The UFL has made a massive upheaval in their quarterbacks this season with retirements, quarterbacks going up North to the CFL, in addition to opting to not return several signal callers from 2025.
Last season the UFL rostered 33 quarterbacks at one point, with 26 of them earning significant playing time. This season the UFL has opted to bring in younger more recent NFL talent, while returning more mainstays of seasons past. Below are this year’s preseason quarterback rankings for the 2026 season.
*Note as this is being written the Louisville Kings and Houston Gamblers have yet to sign their third Quarterback.*
22. Aidan Sayin Columbus Aviators
Experience: None
Sayin replaces Clayton Tune who has signed a futures deal with an undisclosed NFL team. The brother of Ohio State’s QB Julian Sayin, the IVY-League QB had put together a record setting career at UPenn not receiving any NFL interest. However, with little to no professional experience Sayin comes in last for the 2026 UFL QB rankings.
21. Donovan Smith Houston Gamblers
Experience: None
Smith has earned his fair share of workouts but nothing close to putting ink to paper. He’s never had a winning record in college, and only one season of starting more than five games. While his Houston ties are great from a PR standpoint depending on who the Gamblers sign he may be their QB3 to open the season.
20. Chandler Rogers Louisville Kings
Experience: None
Rogers, like Smith, has had limited professional experience, however a 2024 dropoff at Cal-Berkley hurt his draft stock. Rogers is formerly teammates with Jason Bean which makes for a nice story however, may not lead to much value on the playing field.
19. Michael Hiers Birmingham Stallions
Experience: Saskatchewan Roughriders (24-25)
A local hometown quarterback should garner some immediate interest from the fans, however Hiers may be going into the season as QB3 barring injury. The Samford alum had plenty of success in college earning a 17-6 record, however behind Matt Corral, and Taylor Elgersma, Hiers may be waiting for an opportunity on another UFL team.
18. Hank Bachmeier Orlando Storm
Experience: BC Lions (2025)
Bachmeier brings plenty of collegiate experience going 25-23 in college between Wake Forest, Boise State, and Louisiana Tech. Bachmeier was a late addition by Orlando, and will most likely wait his turn behind Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Jack Plummer. Bachmeier garnered NFL interest with the SF 49ers, however, limited time with the BC Lions is his only professional experience prior.
17. Ben Wooldridge St. Louis Battlehawks
Experience: New England Patriots (2025)
Wooldridge had a long college career between Fresno State, and Louisiana, before earning a UDFA deal with the New England Patriots. Despite a decent showing in the preseason, Wooldridge was released, spending no time on their practice squad. With 19 college starts over 7 seasons Wooldridge is a bit of an elder statesman in the UFL, however he may not be able to overcome veteran Brandon Silvers, and upstart Michael Pratt
16. Taylor Elgersma Birmingham Stallions
Experience: Green Bay Packers (2025)
Elgersma coming from USports(Canadian Colligate athletics), earned an opportunity with the Packers playing a clean but uneventful preseason. He seems to have the inside track on Michael Hiers but will have difficulty supplanting Matt Corral as the starter in Birmingham.
15. Michael Pratt St. Louis Battlehawks
Experience: GB Packers (24’), Tampa Bay Bucs (24-25)
Pratt managed to bring Tulane to relevance after a 2-9 2021, finishing his last two seasons with a 21-3 record. With 44 starts under his belt, along with almost two years with NFL teams, Pratt begins the next tier of UFL QBs who aren’t too far removed from being on an NFL roster.
14. Luke Lehnen Dallas Renegades
Experience: Renegades (24-present)
Lehnen is one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in college football history, however failed to see the field in 2025. His return to Arlington hopefully shows fans more of what he can do, and with a new coaching staff he may have the chance to prove himself to do so.
13. Jack Plummer Orlando Storm
Experience: Carolina Panthers (24-25)
A weak 2025 preseason may have cut his Panthers career short, but the strong armed Plummer could have a shot at resurrecting his career in the UFL. He’ll most likely start the season behind Dorian Thompson-Robinson, but could be a high riser on this list.
