United States Football League

B2B2B Birmingham Stallions led by Head Coach Skip Holtz ... a dynastic legacy 2022 USFL Champions 2023 USFL Champions 2024 UFL Champions (Image from @USFLStallions on X)

For the second year in a row, a former USFL player and current Dallas Cowboys special teamer has been selected NFL All-Pro / Pro Bowler. Former Birmingham Stallions Kicker Brandon Aubrey continues to make history. As Jess Nevarez explains, Brandon’s rookie NFL season has been unprecedented. The 28-year-old former University of Notre Dame soccer star eventually left the MLS to become a software engineer. Having never kicked a football, he tried it. In his first professional football season in 2022, he became an All-USFL kicker and helped propel the Stallions to back-to-back championships. Cowboys Special Teams Coach John Fassel scouted Brandon during the 2023 USFL spring season and signed him to the team. Heading into the NFL’s final week, “Aubreymatic” has the most consecutive field goals to begin a career in NFL history with 35, including 9-of-9 from 50 yards or more. His 35 field goals in 2023 are a Cowboys single season franchise record, surpassing Richie Cunningham’s 34 in 1997. As pointed out by Michael Gehlken, Brandon can make more history this weekend -- 2 more consecutive field goals will tie 2003 Colts Kicker Mike Vanderjagt’s record of 37 field goals in a season without a miss. With one of the most powerful legs in the NFL, Brandon has also set the NFL record for most touchbacks in a single season with 95. Brandon’s 2023-2024 NFL Pro Bowl selection comes one year after former 2022 USFL MVP and former New Jersey Generals star KaVontae Turpin was selected NFL All-Pro as a special teams returner for the Dallas Cowboys. For two incredible spring football seasons, the USFL (and XFL) have provided fans with the ability to see elite football players in action. We’re proud to have been leagues of opportunity and that it led to life-changing NFL careers for many of our players. Professional spring football works because it's a win for our fans, a win for our players, and a win for the NFL. We welcome fans to join us at the new United Football League (UFL) on March 30, 2023, and see who might be the next spring football player that will eventually be NFL All-Pro. #UnitedByFootball https://lnkd.in/dTFixGyA

THANK YOU USFL fans and welcome to the United Football League. #UFL

XFL 🫱🏼🫲🏾 United States Football League (USFL) 

As we close out 2023 and head into National Football League (NFL) Week 17, resharing this old graphic to celebrate the 100+ USFL players who have signed NFL contracts over the last two years. By every measure, the USFL has been a premium spring professional football league with elite talent. Since September 7 when NFL Week 1 began, 31 USFL players have been on NFL active rosters or practice squads: 2022 USFL Season Players - 2022 USFL MVP and New Jersey Generals WR/Returner KaVontae Turpin on Dallas Cowboys. - Pittsburgh Maulers LS Mitchell Fraboni on Denver Broncos Football Club. - Houston Gamblers S Micah Abernathy on Atlanta Falcons. - Pittsburgh Maulers DL Jeremiah Pharms Jr. on New England Patriots. - Philadelphia Stars WR/Returner Maurice Alexander Jr. on Detroit Lions. - Houston Gamblers DT Domenique Davis on Cincinnati Bengals. - Birmingham Stallions LB DeMarquis Gates on Chicago Bears. - Birmingham Stallions CB Tae Hayes on Baltimore Ravens. - Philadelphia Stars OL Alex Akingbulu on Washington Commanders. - Houston Gamblers LS Tucker Addington on Washington Commanders. 2023 USFL Season Players - 2023 USFL MVP and Birmingham Stallions QB Alex McGough to Green Bay Packers. - Birmingham Stallions K Brandon Aubrey to Dallas Cowboys. - Michigan Panthers DB Josh Butler to Dallas Cowboys. - Philadelphia Stars DT LaBryan Ray to Carolina Panthers. - Birmingham Stallions DT Khalil Davis to Houston Texans. - Birmingham Stallions WR Davion Davis to Houston Texans. - Michigan Panthers WR D.J. Montgomery to Indianapolis Colts. - Houston Gamblers TE Josh Pederson to Jacksonville Jaguars. - Michigan Panthers QB E.J. Perry to Jacksonville Jaguars. - Birmingham Stallions TE La’Michael Pettway to New England Patriots. - Michigan Panthers WR Kaden Davis to Arizona Cardinals Football Club. - Michigan Panthers DE Levi Bell to Seattle Seahawks. - Birmingham Stallions WR Austin Watkins Jr. to Cleveland Browns. - Birmingham Stallions CB Lorenzo Burns to Cleveland Browns. - Michigan Panthers WR Trey Quinn to Detroit Lions. - Memphis Showboats DB Nehemiah Shelton to New York Jets. - Birmingham Stallions DB Matt Hankins to Los Angeles Chargers. - Memphis Showboats P Brandon Wright to Los Angeles Rams. - Pittsburgh Maulers S Arnold “Tre” Tarpley III to Atlanta Falcons. - Michigan Panthers LB Frank Ginda to Atlanta Falcons. - Birmingham Stallions DT Carlos Davis to Atlanta Falcons. We're proud the USFL has provided our fans with the ability to see these outstanding athletes and that it led to life-changing NFL opportunities. Professional spring football works because it's a win for our fans, a win for our players, and a win for the NFL. #UnitedByFootball

