The 2025 UFL season is underway, bringing the joint venture between the former XFL and USFL back to our screens for some spring football. And it wouldn’t be spring football without the opportunity to remember some guys.
The UFL is filled with former college stars who were very good on Saturdays but not quite elite. Some are winding down their careers with the chance to play the game they love a little longer. Others are hoping a big performance against the San Antonio Brahmas will be the way to make it back to an NFL roster. Who are the most recognizable names in the league this spring?
RB Kalen Ballage, Arlington Renegades
Ballage averaged more than five yards per carry as a rookie in 2018 but failed to deliver on his sleeper fantasy football hype in the years that followed. He last played in the NFL in 2021, logging more special teams snaps than offensive ones for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
P Marquette King, Arlington Renegades
King was a 2016 All-Pro, but was released by the Las Vegas Raiders before 2018 as new head coach Jon Gruden cleaned house. His 2019 season with the Denver Broncos was his last in the league.
QB Matt Corral, Birmingham Stallions
Corral was a 2022 third round pick who was a high value developmental quarterback out of Ole Miss. But both the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots released him despite a need behind center, leaving him to rebuild his value in the UFL without a since NFL regular season snap to his credit.
QB Jordan Ta’amu, DC Defenders
Ta’amu is better known for his spring football success than anything he’s done on Sundays. While he’s never played a regular season NFL snap, the Ole Miss star was a staple of both the XFL and USFL before their merger.
CB Damon Arnette, Houston Roughnecks
Arnette was part of the Raiders’ disastrous 2020 draft class. He wasn’t especially good on the field and a mess off it, accused of causing injury in a hit and run car crash and seen on video brandishing a firearm and making death threats before his 2021 release.
CB Cam Dantzler, Memphis Showboats
Dantzler started 27 games between 2020 and 2022 with the Minnesota Vikings, occasionally looking like a foundational piece but was ultimately too inconsistent to keep his spot. He played two games for the New Orleans Saints in 2023 but has been out of the NFL since.
LB Obi Melifonwu, Memphis Showboats
Melifonwu’s incredible combine showing made him a second round pick in 2017 despite lacking a true position. He’s moved from safety to linebacker in the UFL; a successful transition could give him his first NFL opportunity since 2018.
DT P.J. Hall, Memphis Showboats
Hall emerged as a capable defensive tackle out of then-FBS Sam Houston State in 2018. He started 27 games over his three seasons in the league, but hasn’t played in the NFL since 2020.
DB Greedy Williams, San Antonio Brahmas
Williams slipped two the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft despite a strong college career at LSU. He was an immediate starter with the Cleveland Browns, but his playing time diminished after a 2020 injury and he failed to make an active roster after becoming an NFL free agent in 2023.
WR Denzel Mims, St. Louis Battlehawks
Mims was a second round pick of the New York Jets but failed to live up to that billing. He had just 42 catches in three NFL seasons and last played a regular season game in 2022.
K Rodrigo Blankenship, St. Louis Battlehawks
The bespectacled kicker was a University of Georgia legend who kicked 32 field goals for the Indianapolis Colts in 2020 but hasn’t played in the NFL since 2022.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: UFL: 11 NFL veterans playing spring football, including Matt Corral
The 2025 UFL season is underway, bringing the joint venture between the former XFL and USFL back to our screens for some spring football. And it wouldn’t be spring football without the opportunity to remember some guys.
The UFL is filled with former college stars who were very good on Saturdays but not quite elite. Some are winding down their careers with the chance to play the game they love a little longer. Others are hoping a big performance against the San Antonio Brahmas will be the way to make it back to an NFL roster. Who are the most recognizable names in the league this spring?
RB Kalen Ballage, Arlington Renegades
Ballage averaged more than five yards per carry as a rookie in 2018 but failed to deliver on his sleeper fantasy football hype in the years that followed. He last played in the NFL in 2021, logging more special teams snaps than offensive ones for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
P Marquette King, Arlington Renegades
King was a 2016 All-Pro, but was released by the Las Vegas Raiders before 2018 as new head coach Jon Gruden cleaned house. His 2019 season with the Denver Broncos was his last in the league.
QB Matt Corral, Birmingham Stallions
Corral was a 2022 third round pick who was a high value developmental quarterback out of Ole Miss. But both the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots released him despite a need behind center, leaving him to rebuild his value in the UFL without a since NFL regular season snap to his credit.
QB Jordan Ta’amu, DC Defenders
Ta’amu is better known for his spring football success than anything he’s done on Sundays. While he’s never played a regular season NFL snap, the Ole Miss star was a staple of both the XFL and USFL before their merger.
CB Damon Arnette, Houston Roughnecks
Arnette was part of the Raiders’ disastrous 2020 draft class. He wasn’t especially good on the field and a mess off it, accused of causing injury in a hit and run car crash and seen on video brandishing a firearm and making death threats before his 2021 release.
CB Cam Dantzler, Memphis Showboats
Dantzler started 27 games between 2020 and 2022 with the Minnesota Vikings, occasionally looking like a foundational piece but was ultimately too inconsistent to keep his spot. He played two games for the New Orleans Saints in 2023 but has been out of the NFL since.
LB Obi Melifonwu, Memphis Showboats
Melifonwu’s incredible combine showing made him a second round pick in 2017 despite lacking a true position. He’s moved from safety to linebacker in the UFL; a successful transition could give him his first NFL opportunity since 2018.
DT P.J. Hall, Memphis Showboats
Hall emerged as a capable defensive tackle out of then-FBS Sam Houston State in 2018. He started 27 games over his three seasons in the league, but hasn’t played in the NFL since 2020.
DB Greedy Williams, San Antonio Brahmas
Williams slipped two the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft despite a strong college career at LSU. He was an immediate starter with the Cleveland Browns, but his playing time diminished after a 2020 injury and he failed to make an active roster after becoming an NFL free agent in 2023.
WR Denzel Mims, St. Louis Battlehawks
Mims was a second round pick of the New York Jets but failed to live up to that billing. He had just 42 catches in three NFL seasons and last played a regular season game in 2022.
K Rodrigo Blankenship, St. Louis Battlehawks
The bespectacled kicker was a University of Georgia legend who kicked 32 field goals for the Indianapolis Colts in 2020 but hasn’t played in the NFL since 2022.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: UFL: 11 NFL veterans playing spring football, including Matt Corral