12. Austin Reed Dallas Renegades
Experience: Chicago Bears (24-25)
51 college starts between Western Kentucky, and West Georgia Reed spent all of 2024 with the Chicago Bears practice squad. He’s put together 5 solid games of preseason play in his career and may be the most serious competition for Luis Perez since he arrived with the Renegades.
11. Jalen Morton Columbus Aviators
Experience: Packers (20’), Colts (21’), Ti-Cats (21-22), Stallions (23’), SW Kansas Storm (25’), Stallions (25’)
Morton made a late season cameo with the Birmingham Stallions in 2025, in the middle of the AF1 season with the SW Kansas Storm. An experienced quarterback with five seasons of experience, Morton hasn’t played much in spring football however, he provides plenty of knowledge that can surely help the Aviators if called upon.
10. Spencer Sanders D.C. Defenders
Experience: D.C. Defenders (25’-present)
Sanders probably won’t play much in 2026, however his versatility and athleticism are extremely valuable assets for D.C. He amassed a 31-11 record in college and contributed as an emergency WR along with special teams snaps last season.
9. Hunter Dekkers Houston Gamblers
Experience: New Orleans Saints (2025)
You have to appreciate the journey Dekkers has been on, going from Iowa State to Junior College (Iowa Western) to the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans saw enough of Dekkers to keep him on the roster for the 2025, and with a solid campaign could end up back there.
8. Mike DiLiello D.C. Defenders
Experience: D.C. Defenders (24’-Present)
Now in his third season in D.C., DiLiello has carved out a nice niche for himself backing up Jordan Ta’amu. DiLiello provided plenty of confidence with his play for D.C. last season and is now one of the more established quarterbacks in this league if called upon.
7. Dorian Thompson-Robinson Orlando Storm
Experience: Cleveland Browns (23’-24’), Philadelphia Eagles (25’)
DTR may be able to have a career resurgence under Kyle Caskey and the Orlando Storm. With a skillset similar to Manny Wilkins, DTR may be able to kickstart the Storm, and become one of the UFL’s elite quarterbacks this season.
6. Jason Bean Louisville Kings
Experience: Indianapolis Colts (24’-25’)
Bean’s ability to move in the pocket usually bodes well for spring quarterbacks. His athletic ability and strong arm should keep the Kings competitive along with having his NFL interest at a high level.
5. Brandon Slivers St. Louis Battlehawks
Experience: Memphis Express (19’), NY Jets (19’), Seattle Dragons (20’), TSL (21’), FCF (22’), Houston Roughnecks (23’), St. Louis Battlehawks (24’-Present)
Silvers’ experience and his spark for the Battlehawks team in 2025 does bring a lot of value to this team. With the Battlehawks hiring A.J. Smith as their offensive coordinator the decision to bring back Silvers certainly means he’ll have an opportunity to play during his age-32 season.
4. Jalan McClendon Columbus Aviators
Experience: Baltimore Ravens (19’), Washington Redskins (19’), LA Wildcats (20’), Vegas Vipers (23’), D.C. Defenders (24’), Houston Roughnecks (25’)
It finally appears that McClendon will have the opportunity to play in a full 10 games for the first time in his spring football career. While McClendon’s days of an NFL opportunity are probably over, if he’s able to get an opportunity to play a full spring season, he may earn an MVP honor.
3. Luis Perez Dallas Renegades
Experience: LA Rams (18’), Birmingham Iron (19’), Philadelphia Eagles (19’), Detroit Lions (19’), LA Wildcats (20’), New York Guardians (20’), TSL (21’), NJ Generals (22’), Vegas Vipers (23’), Renegades (23’-Present), LA Chargers (24’)
The spring king continues his career going into his 9th professional season and his fourth with the Renegades. At age 31, Perez has nearly 10,000 career passing yards and 60 passing tds, to go along with his 2023 XFL championship. One of the more accomplished QBs in the UFL, he’s been statistically a top-3 passer for the past several seasons across all leagues he’s played in.
