Category: Auburn in the USFL

Former Tiger tight end Sal Canella signs deal with Buccaneers

The 27-year old is coming off a 2023 season in which he led the UFL with 6 receiving touchdowns.

Former Auburn Tiger [autotag]Sal Canella[/autotag] inked a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday. Canella, who spend the 2017-2019 seasons of the Plains, had most recently played football in the UFL for the Arlington Renegades.

Signing former Tigers has become quite a theme for the reigning NFC South Champions. For the majority of the last three seasons Tampa Bay’s starting cornerbacks were both Tigers, with [autotag]Jamel Dean[/autotag] and [autotag]Carlton Davis[/autotag] holding down the fort. Now with Davis in Detroit, the 27-year-old Canella joins former Tigers [autotag]K.J. Britt[/autotag] and the aforementioned [autotag]Jamel Dean[/autotag] on the Buccaneers roster.

During his three years on the Plains, Canella accumulated just 330 yards, although he did find the end zone 5 times. He improved his numbers drastically during his professional career however, where his affinity with the end zone payed off in the UFL. The 27-year old is coming off a 2023 season in which he led the league with 6 receiving scores. He also added 496 receiving yards, good for fifth in the league.

While third year tight end Cade Otton is all but a lock to earn starting duties on the Bucs, Tampa’s depth behind Otton is extremely unproven. Canella has a golden opportunity to force his way onto the roster with a solid showing in training camp over the next few weeks. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound tight end has the size and tools to be successful in the league. We’ll see if the former Tiger can earn a spot on the 53-man roster as training camp rolls on.

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Former Auburn guard Calvin Ashley agrees to new deal with Houston Roughnecks

The 6-foot-6, 310-pound guard will have the chance to impress NFL Scouts when the 2025 season kicks off next spring

Former Auburn Tigers offensive lineman Calvin Ashley agreed to terms on a contract with the Houston Roughnecks of the United Football League (UFL) on Tuesday. Ashley, who spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons on the Plains before transferring to Florida A&M, spent the last two seasons with the New Jersey Generals of the now terminated USFL.

The former five-star recruit was not drafted by a UFL team in 2024 despite a great 2023 season in which Ashley earned All-USFL honors. Now with the Roughnecks, the 6-foot-6, 310-pound guard will have the chance to impress NFL Scouts when the 2025 season kicks off next spring.

Ashley is still just 26 years old, making it very possible for him to land a NFL training camp invite if he were to impress in the spring league. Still, his path to playing the highest level of American football will be difficult.

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Eli Stove to make gridiron return in USFL

The former Tiger wideout is set to make his return to football by debuting with the New Orleans Breakers on Sunday evening.

Former Auburn Tigers wide receiver [autotag]Eli Stove[/autotag] is set to make his return to the game of football for the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL against the Pittsburgh Maulers on Sunday in Birmingham.

Stove was an effective receiver for the Tigers during his five years with the program. Stove rushed for 554 yards and four touchdowns off of 55 carries and caught for 1186 yards and six touchdowns off of 136 catches.

Stove was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021. Injuries prevented Stove from ever making it to the Chargers’ minicamp.

Stove is one of four former Auburn players that will begin the season on a USFL roster. Several notable former Tigers include OT [autotag]Broadarious Hamm[/autotag] (Michigan Panthers) and C [autotag]Xavier Dampeer[/autotag] (Pittsburgh Maulers.) New Orleans leads all USFL teams with two former Auburn players on its’ roster. Stove is teammates with former Auburn LB [autotag]Zakoby McClain[/autotag], who played for the Tigers from 2018-21.

The Breakers game against the Maulers is set for 5:30 p.m. CDT on Sunday at Protective Stadium. FS1 will have the television broadcast of the game.

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Auburn alum playing in USFL championship game

The game will be played in Canton, Ohio, at the site of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The USFL’s first inaugural championship game is set to take place tonight (for this version of it, anyway) and Auburn fans have a team to root for if they’re looking to cheer on a former Tiger.

Former Auburn defensive lineman [autotag]Tony Fair[/autotag] is set to take the field tonight for the Philadelphia Stars in an effort to help bring his team some championship hardware. The Stars went 6-4 in 2022 and finished second in their division, but Fair and his squad have made it to the championship game after a playoff victory over the New Jersey Generals.