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We are officially 100 days from the start of our next professional spring football season on March 30, 2024. One player we hope we DON'T see playing next spring is former Michigan Panthers Wide Receiver D.J. Montgomery, who just scored his first NFL touchdown. As reported by CBS Sports, the Indianapolis Colts expended three practice squad elevations on Montgomery in their previous three games, so they signed him to the active roster and kept him active for NFL Week 15. He made the most of last Saturday's opportunity recording both of his catches, including a 14-yard TD, on a scoring drive just before halftime. The USFL has delivered numbers that prove we are a league of opportunity for elite football talent. Over our first two seasons, the NFL has signed 100+ different players directly from USFL teams. Since the start of Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season, there have been 28 former USFL players either on active NFL rosters or practice squads. These are more than just numbers, they are individual success stories and they prove that professional spring football works and is here to stay. Like we did for D.J. Montgomery, our league continues to provide talented football players with an opportunity to entertain football fans in the spring and give them a shot to show the world, and the NFL, what they can achieve. #UnitedByFootball https://lnkd.in/e3eJVXz8

"Going back three years, working as a software engineer and grinding away in my off time trying to get an opportunity, the USFL comes around. I'm very grateful for that. These are my wildest dreams and they've come true.” – Former USFL player and current Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey Following a historic performance in National Football League (NFL) Week 14 where he made field goals of 60, 59, 50, and 45 yards, Brandon: * Extended his record for most consecutive field goals made to begin an NFL career – he’s now a perfect 30 for 30. * Set a new record as the first-ever NFL kicker to make two field goals of 59-yards or longer in the same game. Of his 30 field goals, seven (60, 59, 58, 55, 52, 51, 50) are 50+. * Set a new record with the longest average length of a kicker's made field goals (minimum four) in a single game in NFL history -- a combined 214 yards for an average distance of 53.5 per field goal attempt according to CBS Sports' Garrett Podell. * Hit the crossbar twice during two kickoffs – 84 of his 89 kickoffs this season have been touchbacks, and his 94% rate is second in the NFL. Three years ago, Brandon had never kicked in a collegiate or professional football game. After being a soccer star at the University of Notre Dame, he played Major League Soccer. After his soccer career did not work out, he became a software engineer. Brandon’s wife Jenn, who played lacrosse at Notre Dame, then encouraged Brandon to try football. That led to a 2022 opportunity with the USFL Birmingham Stallions and Head Coach/Notre Dame alum Skip Holtz. Brandon’s clutch kicking helped the Stallions win back-to-back USFL Championships. During the 2023 USFL season, Cowboys Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel secretly attended a Stallions home game on June 3 to scout Brandon. The reigning All-USFL kicker was a perfect 2 for 2 on field goals, 3 for 3 on extra points, and boomed kickoffs – kicking off from the 20-yard line during the 2023 season, Brandon led the USFL with 6 touchbacks (yes, that’s 80+ yards). According to SI's Jacob Camenker, the Cowboys then signed him to a three-year $2.7 million contract. Life-changing money for Brandon, but also a bargain for the Cowboys, as his average annual salary of $898,333 is the second-cheapest kicker contract in the NFL. After Brandon’s Week 14 game, outstanding USFL punter Brock Miller said: “Let’s compare Aubrey to the guys who were drafted out of college this year…I think this carries enough weight for more NFL teams to start seriously considering spring league specialists over guys entering the NFL right out of school.” Over the last two years, the USFL and XFL have proven to be filled with talented professional players that can compete at the highest level. We’re proud to continue providing an opportunity for these elite athletes to entertain football fans and show what they can do. #UnitedByFootball https://lnkd.in/dTj6eGHV

NFL Week 9 was another demonstration of how successful the USFL has been for both football fans and professional athletes -- 100+ USFL players signing NFL contracts over our first two seasons reflects a premium league with high-caliber talent. This past week, former All-USFL Kicker Brandon Aubrey set a new NFL record to start a career with his 19th consecutive successful field goal. His Dallas Cowboys teammate, 2022 USFL MVP KaVontae Turpin, scored another receiving touchdown. Former Philadelphia Stars DT LaBryan Ray continues to make an impact for the Carolina Panthers. And former 2023 USFL Champion DL Khalil Davis had one sack and four tackles to help the Houston Texans win a thrilling come-from-behind victory. As the linked story tells, Davis credits his time this past spring with the Birmingham Stallions for his renewed NFL success: "Being with those guys and hearing their stories put a fire back into me," said Davis. "I give a lot of credit to them because they did not complain about their situation. They were just there to have fun and work hard. I treated my time there to work hard to get back to the NFL." This has been a common theme with USFL players -- not only does the USFL help them improve on the field, but it has also rekindled their passion for the game. The same can be said of our passionate fans. Our league is proud to provide opportunities for players like Davis and so many others who deliver great football to fans at an affordable price. Spring football works and is here to stay for the long haul. #UnitedByFootball https://lnkd.in/egSs6bJW

Brandon Aubrey played college soccer before being drafted by Toronto FC. Released in 2017, he spent 4 years as a software engineer. He chose to pursue football and became the USFL’s top kicker. Aubrey signed with the Cowboys — and just set a rookie record with 19 FGs in a row.