Tag: Arlington Renegades

Former Saints offensive tackle gets another shot with UFL’s Arlington Renegades

The Saints have another player set to join the UFL this offseason, as one of their 2023 UDFAs will move on to the Arlington Renegades

The New Orleans Saints recently had a former player in running back Jacob Kibodi join the UFL as he would be added to the Memphis Showboats. They will now see another player move to the league, as 2023 undrafted free agent offensive tackle Mark Evans II is set to join the Arlington Renegades.

Evans was given many opportunities to showcase his skills prior to the 2023 NFL Draft, joining the East-West Shrine Bowl, HBCU Legacy Bowl, and being invited to the NFL Scouting Combine all in the span of one offseason. He would bounce on and off the Saints practice squad for a time, but ultimately was unable to find a consistent roster spot there, so he will now test his luck with the UFL instead. The hope would be that he can showcase his talent at that level, and then work his way back into the NFL in the near future if that pans out.

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Panthers reportedly signing former Chargers defender

The Panthers are reportedly set to dish out their 13th reserve/future contract of the offseason.

According to KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson, the Carolina Panthers are signing defensive lineman Jerrod Clark to a reserve/future deal today.

The Dorchester, Mass. native played his college ball at nearby Coastal Carolina University from 2018 to 2022. There, he amassed 105 combined tackles (18 for a loss) and three passes defensed over 38 total games.

Despite being named a third-team All-Sun Belt selection in his final campaign for the Chanticleers, Clark went undrafted in the spring of 2023. The 6-foot-3, 340-pounder would, however, sign with the Los Angeles Chargers at the conclusion of that year’s draft.

He has yet to appear in an NFL regular-season game, as he spent his rookie season on Los Angeles’ practice squad and would be waived the following summer.

The United Football League’s Arlington Renegades signed Clark to a deal this past December.

Clark is now the 13th player the Panthers will have inked to a reserve/future deal this offseason. He joins the following signings:

  • RB Emani Bailey
  • WR T.J. Luther
  • WR Dax Milne
  • TE Dominique Dafney
  • TE Jordan Matthews
  • TE James Mitchell
  • G Ja’Tyre Carter
  • G Brandon Walton
  • C Andrew Raym
  • OLB Carlos Basham
  • LB Kenny Dyson
  • LB Thomas Incoom

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Drake Stoops selected 10th in UFL draft

Stoops squared: Bob and Drake could be together again in the United Football League.

The Stoops name is a legendary one around Oklahoma Sooners athletics. [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag] is the all-time winningest coach in OU football history.

His son [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] had a long career as a wide receiver for the Sooners, spanning from 2018 to 2023. Bob’s younger brother, [autotag]Mike Stoops[/autotag], helped Oklahoma win a national championship in 2000, and was a longtime defensive coordinator in Norman.

Now, there’s a chance father and son could be reunited in professional football. The United Football League ([autotag]UFL[/autotag]) held its 2024 draft on Wednesday, as teams acquired rights to players.

Bob Stoops is the head coach of the Arlington Renegades, who won the XFL championship in 2023, before a tough year in the UFL’s inaugural season. The league looks for another successful year in 2025, after combining the XFL and the USFL.

Drake Stoops wasn’t selected in the [autotag]2024 NFL draft[/autotag], but he signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent. He was OU’s leading receiver last season, putting his stamp on the 2023 team and ending his time as a Sooner on a high note.

The Renegades selected Drake with the 10th pick in the 2024 UFL draft, reuniting him with his father. The franchise took to social media to announce the move.

Though seeing Bob and Drake on the same sideline would be a cool moment for Sooner fans everywhere, the elder Stoops posted on social media to clarify a couple of things. He said the goal is for the players who were undrafted [autotag]NFL[/autotag] free agents that got selected in the UFL draft to stick with the NFL teams that signed them after the draft. Wednesday’s picks were just to acquire future rights to the players that could wind up in the UFL one day.

