San Antonio Brahmas Blow Open UFL Free Agency | Chase Garbers
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Breaking Down The San Antonio Brahmas 2024 UFL Roster

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Last year, the San Antonio Brahmas did not necessarily live up to expectations in the XFL, finishing with a 3-7 record. The team couldn’t find an offensive rhythm whatsoever, and it came back to haunt them down the stretch of the season.

This time around, things are bound to look different in San Antonio. The team has an entirely new coaching staff, with Wade Phillips and his squad coming over from Houston.

Additionally, the organization has completely revamped almost every single position group. This Brahmas team has a new identity, which is positive news for the fanbase. Let’s take a look at who this team rosters, and the impact each player could have this year at The Alamodome and beyond.

Quarterbacks

Chase Garbers
Quinten Dormady
Tom Flacco

Fans will have to get used to a brand new quarterback room for the 2024 season. Jack Coan, Reid Sinnett, and Kurt Benkert are gone. In their place is former Orlando Guardians QB Quinten Dormady, and two new faces in Chase Garbers and Tom Flacco.

As of today, Garbers has been named as the starter for San Antonio. Offensive Coordinator A.J. Smith spoke highly of Garbers, saying that his skill sets are reminiscent of what he had in Houston in 2020, with P.J. Walker.

Chase Garbers was an offseason signing for the Brahmas, and is someone who could do some serious damage in a league like this. Garbers is a dual threat QB, and recently spent time in the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders. He threw for over 2,500 yards and 16 scores during his final season at California. He also added 456 rushing yards and four touchdowns that year on the ground.

Dormady & Flacco

Dormady is a name that many XFL fans are familiar with. After the drama he dealt with last year, which resulted in him temporarily losing a roster spot, Quinten filled in nicely for Orlando. He put on a show in their week seven upset against DC, totaling six touchdowns on the day.

Consistency is something that Brahmas fans will have to hope Dormady can develop fully under A.J. Smith’s offensive schemes. Last year, he was hit or miss from week to week.

Tom Flacco is coming into the UFL as QB3, but is capable in his own regard. Flacco has wheels, and proved himself as a valuable weapon in Towson’s offense in college. If Garbers and/or Dormady struggle, don’t be surprised if Tom gets playing time at some point.

Running Backs

Anthony McFarland
Brycen Alleyne
John Lovett

Anthony McFarland was a massive addition for San Antonio this offseason, and is one that hasn’t gotten enough attention. McFarland comes into the UFL with legitimate NFL experience under his belt, and could be a piece that elevates this offense to a whole new level.

Wade Phillips spoke on McFarland’s traits last week, commenting on his “lightning speed”. He can blow by anyone in open space, and is expected to see a large amount of reps this season.

Brycen Alleyne reunites with his coaching staff from Houston, as he was picked up during the dispersal draft. Alleyne is a dynamic back who made the most of his minutes with the Roughnecks, and should be a key playmaker for San Antonio, especially in red zone situations.

John Lovett is another underrated piece for this group. Lovett spent the 2023 XFL season with the Vegas Vipers, proving to be an excellent one-two punch coming out of the backfield. If Lovett can post numbers in the receiving game like he did a year ago, you can expect him to have his name called upon often this season.

Wide Receivers

Jontre Kirklin
Justin Smith
K.D. Cannon
Landen Akers
Marquez Stevenson
Matt Landers
T.J. Vasher

In a high-flying offense highlighted by A.J. Smith’s up-tempo schemes, this wide receiver group perfectly fits what this team is looking to accomplish. Jontre Kirklin makes his way to San Antonio, and is in a position to be one of the best in the league. He was arguably the XFL’s top wide out last year prior to a season ending injury.

Justin Smith is an underrated piece who is bound for a breakout year. His breakaway speed rivals that of anyone in the UFL. Landen Akers and T.J. Vasher are two familiar faces, who both spent the 2023 season with San Antonio under Hines Ward.

K.D. Cannon and Marquez Stevenson are new additions. Cannon played with the Orlando Guardians last year, and should thrive in a system that throws the ball often. Stevenson is another guy with playmaker potential for this unit.

Matt Landers is someone to keep a close eye on. He was with the Seattle Seahawks during the NFL preseason, and was one many expected to make the roster in Arlington. Landers got picked up by San Antonio off of waivers.

Tight Ends

Alize Mack
Cody Latimer

The San Antonio Brahmas will be rolling with two tight ends this year, which is rather interesting when looking at what A.J. Smith did last year. Houston did not feature any TE’s in 2023, but it appears that Smith will utilize them this year.

The good news is that Cody Latimer is on this roster. He’s basically a wide receiver under the “tight end” branding. Latimer posted 593 yards and four touchdowns last year, and will certainly see a lot of production with a better offense.

Alize Mack returns to San Antonio, and will look to embrace the one-two punch him and Latimer will be this season. The two have developed a special bond through Training Camp, and could end up being the best TE duo in the league.

Offensive Line

Aaron Monteiro
Alex Mollette
Chuck Filiaga
Derrick Kelly
Greg Eiland
John Yarbrough
Kohl Levao
Rashaad Coward
Sam Tecklenburg

The Brahmas will have a new identity with their offensive line unit this year. This is by no means a bad thing, as the team has picked up several standout lineman over the offseason, including those who have NFL backgrounds.

Aaron Monteiro, Rashaad Coward, and Sam Tecklenburg are perfect examples, as they all bring NFL experience to the table. This is their first time in the spring football scene, so it’ll be intriguing to watch if they can build chemistry early on.

