For a second straight season, the St. Louis Battlehawks won the XFL Conference, and earned the right to host a playoff game at home. For the second time in a row, though, the Battlehawks were eliminated on their home turf, ending the UFL season in disappointment.
With a franchise best 8-2 regular season record, St. Louis was rolling – having won six straight heading into the playoffs. It was a year that had many fans prepared for that long awaited Championship run, especially with the game being played in St. Louis once again.
That wouldn’t be the case, though. The Battlehawks fell in embarrassing fashion to DC, 36-18. It’s a season that despite the high hopes and aspirations – and the regular season success – leaves St. Louis with more questions than answers heading into this offseason.
Before we get to that, though – let’s take a look at what went down this past year in The Lou.
Coaching Changes
As Training Camp got underway, the Battlehawks saw quite a bit of turnover on their offensive coaching staff. Bruce Gradkowski – the team’s OC and QB Coach – took a job in Detroit on Dan Campbell’s staff.
This resulted in Phil McGeoghan being promoted to OC under Anthony Becht. Anthony also brought in former NFL QB, Seneca Wallace, to coach the quarterbacks. On top of that, O-Line coach Gino Gradkowski departed as well, and Marc Colombo – the former NFL Pro Bowler – was added to the staff as their offensive line coach.
These additions turned Anthony’s group into one of the top staffs in the UFL. Colombo, in particular, was a tremendous asset. His offensive line was arguably the best unit in the entire league, one that paved the way for a winning record in The Lou once again.
According to PFF, the Battlehawks O-Line ranked 2nd in Pass Blocking grades (66.7), and 2nd in Run Blocking Grades (62.5). They boasted the best rushing grade of any team in the league, at 88.0. Not to mention, both C Mike Panasiuk and OG Steven Gonzalez were named to the All-UFL list, solidifying their eliteness in the league.
The Manny Wilkins Experience
Anthony Becht and this St. Louis organization shook things up in a major way this past offseason, not bringing A.J. McCarron back. The entire focus was on getting a quarterback who would be more mobile, which is something that hurt St. Louis on the defensive end of things over the past couple of years.
Dave Boller and Becht decided to bring Manny Wilkins back, who had been with the team the last couple of seasons. In addition, they signed young college standouts Max Duggan and Chevan Cordeiro, who were beat out by Manny in Training Camp.
After a mixed bag of performances in 2024, fans were hesitant to embrace Wilkins. He quickly won them over, though, as the Battlehawks started the season 2-0. Their ground game was unstoppable against Houston and San Antonio in the opening weeks, with Wilkins, Jacob Saylors, and Jarveon Howard rushing for several TD’s and nearly 500 yards.
However, week three would tell a different story. Wilkins turned the ball over four times in a loss at home to the DC Defenders, as the Battlehawks suffered their first loss of the year. It was the first time that St. Louis’ offense was neutralized.
As they looked to rebound the following week against Arlington, Wilkins went down early with a torn achilles – ending his season short. Max Duggan came into the game, but threw a game-sealing pick six in the final moments.
Just like that, the Battlehawks were 2-2 – desperately looking to regain their footing as we approached the halfway point in the year.
Max Duggan Takes Over
Duggan was the primary starter heading into the rest of the year, and the Battlehawks were able to see quite a bit of success with Max – despite his struggles in the passing game. Hakeem Butler returned to the team in week five, and erupted with two catches for two touchdowns, as St. Louis took down the Michigan Panthers at home in a thriller.
The momentum carried through the rest of the year. Defensively, the Battlehawks were playing at a high level, something that they were able to rely on during their six game winning streak through the remainder of the year.
A key victory for the Battlehawks came in week eight, when they took down the Birmingham Stallions at home in a 29-28 nail-biter. It was a game that could have gone either way – but their late surge from Saylors and Duggan pushed them to a victory which was sealed with a forced fumble by Pita Taumoepenu.
The final two weeks saw the Battlehawks resting a good chunk of their starters, while they still cruised to victories over San Antonio and DC. Brandon Silvers saw quite a bit of action at quarterback, turning back the clock in his first game action since 2023.
With an 8-2 record, and home-field advantage secured for another playoff appearance, things were trending in a positive direction for St. Louis.
Defensive Injuries Piling Up
Throughout their winning streak, though, the Battlehawks saw quite a few players go down with injury. Coach Becht preached about the depth that this team had all year long, and while his statements were accurate, the amount of injuries that St. Louis sustained to starters left its mark.
Defensively, they lost starting CB’s Brandon Sebastian and Chris Payton-Jones to IR. On top of that, they saw DT Austin Faoliu miss quite a bit of time, including the playoff matchup against DC. Backup DT Isaiah Mack, who became active and impressed across a two week span, also went to IR.
This all came to a head in the playoffs against the DC Defenders. St. Louis’ lack of run defense was on full display, clearly missing Faoliu and Mack on the interior as Deon Jackson rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns. They were without DE Chris Garrett, and also saw their star edge rushers in Pita Taumoepenu and Travis Feeney come out of the gate a bit slow, after resting the previous week.