So, Drake Stoops absolutely could still catch on with the Rams, but if he doesn’t, he’ll have the chance join his father in Arlington with the Renegades to show what he can do in the UFL.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

3 Panthers rookies selected in UFL’s 2024 college draft

A trio of Panthers rookies had their UFL rights drafted on Wednesday.

A trio of undrafted Carolina Panthers rookies are (technically) undrafted no more.

The UFL held its college draft on Wednesday, giving some fresh faces a second chance at hearing their names called this offseason. Three of Carolina’s undrafted free-agent signees from the spring got that experience this morning, and they are as follows:

Round Pick (Overall) Team College
WR Jalen Coker 4th No. 25 Memphis Showboats Holy Cross
DT Popo Aumavae 4th No. 27 Arlington Renegades Oregon
C Andrew Raym 6th No. 41 Memphis Showboats Oklahoma

Coker, who many experts pegged as a solid Day 3 prospect in the 2024 NFL draft, is a name that should jump out to many. He certainly jumped out to Panthers head coach Dave Canales, who provided quite the breakdown of the intriguing 6-foot-1, 208-pound receiver during rookie minicamp in early May.

“Size, instincts, top-of-route ability to separate,” Canales said of Coker’s strengths. “He’s really crafty in zones. He knows how to find the open spaces. Has a little cool run-after-catch, too. He can break some tackles because of the size that he brings. Attacks the ball at the high point. I mean, the guy really does have a cool skill set that he brings to us. So I’m excited to see him kinda get introduced as we start to develop out football, especially in Phase Three OTAs. Let’s see what he looks like against NFL talent. But I’m really excited about him.”

Players taken in the UFL’s draft can opt to join the league if they do not make an NFL roster for this upcoming season.

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Steelers lose QB John Rhys Plumlee to UFL draft

John Rhys Plumlee was selected No. 3 overall in the UFL draft.

On Wednesday, the United Football League held its draft which allowed them to select NFL undrafted free agents who are currently on NFL rosters. The Pittsburgh Steelers signed former UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee at the end of the 2024 NFL draft due in large part to his ridiculous athleticism.

However, Plmulee was selected No. 3 overall by the Arlington Renegades. This means the Renegades hold his rights at this point but could give them up if Plumlee is doing well with the Steelers and could make the team. Even after they have signed a UFL contract, players have the option to leave for the NFL until December 31, 2024.

Despite strong OTAs with the Steelers, Plumlee could stick around with Arlington. Pittsburgh has their three-deep at quarterback with Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen so Plumlee would have been a longshot to make the team without a position change during training camp.

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Report: Vikings sign former UFL defensive star Jalen Redmond

The Minnesota Vikings have reportedly signed former UFL/XFL defensive tackle Jalen Redmond, as reported by KPRC2’s reporter Aaron Wilson.

The Minnesota Vikings have reportedly dipped into the spring football league ranks to beef up their defensive line by signing former XFL and UFL defensive tackle Jalen Redmond. The signing, reported by Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, TX, will reportedly be made official sometime Tuesday.

Redmond starred as a disruptive defensive lineman at the University of Oklahoma before going undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers, but injuries cut his attempts to make the roster short, and the team waived him in early August of that year.

In December 2023, Redmond signed with the Arlington Renegades of the then-XFL, now the UFL. Redmond once again struggled with injuries during the UFL season, but when he was healthy, he was highly productive for the Renegades. In just four games of the UFL season, Redmond stood out as one of the top defenders in the league, notching 18 tackles, five tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks.

Now Redmond will reportedly walk into a Vikings defensive tackle room that could use depth. Last year’s fifth-round pick, Jaquelin Roy, stood out at times last season and likely played well enough to earn the starting role. Behind him, however, are a lot of question marks.

The Vikings signed former Chargers and Raiders defensive lineman Jerry Tillery in the off-season to provide some depth behind Roy. They also signed undrafted free agent Tyler Manoa. Redmond will likely compete with Manoa to stay on the roster and may find himself in the rotation at the position—if he can stay healthy and perform.