Alex Mollette will be the starting center, and for good reason. He was All-XFL with the Roughnecks last year, and spent some time in the NFL following that campaign. John Yarbrough is the only other Roughnecks lineman on the roster, but he is currently on the injured reserve list.

Defensive Line

Caeveon Patton
Delontae Scott
Garrett Nelson
Jacob Sykes
Jalen Dalton
Prince Emili
Taron Vincent
Tim Ward
Wyatt Ray

Highlighting this group is two All-XFL stars: Caeveon Patton, and Delontae Scott. Patton was with Orlando last year, while Scott was with these Brahmas. Interestingly enough, the two were both with the Atlanta Falcons this past NFL preseason.

Tim Ward is a big pickup for this group. Ward was with Houston last year, and posted 22 tackles and five sacks. Prince Emili is coming off a couple of years in the NFL on practice squads, and is someone who should make a legitimate impact in the trenches.

Generally speaking, there are quite a few new names in this bunch. Jalen Dalton, Taron Vincent, Wyatt Ray, etc. were all players who originally had signed with the Roughnecks, but were acquired by San Antonio once the merger went through.

Garrett Nelson is technically a linebacker, but is someone we would expect to be used frequently as an edge rusher. Nelson was phenomenal in college with Nebraska, totaling 167 tackles and 12 sacks during his senior season. Jacob Sykes is a promising prospect out of UCLA, who recently was with the Seattle Seahawks.

Linebackers

Jamir Jones
Joel Iyiegbuniwe
Jordan Williams
Nate Wieland
Robert Barnes
Tavante Beckett
Zach McCloud

Right off the bat, one of the names that jumps off the board is Tavante Beckett. Beckett was stellar in Wade Phillips’ defense last year in Houston, totaling 63 tackles and two interceptions. Jordan Williams is a huge retention for this defense as well, as he was All-XFL last year. He posted 89 tackles and an interception in 2023.

Iyiegbuniwe brings NFL experience to the table, having spent several years on 53 man rosters, and practice squads. Robert Barnes was a standout at the XFL Combine this year, having been acquired by the Brahmas during their Combine Draft.

See also

Jamir Jones, Nate Wieland, and Zach McCloud round out this unit as capable defenders in their own regards. Wieland was with Houston last year, but was injured for most of the season. Jones and McCloud are two guys who have NFL experience, and now will look to continue their pro careers in the UFL.

Secondary

Bryce Thompson
Corey Mayfield Jr.
Darrius Phillips
Thakarius “Bopete” Keyes

Across the board, this secondary unit will look quite a bit different in San Antonio this year. Bryce Thompson joins the group after an excellent season with the Sea Dragons, one that led to a stint with the Miami Dolphins.

Darrius Phillips is a major pickup for the Brahmas, as a former NFL draft pick with the Cincinnati Bengals. Phillips will look to fill the shoes of All-XFL CB Luq Barcoo, who will not be with the team this year.

Thakarius Keyes must have had an impressive camp, as he went up against a lot of competition throughout this process. Thakarius was a seventh round draft pick with the Chiefs in 2020, but has struggled to maintain a roster spot since then.

The entire cornerback room is brand new for the Brahmas. Corey Mayfield is the final piece for now, who signed this past offseason with San Antonio. The UTSA product was spectacular in his senior season with 67 tackles, three sacks, and three takeaways. Expect him to make a difference on game days.

Safeties

A.J. Hendy
Jordan Mosley
Scott Nelson
Teez Tabor

A.J. Hendy is another piece from Houston that reunites with Phillips in San Antonio. He started in nine games for the Roughnecks last year, totaling 36 tackles. Jordan Mosley was also in the secondary with Hendy last year, racking up 39 tackles.

Teez Tabor will be a name to keep a close eye on, as he’s been on and off NFL rosters for the past several years. Scott Nelson is a fresh addition to the spring football scene, who most recently was with the Detroit Lions this past NFL preseason.

Special Teams

K Donald De La Haye (Deestroying)
P Brad Wing
LS Rex Sunahara

It was a surprise to many when the Brahmas decided to release NFL veteran Matt Ammendola, leaving Donald De La Haye as the lone kicker rostered. However, the Youtube sensation has had a tremendous UFL training camp, leading to him earning the starting job.

Deestroying has not kicked in a professional game in several years, but has been working at his craft intensely as of late. He also went through some training under Gary Zauner’s wing – who has worked with the likes of Brandon Aubrey.

On the other hand, the return of Brad Wing and Rex Sunahara is great news. Both were excellent in 2023, and had NFL opportunities. Wing spent some time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and so did Sunahara during the 2023 NFL season.

Wing had a net average of 37.1 yards per punt in 2023 (48 average), with 34% of those traveling over 50 yards.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the San Antonio Brahmas are quite possibly the biggest sleepers in the XFL conference. With new leadership in Head Coach Wade Phillips and General Manager Marc Lillibridge, the reconstructed Brahmas feature an excellent balance of players who have proven themselves in spring football already, alongside NFL-caliber talent.

It certainly was not easy to make the decisions to finalize this roster. The team had to cut down from 75 to 50 players, which occurred on March 10th and March 22nd.

For a full breakdown of the Brahmas 2024 coaching staff, click here.

What are your thoughts on the San Antonio Brahmas roster for the 2024 UFL season? Which players will make a difference this year? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!

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