UFL has a redraft on the horizon.
Betrayed Trust: Roster Overhaul Despite Promises
The news that the rosters will be blown up initially came straight from Birmingham Stallions quarterback J’Mar Smith, who has been a fan favorite for 4 seasons and a key figure in the back-to-back-to-back championship run. Smith confirmed he will not be retained by the Stallions as the UFL manufactures this new era.
In a series of posts on X, Smith broke the news: “Every team is getting blown up. Coaches have an option to protect certain players within guidelines”. He later elaborated on his understanding of the guidelines: “Something about 200 miles radius from the team… Pretty sure it’s 10.” suggesting coaches can only protect up to 10 players, and those protections are limited by geographical proximity.
This information was later verified by newly hired Birmingham Stallions head coach AJ. McCarron through United Football Media, with rosters being redrafted on January 13 and 14. It is believed the league will have a draft for players under contract, and then a separate draft for new players entering the league, per James Larsen.
This shift further shatters the little remaining continuity in the UFL, further aligning the league to feel more similar to a temp agency than a professional sports league. You can read about some of the previous changes in the UFL’s philosophies I highlighted in early November: UFL’s Shift From Pro League to NFL Temp Agency is Recipe for Fan Disengagement.
Birmingham Bait and Switch
J’Mar Smith’s situation is the epitome of a perceived betrayal felt by some UFL fans. He signed with Birmingham for a fifth straight season this past August in a move that coincided with the announcement that the Stallions would not be among the teams relocating. The relocation decision came on the heels of a plea from Mike Repole, co-owner of the UFL calling for fans to buy season tickets: “The Birmingham Stallions are one of the league’s most historic franchises, but they’ve seen a massive drop in attendance… If you want the team, kindly show up. Our goal next year is 15k fans per game. Let’s get to 5k season ticket deposits this week.” The #SaveTheStallions campaign surged with fans purchasing tickets out of desperation to save the team.
Despite this fan-driven lifeline, the league now appears to be heading toward dismantling everything familiar with the Stallions. Not only is Smith, a key figure in the Stallions’ dynasty, being let go, but the sudden departure of head coach Skip Holtz was announced just on Tuesday. Holtz’s exit is believed to be heavily influenced by new ownership dynamics under Repole. The sudden change in identity leaves many fans questioning the value in their efforts to save the team, which suddenly is subject to losing the roster of players fan grew to love.
Some Stallions fans even want to cancel their season tickets over the perceived betrayal, but have been denied a refund.
Coaching Carousel: Name Recognition Over Experience
The hiring of new coaches, such as AJ McCarron to replace Holtz in Birmingham, raises concerns of prioritizing short-term publicity over long term performance. McCarron, a former NFL and St Louis Battlehawks quarterback with Alabama ties, brings name recognition but lacks coaching experience. This continues the trend of prioritizing name recognition over coaching experience, such as the recent hiring of Ted Gin Jr. to be the Head Coach of the Columbus Aviators, despite also not having any coaching experience at the collegiate or professional levels. Ginn Jr., while lacking in coaching experience, brings playing experience and name recognition from his time at Ohio State and over a decade in the NFL.
This new approach contrasts with the success of names like Holtz and Mike Nolan. Nolan, despite his coach of the year honors and appearance in the last UFL Championship, was let go as part of the new restructure and start fresh philosophy. This week also saw Dallas Renegades Head Coach Bob Stoops retire on Monday.
A League at a Crossroads
With less than 100 days until the March 28 kickoff, the UFL faces a pivotal moment. With drafts being held in mid January and training camps in February, there is little time to rebuild rosters and restore trust. The roster overhaul, geographic restrictions, inexperienced hires, and a league based on centralized control that celebrates player churn, driving players like Bryce Perkins and others to the CFL for stability.
Repole’s vision dismisses veterans, enforces turnover, and favors name recognition over experience. This offseason is turning the UFL into a temp agency. Fans crave stars, instead they are presented with a league relocating 3 of its 8 teams. This redraft is just 2 years after a roster redraft that followed the formation of the UFL with the merger of the XFL and USFL. The merger also saw the total number of teams slashed from 16 to 8 when the USL and XFL merged to create the UFL.
One of the most frequently asked for things from fans this offseason has been for more stability. Fans asked for their teams, like the San Antonio Brahmas and Michigan Panthers, not to relocate, but to no avail. When the UFL announced that “all team rosters will remain unchanged,” the news was received extremely positively by fans, with many celebrating the news. Now that the UFL is breaking that promise in its pursuit of roster churn. It’s not too late for the UFL to alter its course and champion some semblance of stability for its fanbase.
[uflnewshub.com]
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I have no idea if the Battlehawks will continue to get the fan support they've been accustomed to for the past several years. Sounds to me like the UFL won't be around much longer. I hate the current "Hub" structure anyhow. The Battlehawks aren't really a home team. They don't live here. They don't practice here. They're not part of the St Louis community. All of that is done in Texas and they breeze into St Louis 4 times a year for a home game. Kind of hard to think of them as the home team when they live and work elsewhere.
UFL Breaking Promise to Fans, Teams Facing 2nd Redraft in 3 Seasons
4 days ago Jonathan Clink
The UFL’s offseason of chaos took another sharp turn on Thursday with the revelation that team rosters will be “blown up”. Just over a month after the UFL Communications Department released a statement explicitly stating that “all team rosters will remain unchanged” during its football operations reorganization, it has been revealed that the rosters are going to be subject to a major overhaul period.