2. Matt Corral Birmingham Stallions
Experience: Carolina Panthers (22’-23’), NE Patriots (23’), Stallions (24’-Present), Minnesota Vikings (24’)
With no Adrian Martinez, Alex McGough or J’Mar Smith it appears that Corral will finally have his chance to showcase his talents through the regular season. Corral is 5-0 as a starter for Birmingham consistently playing at a high level when healthy. Now in 2026 he should have his chance to solidify a path back into the NFL.
1. Jordan Ta’amu D.C. Defenders
Experience: Houston Texans (19’), St. Louis Battlehawks (20’), KC Chiefs (20’-21’), Detroit Lions (20’-21’), Washington Football Team (21’), Tampa Bay Bandits (22’), D.C. Defenders (23’-Present), Minnesota Vikings (24’)
Outside of Perez no one has even the same amount of success throughout spring football than Ta’amu, with a multitude of awards, along with his recent championship from this past season Ta’amu goes into his 8th professional season as the top quarterback in the league heading into 2026, and should be considered a serious candidate for MVP.
5 Comments
by Gavin
I know this is off topic but I really miss Birmingham’s old jerseys after seeing the reveal. I’m glad they kept the Defenders and the Renegades the same, but I don’t like the Aviator’s jerseys at all. I would have liked to see maybe like a UL Monroe style jersey and helmet for them. As a Bham fan, I am definitely the most upset about them. I felt like we had them perfected in 2025. Maybe that’s just me. 🤷♂️
by Adam Simon
Speaking of Birmingham have we seen the last of JMar Smith? He was a great story that the league should have shouted to every rooftop. Any Garbers (Chase or Ethan) make it on any UFL rosters?
by Patrick Rifino
Ethan Garbers playing in Europe I believe. I’m not sure what Chase is doing. J’Mar was lost in the shuffle.
by Adam Simon
Reid Sinnett had great success in Europe could he return. Jameson Wang I think better than some on list.
by Ken Granito
UFL Musings:
1. I really liked the QB rankings. Good job! So many unknowns and maybe some guys can be tweaked, but I really think this did what you were supposed to do which was introduce this guys to the fans.
2. It can be said the Mike Repole imprint could be found most clearly under the QBs. They brought back the two big QBs in the league. A couple of former NFL guys, got Matt Corral and McClendon back under center. The younger guys seem really green and the 2nd stringers feel questionable. I wish them all good luck.
3. Sorry Mike, you missed the boat on the Stallions unis. U-G-L-Y you ain’t got no alibi, they ugly huh, huh, huh, they ugly. Sorry to Denzel, Woody and Goldie Wildcats a fun watch, but the cheer works here.
I am sure you had some concerns about some stuff, but you ask the fans what the scores should look like, but not what the unis should look like. BIG gaffe on your part.
4. This list reminds me of how PFN often gets it wrong. James Larsen insulted Jordan Ta’amu in his articles yet here he is atop the list. This is also the same outfit who said veteran coach Mike Riley jerked around De’andre Johnson who hadn’t played another game after 2023 and who is now retired. Maybe they want to stick to talking about how new players racked up 3 tackles instead of reporting how Ta’amu’s and Perez’ numbers really stack up. Ta’amu’s play in the UFL Championship looked better than Darnold & Maye. Clearly defenses are different in the two leagues, but Ta’amu in a cakewalk.
5. I look forward to the UFL this year, even tho I root for a second league for locales that need a team. Team and not league owners.
6. Wouldn’t the UFL look better if the Rock, Dany Garcia, Mike Repole, Fox and Redbird Capital all owned their own teams? Get 3 more in and an independent commissioner, the UFL will then earn the No Bull logo on their uniforms.
6. Overall NEW Era did a great job on the unis. The quality is outstanding. Battlehawks, Defenders look great! Will they be too hot in the later months. We will see.