Fair hardly played for the Tigers in 2021. He came to the Plains as a transfer from UAB and played 12 games, but only managed one sack and 1.5 tackles for loss with just nine total tackles on the year. His Philadelphia Stars have been performing well with him on the line, however, and they’ll get a chance to make USFL history by being the first team in the league’s newest iteration to win the championship if they can defeat the Birmingham Stallions, who play in the state where both the teams he played for in college reside.

The game will start at 6:30 p.m. CT on Fox. It will be played at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio, where the Pro Football Hall of Fame is based out of.

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Former Auburn DT Tony Fair signs with USFL team

Tony Fair is getting his chance to play professional football.

[autotag]Tony Fair[/autotag] is getting a shot in a professional football league.

The former nose tackle signed with the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL on Friday, the team Tweeted out. The move comes after Fair did not sign with an NFL team following the draft.

Fair, who is from South Bend, Indiana, has had a long journey to playing professional football. His career started at Indiana State before transferring to Pima Community College. He then spent two seasons at UAB before transferring to Auburn last summer.

He appeared in 12 games and was Auburn’s starting nose tackle. The 6-foot-1, 330-pound Fair made nine tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, and generated two quarterback hurries.

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Former Auburn safety signs with USFL’s Gamblers

Another former Tigers player is getting a shot at professional football.

On Friday, the Houston Gamblers announced that they had signed former Auburn safety [autotag]Bydarrius Knighten[/autotag]. This news comes three weeks after Knighten received an invite to the Chicago Bears’ rookie minicamp.

Knighten transferred to the Plains from Southeast Missouri State. He was a four-year starter at safety for the Redhawks. Over the course of those four seasons in Cape Girardeau, he was named as an All-OVC selection twice. He recorded 255 tackles and six interceptions during his time in the FCS. After the 2020 season ended, Knighten decided to enter the transfer portal.

He chose to transfer to Auburn where he served as a starting safety for Derek Mason’s defense. In his lone season at Auburn, he tallied 46 tackles and two interceptions. Since he was a fifth-year senior, Knighten had to enter his name into the 2022 NFL draft.

After going undrafted, he received the opportunity to attend rookie minicamp with the Chicago Bears. Things didn’t go as planned, so he will now focus on making the most of his opportunity with the Houston Gamblers. Several other players in the league are Sal Cannella, Christian Tutt, Marquis McClain, Calvin Ashley, Xavier Dampeer, and John Franklin III. It will be interesting to see what Knighten does with the Gamblers moving forward.

Former Auburn cornerback signs with USFL’s Houston Gamblers

Tigers add another player to the USFL as former cornerback signs with the Gamblers.

On Thursday, the Houston Gamblers from the newly-established USFL added former Auburn defensive back [autotag]Ryan White[/autotag] to their roster. After releasing a previous draft pick in Howard Wilson, they made the decision to add White to their roster.

The USFL consists of eight different teams that will play all their games in Birmingham, Alabama at UAB’s Progressive Stadium. The teams will be split into two divisions. There will be 10 games in the regular season. The playoffs will consist of the top two teams from each division in a semifinals round and the winners will face off in the league’s first championship.

White spent a total of four seasons with the Tigers. He played from 2010-2013. In 2010, he was a part of a national championship team. Although he didn’t have a large role on that team, he would finish his Auburn career having played in 31 games. It is also important to note that White accumulated 83 tackles, 1 interception, and 10 pass defelctions while he was on the Plains. The Florida native signed with the Packers practice squad in 2015, but he never saw any on-field action. Now, he joins the Gamblers with hopes of making a name for himself.

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Several other players that will compete in the USFL are John Franklin III, [autotag]Calvin Ashley[/autotag], [autotag]Christian Tutt[/autotag], and [autotag]Sal Cannella[/autotag]. Former Auburn offensive tackle [autotag]Marquell Harrell[/autotag] was slated to join the Michigan Panthers prior to being placed on reserve/did not report. The Tigers will be well represented in the new league. White is the only former Auburn player on the Gamblers. It will be interesting to see how he does with the new opportunity.