ARLINGTON, TX – July 24, 2026 – As NFL clubs prepare to open training camp this week, 57 former UFL and spring football alumni will report under contract, continuing to showcase the league's role as a proving ground for NFL talent.
From All-Pros and record-setters to reliable starters and key contributors, former UFL players have continued to establish themselves across the NFL. Here are some of the biggest success stories entering the 2026 season.
Leading the way is the gold standard of the UFL-to-NFL pipeline, Brandon Aubrey.
The former Birmingham Stallions kicker is preparing for his fourth NFL season, this time as the highest-paid kicker in NFL history after signing a four-year, $28 million contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys this offseason.
Aubrey earned NFL All-Pro Second Team honors once again after converting 36 of 42 field-goal attempts, including a season-long 64-yarder. He also made NFL history by becoming the first kicker to make three field goals of 55 yards or longer in a single game. Later in the season, he became the first kicker ever to convert three field goals from 60-plus yards in a season and tied the NFL record as the fastest player to reach 100 career field goals.
Sharing the Cowboys' special teams spotlight is another former spring football standout, KaVontae Turpin.
The former New Jersey Generals (USFL) playmaker enters the second season of his three-year, $13.5 million contract extension after another All-Pro campaign. Turpin led the NFL with 1,814 kickoff return yards, finishing 226 yards ahead of the next closest returner while consistently providing Dallas with excellent field position.
Turpin also remained a weapon on offense, hauling in 26 receptions for 396 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 15.2 yards per catch. His biggest play came on Christmas Day when he went for an 86-yard touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Aubrey and Turpin remain two of the biggest success stories to emerge from the modern era of spring football and will once again be key contributors for the Cowboys in 2026.
The Birmingham Stallions have produced another standout NFL kicker in Harrison Mevis.
Known as "The Thiccer Kicker," Mevis broke through with the Los Angeles Rams during the 2025 season after earning the starting job in Week 10. He finished a perfect 39-for-39 on extra points while converting 12 of 13 field-goal attempts, with a long of 52 yards.
His defining moment came in the NFC Divisional Round against the Chicago Bears. With the game tied 17-17 in overtime, Mevis drilled a 42-yard game-winning field goal to send the Rams to the NFC Championship Game. Although Los Angeles fell one game short of the Super Bowl, Mevis added nine points, including a 50-yard field goal, in the conference title game.
Still just 24 years old, Mevis enters his first full NFL season with plenty of momentum.
Up north in Detroit, Jake Bates is preparing for his third season with the Lions.
The former Michigan Panthers kicker signed a one-year, $1 million contract this offseason after another productive campaign under head coach Dan Campbell. Bates connected on 27 field goals with a season-long of 59 yards while converting 54 of his 56 extra-point attempts.
He finished sixth among all NFL kickers with 135 points and made four field goals from 50 yards or longer. Bates also delivered one of Detroit's biggest moments of the season, drilling a 42-yard walk-off field goal as time expired in Week 18 to defeat the Chicago Bears, 19-16.
Another former UFL kicker to establish himself was Andre Szmyt of the Cleveland Browns.
The former St. Louis Battlehawks standout started all 17 games as a rookie, converting 24 of 27 field-goal attempts while making 25 of 26 extra points. He punctuated his rookie season with a game-winning 49-yard field goal against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18 before re-signing with Cleveland this offseason.
Szmyt has become another example of how spring football continues to prepare kickers for success at the next level.
On the defensive side of the ball, former Arlington Renegades standout Jalen Redmond continues to emerge as an impact player for the Minnesota Vikings.
After appearing in 13 games during the 2024 season, Redmond played in all 17 contests in 2025 while making 15 starts. He finished with 62 total tackles, six sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and five passes defended, earning another contract with Minnesota heading into training camp.
Aubrey, Turpin, Mevis, Bates, Szmyt and Redmond headline a growing list of former UFL and spring football players who have established themselves in the NFL. Others, including Dondrea Tillman (Denver Broncos), Daniel Whelan (Green Bay Packers) and Christian Kuntz (Pittsburgh Steelers), will also report to training camp looking to build on successful NFL careers while the newest wave of UFL talent attempts to follow in their footsteps.
Aubrey, Turpin, Mevis, Bates, Szmyt and Redmond headline a growing list of former UFL and spring football players who have established themselves in the NFL. Others, including Dondrea Tillman (Denver Broncos), Daniel Whelan (Green Bay Packers) and Christian Kuntz (Pittsburgh Steelers), and more, will also report to training camp looking to build on successful NFL careers.
In total, 57 former UFL and spring football alumni will report to NFL training camps under contract this summer. They'll be joined by 23 players from the 2026 UFL season who signed NFL contracts following the United Bowl, including 2026 Offensive Player of the Year Hakeem Butler, 2026 Defensive Player of the Year Cam Gill, and 2026 Special Teams Player of the Year Tanner Brown, as the league's newest wave of talent looks to follow in the footsteps of today's established UFL alumni.