The St. Louis Battlehawks are locked and loaded for the United Football League’s second straight season since the merger with the XFL, looking to build off of their strong campaign in 2024.

Who’s returning on offense?

The Battlehawks are returning a number of star players from 2024 including wide receiver Hakeem Butler and running back Jacob Saylors. These two were key contributors to the Battlehawk’s high-powered offense from last season that averaged 30 points per game.

The main ground game contributor was Saylors, who rushed for 460 yards, the second most in the league, in only nine games (only six of which he started). His running mate, Mataeo Durant is also returning to the squad and the two will look to be a top duo in the league.

Another reason why the running game was so electric last season was the linemen. Left tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith, who earned All-UFL honors in 2024, and center Mike Panasiuk, who was an All-XFL selection in 2023, are both coming back to the Battlehawks.

But the biggest damage was done through the air, as Butler obtained a league-leading 652 receiving yards along with five receiving touchdowns over 11 games. This earned Butler the Offensive Player of the Year title.

Important new faces on offense

Butler will be catching balls from both quarterback Max Duggan and quarterback Manny Wilkins after the departure of quarterback A.J. McCarron. Duggan, a standout at Texas Christian University, took the Horned Frogs to their first national championship in program history in 2022.

However, with the loss of wide receiver and 2023 XFL special teams player of the year Darrius Shepherd, it was imperative that St. Louis made a move. The team achieved this by bringing back former Battlehawk wide receiver Gary Jennings.

Jennings, who spent 2023 in St. Louis before moving on to the Carolina Panthers and Birmingham Stallions, has played with eight different NFL teams and 10 different organizations. In his stint with the Battlehawks, Jennings racked up a total of 11 catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns.

Along with Duggan, the Battlehawks signed quarterback Chevan Cordeiro to make it a three-way battle with previously mentioned Wilkins getting re-signed.

Wilkins returns after a few showing last year, throwing for 306 yards and a touchdown on 54% completion percentage in three games.

To add more protection for whoever the starting quarterback may be, the Battlehawks signed tackle Ryan Coll. Coll, out of the University of Richmond, has some NFL experience under his belt at the young age of 24. Coll has played on practice squads for both the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts.

The Defense Gets Even Stronger

The Battlehawks made sure not only to maintain and bolster their offense, but also to maintain and add to their already threatening defense that allowed just 258.9 yards per game, the second best in the league. Fan favorites like linebackers Mike Rose and Willie Harvey Jr. were made priorities in free agency. Both standouts were successfully re-signed.

Rose stood out at the University of Iowa State, being named the 2020 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, as well as being awarded first team title in both 2020 and 2021. Rose, in his second stint with the Battlehawks last year, racked up 45 total tackles along with two interceptions.

Harvey was another linebacker that won many hearts over last season, racking up a league-leading 79 tackles in 2024. This impressive season got Harvey named to the All-UFL team.

Last year, the Battlehawks’ defense was premiered by their passing defense that allowed 169.4 passing yards per game, good for second-best in the league. However, on the flip side, they were not as impressive with a run defense that allowed 89.5 rushing yards per game, which ranked fifth in the league.

To help remedy this, St. Louis signed an NFL veteran in defensive tackle Albert Huggins. The 27-year-old has been a part of eight different NFL organizations and 11 different individual teams.

Other Offseason Moves of Note

The Battlehawks also signed University of Georgia standout kicker Rodrigo Blankenship. Blankenship was very consistent in his college days, making 82.5% of his kicks and making all 200 of his extra point attempts. This resulted in him being named to the second-team All-SEC in 2018 and first-team All-SEC, along with winning the Lou Groza Award in 2019.

The coaching staff stayed mainly the same, including the man at the helm, head coach Anthony Becht. However, one big change was the promotion of wide receivers coach Phil McGeoghan to offensive coordinator. McGeoghan will retain his old position as wide receivers coach while also taking on the duties of offensive coordinator. This move effectively displaced the previous offensive coordinator Bruce Gradkowski who had been running the offense since 2023.

The Battlehawks began their season on March 28th against the Houston Roughnecks, winning 31-6. Their next matchup will be on April 6th against the San Antonio Brahmas at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

Edited by Colin Simmons l csimmons@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Emma Short | eshort@themaneater.com

Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com