THREE STALLIONS TO WATCH ON OFFENSE:
Davion Davis: The 2023 Stallions standout returned to the team this season after spending two seasons in the NFL. He is currently the team leader in receptions with 11 and is second to Deon Cain in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Davis had two huge catches for the Stallions in last week’s win over the Houston Roughnecks. The first catch resulted in a 26-yard touchdown and he followed with a two-point conversion reception. The final catch came on 3rd-and-long late in the game when he hauled in a 36-yard pass from backup quarterback Case Cookus. Davis had 47 catches for 705 yards with seven touchdowns in 12 games in 2023.
Case Cookus: The first snap of Cookus’ tenure with the Stallions featured the 6-foot-3, 210-pound veteran quarterback voluntarily serving as a lead blocker for C.J. Marable. Obviously, doing what it takes to win is at the top of his objectives list. Now, more traditionally, his 36-yard pass to Davion Davis was the key play of a drive that finished with a critical field goal by Harrison Mevis. Cookus has 4,654 yards with 34 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in USFL and UFL regular season action.
Jordan Thomas: The 6-foot-5, 285-pound Thomas is a tight end in an offensive lineman’s body. The former Houston Texans starter has made a
big – pardon the pun – impact since joining the Stallions for the 2024 season. He’s shown he can move the chains with six catches for 87 yards, which is an average of nearly 15 yards per catch, this season. Thomas had four catches for 75 yards in the 2024 UFL regular season.
THREE STALLIONS TO WATCH ON DEFENSE
Tae Crowder: The former New York Giants starter has stepped right into one of the deepest and most productive linebacker rooms in the UFL. After four games, Crowder is second on the team with 27 tackles while adding one tackle for loss and one pass breakup. Crowder is a former linebacker at the University of Georgia.
Chapelle Russell: The former Temple University linebacker is coming off his best game in a Stallions uniform. Russell had seven tackles and one tackle for loss in the win over the Houston Roughnecks. His big hit on Nolan Henderson knocked the Houston starting quarterback out of the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. Russell has 15 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, one pass breakup and a forced fumble on the season.
Perrion Winfrey: The 6-foot-3, 317-pound defensive tackle from Oklahoma leads the defensive front with 14 tackles, one tackle for loss and two
pass breakups. He had six tackles and a pass breakup in the win over the
Roughnecks. Winfrey was the nation’s top junior college prospect following two seasons at Iowa Western Community College. After two seasons at Oklahoma, he was fourth round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns. He played in 13 games as a rookie in 2022.
BEND BUT DON’T BREAK
The Stallions defense is just below the middle of the UFL pack if you judge
a defense by yards allowed per game. The Stallions give up 282.3 yards per game through the first four games, which is fifth best in the league. But final results aren’t determined by yardage, which is why the Stallions defense has played a big role in helping the team get off to a 3-1 start. The Stallions are second in the league in scoring defense, giving up an average of 13.8 points per game. Birmingham shares the top overall record in the league with the D.C. Defenders, Arlington Renegades and Michigan Panthers. Those four teams also represent the leaders in scoring defense.
Birmingham’s defense gave up just four touchdowns in four games with two of those coming in last week’s win over Houston. Arlington leads the league with three touchdowns allowed in four games.
SCOUTING THE MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS
It’s been a rough start, once again, for the winless Showboats. But wide receiver Jonathan Adams is showing once again that he’s one of the best wide receivers in the UFL. Through four weeks, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Arkansas State product leads the UFL in receptions (22) and receiving yards (284) with one touchdown. A year ago, Adams had 33 catches for 443 yards with a touchdown for a Memphis team that finished 2-8. He had 31 catches for 406 yards with five touchdowns for New Orleans in the USFL in 2023. Adams had 75 catches for 1,111 yards with 15 touchdowns as a senior at Arkansas State.
Ken Whisenhunt stepped down as the Memphis head coach on April 16. Jim Turner is serving as the interim head coach. The Showboats dropped a 26-12 decision to the Michigan Panthers in Turner’s debut at the helm. Turner coached the offensive line during his 30-year career, including the past two seasons with the Showboats.
Memphis has three of the UFL’s top 10 in tackles. Linebacker Steele Chambers in second in total tackles (37) and solo tackles (23). Safety Eli Walker and linebacker Zeke Vandenburgh each have 28 tackles, which is seventh best in the UFL. Walker is fourth in solo tackles with 21. The defense has struggled overall. The Showboats are sixth in the UFL in rushing defense (123.8 ypg) and total defense (286.3 ypg) and seventh in scoring defense (22 ppg). Memphis has an UFL-low two sacks in four games and have yet to force a turnover.