Former Raiders punter Marquette King named to All-UFL team

Remember Marquette King? He’s back in football in the UFL and he’s still got it.

Remember Marquette King? He’s still kicking around. Literally. The former long time Raiders punter who once took the NFL by storm was back in football last year as a member of the UFL’s Arlington Renegades. And took that league by storm as well.

King has been named to the inaugural All-UFL team.

King was initially signed by the Raiders back in 2012 as a big-legged former wide receiver out of Fort Valley State. He was still pretty raw, but his potential was through the roof.

The Raiders liked him so much that they stashed him for a season while he polished his technique and Shane Lechler played his final season with the team. Then the following year, King took over the job.

He would spend five seasons with the team before his off-the-field antics — and some on-field antics as well — became too much and shortly after Jon Gruden took the job, he cut King.

Just four games with the Broncos the following season and King’s NFL career was done. He just seemed to care more about his social media profile than he did his actual job and that was apparently a big enough problem for NFL teams to stay away.

Back in 2019, he was drafted by the XFL’s St Louis Battlehawks, but would play just five games before the league would fold and the pandemic picked up. Three years later, the UFL came calling and King was back on the field. Now at the age of 35, five years removed from his last NFL game, he’s still got it. It makes you wonder what might have been if he had ‘gotten it’ off the field.

Stallions stomp Renegades as UFL kicks off first season

The UFL season is underway

The USFL got first blood as the UFL kicked off on Saturday.

The league, which features teams from the USFL and XFL, matched last year’s champions of both leagues.

The Birmingham Stallions downed the Arlington Renegades, 27-14.

Former Ole Miss star Matt Corral, a third-round pick of the Panthers a couple years ago, threw a TD pass in the victory.

He was 12-of-21 for 201 yards and the TD throw.

Birmingham outgained Arlington, 409-262.

First TD

Former Panthers QB Matt Corral leads Stallions to win in UFL’s inaugural game

Matt Corral battled through his UFL debut and led the Stallions to a 27-14 win over the Renegades.

Matt Corral’s second chance started off with a good first step.

On Saturday afternoon, the former Carolina Panthers quarterback led the Birmingham Stallions to a 27-14 victory over the Arlington Renegades. He completed 12 of his 21 passing attempts for 201 yards, one score and one interception in the United Football League’s inaugural game.

The highlight of Corral’s feel-good afternoon came right before the half, when he found receiver Deon Cain for an absolute beauty of a 39-yard touchdown throw. Their long-distance connection, along with a successful two-point try on a (much shorter) pass from Corral to running back Ricky Person Jr., knotted the game at 11 apiece with just three seconds remaining in the second quarter.

Carolina traded up to draft Corral in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft. The Ole Miss star and 94th overall pick, however, struggled to stick on with the Panthers—who ended up waiving him this past August.

He was subsequently picked up by the New England Patriots, but did not last long there either.

So hopefully, this new life proves to be a much more fruitful one for the 25-year-old passer.

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Former Panthers QB Matt Corral throws beautiful 39-yard TD in UFL debut

Matt Corral has himself a highlight in the UFL’s 2024 opener.

Matt Corral already has himself a highlight in the United Football League.

The former Carolina Panthers quarterback received the starting nod for the UFL’s 2024 regular-season opener on Saturday afternoon. Now a Birmingham Stallions quarterback, Corral was able to chalk up his team’s first touchdown of the spring on this beauty of a pass . . .

When that pigskin came down, it found the hands of wide receiver Deon Cain for a 39-yard visit to the end zone. The score, along with a successful two-point conversion from Corral to running back Ricky Person Jr., pulled the Stallions even with the host Arlington Renegades right before the end of the first half.

Corral began his pro career as a third-round pick of the Panthers back in 2022. He’d sustain a Lisfranc injury during his just second preseason outing, which forced him to miss what would have been his rookie campaign.

Carolina waived Corral this past August.

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