This is the fifth part of an eight-part look at each UFL team’s 2025 season
Part Three: Houston Roughnecks
Part Four: Arlington Renegades
What went right
No team had more pressure on them – and more of a target on their back – then the three-time defending spring football champion Stallions. And yet, they were still able to win the USFL Conference and sport the second-best regular season record in the UFL. They did this with a rotating cast of characters at quarterback, as injuries took an extensive toll on the position. In all, five quarterbacks took snaps from under center, including J’Mar Smith, who was called out of semi-retirement during the season. Head coach Skip Holtz’s legend as a quarterback whisperer was only strengthened with what happened this year. Elsewhere, Birmingham finished third in total offense despite these setbacks, thanks in part to some big-play wide receivers at their disposal. The team’s pass rush at times was ferocious and helped aid in the Stallions accumulating the second-most takeaways. Kicker Harrison Mevis was nearly perfect on the year in field goals.
What went wrong
Despite the 7-3 record, something felt “off” all year about this Stallions team. Then again, when you’ve won three championships in a row, expectations from both the inside and the outside are high; sometimes impossibly so. Though Birmingham was able to weather the quarterback injuries, that constant shuffling put an untold strain on the rest of the offense. The offensive line was not as strong as in years past, both in the pass and the run game: The Stallions gave up the second-most sacks in the league and their top two running backs, Ricky Person and C.J. Marable, combined to average just 3.5 yards per carry. The Stallions’ defense was inconsistent and committed the the second-highest number of penalties in the UFL. There was a lot of movement in the defensive backfield to get the right combinations on the field.
Stat to note
The offensive line and running backs likely share the blame for the stagnant running game in 2025, though all three backs returned from 2024. Only Cole Schneider and Armani Taylor-Prioleau were starters who retained their ’24 roles in 2025. The running threat of QB Adrian Martinez, who averaged nearly 10 yards per rush, was no longer there in 2025, either. All of that conspired to drop Birmingham’s per-carry average from 5.13 in 2024 to 4.2 in 2025, nearly a full yard per carry.
Offensive MVP
A big play waiting to happen every time he touched the ball, WR Deon Cain managed to put up gaudy stats despite the revolving door of quarterbacks in Birmingham. Cain averaged over 17 yards per reception on a team-leading 29 catches (aided by 226 YAC yards per PFF, the best on the team by more than 60 yards), while scoring six receiving touchdowns, accounting for more than one-third of the team’s air TDs by himself. The strong showing from Cain earned him another NFL contract with the Buffalo Bills, the same team he was in training camp with last summer.
Defensive MVP
A former seventh round NFL draft pick of the New York Giants, LB Tae Crowder‘s first year in spring football was a success. From his inside linebacker position, he had two interceptions, returning both for touchdowns. He also ranked near the top of the list in tackles for the Stallions. The 28-year-old was out of football in 2024 after finishing the 2023 season with the Tennessee Titans. At the least, he may have earned a tryout or two with NFL teams this year.
Special Teams MVP
Though he just missed out on All-UFL honors, K Harrison Mevis nevertheless put up impressive numbers on special teams this year. Mevis missed just one field goal and showed off a powerful – and accurate – leg from long distance, connecting on five-of-six field goals from beyond 50 yards, as well as all eight from 40-49 yards. Mevis has a real chance to win the kicking job with the New York Jets, with whom he signed after the UFL season concluded.
Most likely to succeed (in getting NFL opportunities)
Despite not finding success the team is used to in league play, as of this writing the Stallions have the most players signed onto NFL rosters of any UFL team, with Mevis likely having the best opportunity to stick. Of those not yet signed, other receivers like Davion Davis and Cade Johnson could be on the tryout list of some teams. Defensive lineman Carlos Davis may have shown enough pass rush pop to pique the interest of NFL squads. Though they didn’t have much time to show their wares, rookies Steve Linton and Tommi Hill could also find work during camp.
QB concern level for 2025 (1-5)
Last year, I rated this a “1,” reasoning that, “…even if Martinez and Corral both leave, they still have third-stringer J’Mar Smith, who quarterbacked the Stallions to a USFL Championship in 2022.” Martinez did leave and is competing to stay on the roster of the New York Jets this summer. Corral returned but got hurt, necessitating a call to Smith, who walked away from football for a time. The good news for 2026 is that Birmingham has the rights to several quarterbacks that they may be able to pick and choose from; the bad news is none of them were terribly effective outside of Smith, and who knows what his commitment level will be for next year. The one that may be most interesting is Andrew Peasley, who Martinez beat out for the number three job with the Jets last year. He looked good in a small sample size and like Martinez, can be a threat with his legs. It’s unlikely the Stallions will be this snakebitten again in 2026 so they should be able to find three able-bodied QBs out of the five (or more) they currently have rights to. Split it down the middle and I see it as a 2.5.
Head coach hot seat rating (1-5)
Had it not been for Shannon Harris unexpectedly winning the UFL Championship as an interim head coach after the departure of Reggie Barlow in D.C., there’s a good chance Skip Holtz would’ve been Coach of the Year. And even with Harris’s success, there was still a solid argument for Holtz to win. Holtz has often professed to love what spring football does for the ecosystem of the sport and he’s a great ambassador for the UFL. There are two concerns related to him potentially leaving: One is that he’s been a target of many college programs over the last few years because of his prosperity at this level; and two, if the Stallions leave Birmingham as is rumored, could that ruffle Holtz’s feathers enough (especially if he was told by management that the Stallions weren’t going anywhere, as he indicated in an interview) for him to leave, with or without one of those college jobs? That all remains to be seen. The hot seat represents the heat the head coach feels from UFL ownership, and Holtz shouldn’t be feeling any right now. He’s a 1 on this scale.
Offseason needs for 2026
Birmingham fans will keep a close eye on those who’ve left to sign with NFL teams. Those that make 53-man rosters or practice squads and stay on the team all season will have to be replaced – there’s just no way to know where those replacements will be needed yet. Holtz and his new general manager, Paul Roell, will need to figure out which quarterbacks they want to keep heading into camp. They may not need to supplement from the outside. The team could probably stand to add two new offensive line starters and freshen up the backfield. Birmingham runs three-deep at defensive end, so perhaps some depth at defensive tackle would work. As in previous years, there are no real obvious holes that need to be plugged; it’s just a matter of adding meaningful competition at key positions.