WHAT: The 2026 UFL Showcase powered by NOBULL arrives in Houston on Sunday, September 27, at C.E. King High School. Houston is the third of 10 nationwide stops on the 2026 UFL Showcase calendar.
*** B-Roll and interview opportunities with UFL coaches and prospective players will be available ***
The player showcase provides free agent players and UFL hopefuls an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in front of UFL coaches and league personnel as they compete for 2027 roster opportunities. Since its inception, the UFL Showcase has become one of the league’s most effective avenues for identifying overlooked talent and producing players who have gone on to make significant impacts on UFL rosters. In 2026, 48 players who previously participated in UFL Showcase events earned invitations to UFL training camps, with 39 players ultimately appearing on active rosters.
The 2025 UFL Showcase in Houston provided a springboard for several players to continue their path in professional football, including tight end Shawn Bowman, quarterback Jalen Morton and linebacker LaVonta Bentley.
Bowman, who played for the Orlando Storm, is now a member of the Arizona Cardinals practice squad. Morton finished the 2026 season as the starting quarterback for the Columbus Aviators, while Bentley played a significant role for the St. Louis Battlehawks.
WHO:
- UFL coaches, league personnel in attendance evaluating talent, alongside league scouts.
- Free Agent Players
WHERE: C.E. King High School - 11433 East Sam Houston Pkwy N, Houston TX 77044
WHEN: Sunday, September 27
The showcase will be split into two on-field sessions:
- Session One: Defensive players
- Check-In / Registration Begins: 7:00 a.m. CT
- Session One Ends: 12:00 p.m. CT
- Session Two: Offensive players
- Check-In / Registration Begins: 12:30 p.m. CT
- Session Two Ends: 5:00 p.m. CT
Media Availability: 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. CT
UFL personnel will be available for interviews between sessions
- Additional media opportunities following Session Two will be conducted as available
- Media interested in attending should RSVP to brian.stull@theufl.com
PLAYER STORYLINES TO WATCH (Player participation subject to change)
- Blake Shapen (QB, Baylor / Mississippi State) – Veteran quarterback who helped lead Baylor to the 2021 Big 12 Championship, earning Most Outstanding Performer honors in the title game. Finished his collegiate career with 8,981 passing yards, 59 touchdown passes and nearly 10,000 yards of total offense across five seasons at Baylor and Mississippi State.
- Max Meylor (QB, Lindenwood / UW-Whitewater) – Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, native and former UW-Whitewater standout who ranks sixth all-time in Wisconsin high school history with 7,609 passing yards. In 2021, Meylor threw for 3,157 yards and 36 touchdowns while leading UW-Whitewater to a 13-1 record, earning WIAC Offensive Player of the Year honors, fourth-team All-America recognition and a spot as a Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist. After beginning his professional career with the Green Bay Blizzard, Meylor was named the IFL MVP in 2025 after leading the league with 3,019 passing yards and 67 touchdowns. He signed with the Arizona Rattlers for 2026 and led them to the IFL championship, earning Championship Game MVP honors after throwing three touchdowns and rushing for two more in a 62-51 victory over Green Bay. The title came one year after Meylor and the Blizzard lost the IFL championship to Las Vegas by three points, with Meylor stopped one yard short of the goal line as time expired.
- Micah Barrett (FB-TE, USC / Rice) – Dickinson, Texas, native and former Dickinson High School standout who stayed home to attend Rice as a preferred walk-on in 2022. Barnett made his collegiate debut in the season opener at USC as a true freshman and played in 34 games over his first three seasons at fullback before moving to tight end in 2025. He became a team co-captain, started 12 of 13 games and was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes the nation's top scholar-athlete. Barnett graduated with a degree in Sport Analytics and a 3.437 GPA.
- DJ Graham II (DB, Oklahoma / Utah State / Kansas) – Keller, Texas, native and former Oklahoma defensive back whose spectacular one-handed interception against Nebraska in 2021 earned the No. 1 play on SportsCenter. Graham later continued his college career at Utah State and Kansas.