Additionally, their backup corners didn’t produce at the same level, with Jordan Ta’amu attacking down the field all night long.
Quarterback Dilemma
What ultimately came back to bite the St. Louis Battlehawks was their inability to throw the ball down the field when they needed to. While the team saw increased mobility due to the legs of a guy like Max Duggan, he could not push the ball deep despite the team desperately needing that in the season’s biggest moments.
Max completed just 57.3% of his pass attempts during the regular season, with four touchdowns and four interceptions. In the playoff game against DC, Duggan was 7/14 for 105 yards and a pick, being benched for Brandon Silvers in the second half (who eventually left the game due to injury).
As we head into the offseason, the Battlehawks will have to address the QB room once again. There’s no guarantee that Manny Wilkins can come back 100% after his torn achilles. Even if he does, is he really the answer? Wilkins didn’t have to throw the ball much during his stint early on in the year, and when he had to throw it against DC, he wasn’t very accurate.
Max Duggan is a competitor, and brings plenty of grit to the table. With that in mind, it’s hard to see him as the team’s leader in 2026. He never developed into the passer that we hoped he could become, and that’s ultimately what held St. Louis back from reaching a Championship once again.
Positives From 2026
The St. Louis Battlehawks still have plenty to be proud of from the 2025 UFL season. Defensively, in particular, they were outstanding.
Pita Taumoepenu Jr. was named as the UFL’s Defensive Player of the Year, which is no surprise after he totaled 27 tackles, 5.5 TFL’s, and a league best 7.5 sacks. He was relentless at EDGE, continuing to create for Donnie Abraham’s defense – sealing multiple victories with a sack this season.
Jacob Saylors was once again a bright spot, earning All-UFL honors while rushing for 499 yards (2nd) and 5 TD’s (T-2nd) during the 2025 season. Without Saylors, it’s hard to say where this Battlehawks team would’ve ended up. His efforts had him in the MVP conversation throughout the majority of the year.
As previously mentioned, the offensive line was a strong suit for St. Louis. Their ability to bring back so many key pieces (i.e. Mike Panasiuk, Steven Gonzalez, Jaryd Jones-Smith, etc.) each season has been crucial. Not to mention, Abdul Beecham’s emergence prior to a season ending injury was also a storyline worth covering, with some of the top blocking grades in the league through four weeks of play.
The St. Louis Battlehawks wrapped up their UFL season with the top Defensive Grade via PFF, at 80.2. The stats back that up, as the Battlehawks allowed the fewest points per game of any UFL team (16.3), and the second fewest total yards (267.0/game).
Questions Heading Towards 2026
As we hinted at earlier, St. Louis has a lot to figure out this offseason. They have yet to find a way to get over the hump and into the Championship game, playing arguably the two worst games in franchise history these last two postseason matchups.
From a roster perspective, the Battlehawks have plenty of talent – but they do feature a lot of aging players. There’s no guarantee that all of their veterans will return next year, which could leave some big holes to fill on both sides of the football.
Of course, the quarterback situation is a concern as well. We never got to see Chevan Cordeiro throw the ball, but one has to wonder if he’s the type of playmaker who could develop in camp next year and be a smoother version of Duggan.
On another note – there’s plenty of fans calling for the axing of Coach Anthony Becht. It’s a bit of a ridiculous idea, albeit the fact that their frustration with the lack of playoff success is warranted.
Becht is 22-8 during the regular season with this team. In his first stint as a head coach, that’s an impressive feat. It’s evident that he’s still figuring things out – especially when it comes to managing the QB situation. It was an ugly fallout with A.J. McCarron, and the team ended up on the short end of the stick with Duggan playing his worst football of the season in the XFL Conference Championship game.
“It’s really disappointing we didn’t get to the Championship. This is my third year as a head coach, but I put a high expectation and bar on myself to get our guys good enough to get to that point. I’m not going to downplay, or try to call shots. The big picture of the season was outstanding. We won eight games. The expecation levels are always high when you win consistently. We did everything possible to try and get to that Championship game, we fought every single week. 8-2 in the regular season, that’s impressive. It’s hard to win. But, again, we weren’t in any position today to take advantage of any scenario to give us a chance. I always believe in our guys, that we’re gonna find a way, but more execution from DC and they got it done.” – Anthony Becht, post-game against DC
Something else to note: some of the Battlehawks’ “big name acquisitions” did not pan out as many expected they would. Former NFL draft picks in WR Andy Isabella and WR Denzel Mims were either cut in camp, or during the season – with neither one making an impact in the WR core. They also cut EDGE Kemoko Turay in camp, who was another NFL veteran with high expectations coming into the year.
Final Thoughts
Generally speaking, it was another strong year for St. Louis. It is also one that, for all intents and purposes, fell short of expectations – but still showcased the team’s strengths throughout.
Considering the amount of talent rostered, plus the high quality coaching this organization features, it is a bit disappointing to see them fall short once again when the stakes were the highest. St. Louis will have to find a way to re-open that Championship window next season, as there’s definitely some turnover to be expected within the organization in the offseason.
What are your thoughts on the St. Louis Battlehawks 2025 UFL season? What needs to change heading towards 2026? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
