The United Football League returns this weekend. Here’s everything you need to know about football’s professional spring season.
in the rearview and the draft coming up in less than a month—football’s marquee professional spring league, the UFL, will begin its 2026 campaign on Friday, March 27, leading us into the summer and culminating with the championship on Saturday, June 13.
The UFL is set to embark on its third season in 2026 following the '24 merger of the XFL and USFL, and will once again feature a slate of eight teams. Five of which—the Birmingham Stallions, Dallas Renegades, DC Defenders, St. Louis Battlehawks and Houston Gamblers—return from last season, while three—the Columbus Aviators, Louisville Kings and Orlando Storm—will begin their inaugural campaigns.The upcoming season also features an abundance of familiar faces to both college and NFL football fans. Not only is two-time national champion quarterback A.J. McCarron set to begin his head coaching career by taking over the Stallions, but former NFLers Ted Ginn Jr., Chris Redman, Anthony Becht and Ricky Proehl will lead the Aviators, Kings, Storm and Battlehawks, respectively. On the playing field, notable names include quarterbacks Matt Corral, Luis Perez and Jordan Ta’amu, running backs Jashaun Corbin, Deon Jackson and Toa Taua, wide receivers Tyler Vaughns, Braylon Sanders and Hakeem Butler, and defenders Steele Chambers, Puta Taumoepenu and Kameron Kelly. An added wrinkle to the 2026 UFL season is the arrival of Mike Repole, whose Impact Capital private equity firm will oversee business operations while making him a co-owner of the league. In a, the uber-confident entrepreneur and racehorse owner made it clear he has his sights set on bigger and better moving forward. “I want to win the Triple Crown. I want NoBull to be bigger than Nike. I want the UFL to have 32 teams. That’s what I want to do,”For now? There are eight. Here’s a team-by-team breakdown of every squad, including coaches, key players, and their schedule for the 2026 UFL season.QB Matt Corral, RB Tyrion Davis-Price, WR Daewood Davis, WR Justyn Ross, WR Laviska Shenault Jr., LB Kyahva Tezino, CB Steven GilmoreWeek 2 : @ Houston Gamblers, 6:00 p.m. ETWeek 4 : vs. Orlando Storm, 4:00 p.m. ETWeek 6 : @ Orlando Storm, 4:00 p.m. ETWeek 8 : vs. Columbus Aviators, 1:00 p.m. ETQB Jalan McClendon, RB Toa Taua, WR Devin Ross, WR Jaylon Moore, C Cohl Cabral, CB Cam Smith, S Henry BlackWeek 2 : vs. DC Defenders, 8:00 p.m. ETWeek 4 : vs. Dallas Renegades, 8:00 p.m. ETWeek 6 : vs. Houston Gamblers, 8:00 p.m. ETWeek 8 : @ Birmingham Stallions, 1:00 p.m. ETQB Luis Perez, RB Dae Dae Hunter, WR Denzel Mims, WR Greg Ward, OT Josiah Ezirim, NT Siaki Ika, DT Domenique Davis, CB Shaun WadeWeek 2 : vs. St. Louis Battlehawks, 8:00 p.m. ETWeek 4 : @ Columbus Aviators, 8:00 p.m. ETWeek 6 : @ DC Defenders, 12:00 p.m. ETWeek 8 : vs. Orlando Storm, 8:00 p.m. ETQB Jordan Ta’amu, RB Deon Jackson, RB Xazavian Valladay, WR Braylon Sanders, WR Keke Coutee, OLB Durrell Johnson, CB Azizi HearnWeek 2 : @ Columbus Aviators, 8:00 p.m. ETWeek 4 : vs. St. Louis Battlehawks, 12:30 p.m. ETWeek 6 : vs. Dallas Renegades, 12:00 p.m. ETWeek 8 : @ Louisville Kings, 12:00 p.m. ETWeek 1 : @ Dallas Renegades, 4:00 p.m. ETWeek 3 : @ DC Defenders, 12:00 p.m. ETWeek 5 : vs. Columbus Aviators, 12:00 p.m. ETWeek 7 : vs. Orlando Storm, 6:00 p.m. ETWeek 9 : vs. St. Louis Blackhawks, 8:00 p.m. ETWeek 2 : vs. Birmingham Stallions, 6:00 p.m. ETWeek 4 : vs. Louisville Kings, 8:00 p.m. ETWeek 6 : @ Columbus Aviators, 8:00 p.m. ETWeek 8 : @ St. Louis Battlehawks, 3:00 p.m. ETWeek 1 : vs. Columbus Aviators, 8:00 p.m. ETWeek 3 : @ Louisville Kings, 8:00 p.m. ETWeek 5 : vs. St. Louis Battlehawks, 7:00 p.m. ETWeek 7 : @ Houston Gamblers, 6:00 p.m. ETWeek 9 : vs. DC Defenders, 8:00 p.m. ETWeek 1 : vs. DC Defenders, 12:00 p.m. ETWeek 3 : vs. Birmingham Stallions, 3:00 p.m. ETWeek 5 : @ Orlando Storm, 7:00 p.m. ETWeek 7 : vs. Columbus Aviators, 8:00 p.m. ETWeek 9 : @ Houston Gamblers, 7:00 p.m. ETMike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.
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