- Ike Iwunnah (DL, Michigan) – Garland, Texas, native and 6-3, 316-pound defensive lineman who spent his college career at Michigan. Iwunnah spent three full seasons on the Wolverines' scout team without recording a game snap, working behind eventual NFL defensive linemen Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. Following what he described as a “mirror moment,” Iwunnah transformed himself physically and finally made his collegiate debut against Fresno State in 2024. He went on to earn four-time Academic All-Big Ten honors and play in 19 games over his final two seasons.
- LJ Johnson Jr. (RB, Texas A&M / SMU / Cal) – Cypress, Texas, native and former Cy-Fair standout who was a four-star recruit and 2021 All-American Bowl selection before beginning his college career at Texas A&M. Johnson transferred to SMU, where he rushed for 576 yards and four touchdowns in 2023, including three 100-yard games and a 67-yard run against Louisiana Tech. He added 303 rushing yards and five touchdowns in 2024 before finishing his college career at Cal in 2025.
- Victor Obi (DL, Kilgore / Baylor / Texas State) – Houston native and former Alief Taylor standout who recorded 10 sacks as a senior before beginning his college career at Kilgore College. A three-star JUCO prospect ranked the No. 20 junior college player in Texas, Obi transferred to Baylor, where he played three seasons as an edge/outside linebacker and special teams contributor. He totaled 20 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks with the Bears before transferring to Texas State in 2023, where he recorded six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack in eight games.
- Hunter Washington (DB, Florida State / Mississippi State) – Katy, Texas, native and former Katy High School standout who helped the Tigers win the 2020 state championship alongside future Mississippi State teammates Seth Davis and Malick Sylla. A four-star recruit and nationally ranked top-20 cornerback, Washington signed with Florida State before transferring to Mississippi State. Became a full-time starter in 2024, recording 55 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, an interception and a forced fumble. Washington finished his Mississippi State career with 108 tackles and 21 starts in 39 games.
- Caleb Weaver (DB, Sam Houston / Duke) – Houston native and former Jersey Village High School standout who walked on at Sam Houston and eventually earned a scholarship. A First Team All-CUSA selection in 2024, Weaver led the conference with 69 solo tackles and recorded four interceptions. He transferred to Duke in 2025, started all 14 games and led the Blue Devils with 91 tackles while helping Duke win the ACC Championship. Weaver was invited to the New York Jets' rookie minicamp in 2026.
- Marques Buford Jr. (DB, Nebraska) – Chicago, Illinois, native who was named Nebraska's co-Defensive Back of the Year in 2022 after starting the first 11 games of the season and recording 59 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Wisconsin. After missing the first eight games while rehabbing, Buford returned in 2023 and recorded a career-high 10 tackles against Wisconsin. He played his final three seasons at Nebraska, including a 21-tackle 2025 campaign, and earned Academic All-Big Ten honors four times. Buford earned his degree in child, youth and family studies in December 2024.
- Ja’Khi Douglas (WR, Florida State) – Former Florida State wide receiver from Houma, Louisiana, who spent five seasons with the Seminoles, finishing his career with 77 receptions for 1,256 yards and nine touchdowns. As a senior in 2024, Douglas led FSU with 32 receptions for 519 yards and four touchdowns, including a 71-yard touchdown against Charleston Southern and a game-winning 36-yard touchdown against California. He attended the New York Giants' rookie minicamp in 2026 before joining the DC Defenders for UFL training camp and later playing eight games with the Orlando Pirates, finishing with eight receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown.
- Darren Evans (DB, Nicholls / LSU) – Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native and former Glen Oaks standout who earned All-Southland honors at Nicholls before transferring to LSU in 2020. In 2019, Evans tied for fifth in the FCS with 15 pass breakups while recording 47 tackles and an interception. He signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2022 before joining the Arlington Renegades, helping them win the 2023 XFL Championship. Evans played in all 12 games that season and started eight, including a five-tackle performance in the championship game. He returned to Arlington for the 2024 UFL season, starting five of eight games and recording 20 tackles, two pass breakups and an interception.
The next UFL Showcase will be held Sunday, October 4, at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio. Players interested in participating in future UFL Showcases can register at showcases.theufl.com.