This news contradicts the statement from the league on November that assured fans that this was not going to happen. However, for the 2nd time in 3 seasons, the UFL has a redraft on the horizon.
Betrayed Trust: Roster Overhaul Despite Promises
The news that the rosters will be blown up initially came straight from Birmingham Stallions quarterback J’Mar Smith, who has been a fan favorite for 4 seasons and a key figure in the back-to-back-to-back championship run. Smith confirmed he will not be retained by the Stallions as the UFL manufactures this new era.
In a series of posts on X, Smith broke the news: “Every team is getting blown up. Coaches have an option to protect certain players within guidelines”. He later elaborated on his understanding of the guidelines: “Something about 200 miles radius from the team… Pretty sure it’s 10.” suggesting coaches can only protect up to 10 players, and those protections are limited by geographical proximity.
This information was later verified by newly hired Birmingham Stallions head coach AJ. McCarron through United Football Media, with rosters being redrafted on January 13 and 14. It is believed the league will have a draft for players under contract, and then a separate draft for new players entering the league, per James Larsen.
This shift further shatters the little remaining continuity in the UFL, further aligning the league to feel more similar to a temp agency than a professional sports league. You can read about some of the previous changes in the UFL’s philosophies I highlighted in early November: UFL’s Shift From Pro League to NFL Temp Agency is Recipe for Fan Disengagement.
Birmingham Bait and Switch
J’Mar Smith’s situation is the epitome of a perceived betrayal felt by some UFL fans. He signed with Birmingham for a fifth straight season this past August in a move that coincided with the announcement that the Stallions would not be among the teams relocating. The relocation decision came on the heels of a plea from Mike Repole, co-owner of the UFL calling for fans to buy season tickets: “The Birmingham Stallions are one of the league’s most historic franchises, but they’ve seen a massive drop in attendance… If you want the team, kindly show up. Our goal next year is 15k fans per game. Let’s get to 5k season ticket deposits this week.” The #SaveTheStallions campaign surged with fans purchasing tickets out of desperation to save the team.
Despite this fan-driven lifeline, the league now appears to be heading toward dismantling everything familiar with the Stallions. Not only is Smith, a key figure in the Stallions’ dynasty, being let go, but the sudden departure of head coach Skip Holtz was announced just on Tuesday. Holtz’s exit is believed to be heavily influenced by new ownership dynamics under Repole. The sudden change in identity leaves many fans questioning the value in their efforts to save the team, which suddenly is subject to losing the roster of players fan grew to love.
Some Stallions fans even want to cancel their season tickets over the perceived betrayal, but have been denied a refund.
Coaching Carousel: Name Recognition Over Experience
The hiring of new coaches, such as AJ McCarron to replace Holtz in Birmingham, raises concerns of prioritizing short-term publicity over long term performance. McCarron, a former NFL and St Louis Battlehawks quarterback with Alabama ties, brings name recognition but lacks coaching experience. This continues the trend of prioritizing name recognition over coaching experience, such as the recent hiring of Ted Gin Jr. to be the Head Coach of the Columbus Aviators, despite also not having any coaching experience at the collegiate or professional levels. Ginn Jr., while lacking in coaching experience, brings playing experience and name recognition from his time at Ohio State and over a decade in the NFL.
This new approach contrasts with the success of names like Holtz and Mike Nolan. Nolan, despite his coach of the year honors and appearance in the last UFL Championship, was let go as part of the new restructure and start fresh philosophy. This week also saw Dallas Renegades Head Coach Bob Stoops retire on Monday.
A League at a Crossroads
With less than 100 days until the March 28 kickoff, the UFL faces a pivotal moment. With drafts being held in mid January and training camps in February, there is little time to rebuild rosters and restore trust. The roster overhaul, geographic restrictions, inexperienced hires, and a league based on centralized control that celebrates player churn, driving players like Bryce Perkins and others to the CFL for stability.
Repole’s vision dismisses veterans, enforces turnover, and favors name recognition over experience. This offseason is turning the UFL into a temp agency. Fans crave stars, instead they are presented with a league relocating 3 of its 8 teams. This redraft is just 2 years after a roster redraft that followed the formation of the UFL with the merger of the XFL and USFL. The merger also saw the total number of teams slashed from 16 to 8 when the USL and XFL merged to create the UFL.
One of the most frequently asked for things from fans this offseason has been for more stability. Fans asked for their teams, like the San Antonio Brahmas and Michigan Panthers, not to relocate, but to no avail. When the UFL announced that “all team rosters will remain unchanged,” the news was received extremely positively by fans, with many celebrating the news. Now that the UFL is breaking that promise in its pursuit of roster churn. It’s not too late for the UFL to alter its course and champion some semblance of stability for its fanbase.
[uflnewshub.com]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have no idea if the Battlehawks will continue to get the fan support they've been accustomed to for the past several years. Sounds to me like the UFL won't be around much longer. I hate the current "Hub" structure anyhow. The Battlehawks aren't really a home team. They don't live here. They don't practice here. They're not part of the St Louis community. All of that is done in Texas and they breeze into St Louis 4 times a year for a home game. Kind of hard to think of them as the home team when they live and work elsewhere.
