Over the past few seasons in the United Football League (UFL), the St. Louis Battlehawks have proven they’re a premier franchise. They have always had a winning record, with three straight playoff appearances.
However, for some reason, this team just cannot get over the hump. During both the Anthony Becht and Ricky Proehl eras, the Battlehawks have yet to win a postseason matchup. St. Louis is 0-3 in those games.
Their struggles have included several factors, but one in particular is hard to ignore: their lack of stability at the quarterback position. St. Louis has been fortunate enough to roster some of the top signal callers that spring football has seen – but for whatever reason, it hasn’t translated to postseason success.
In this piece, we’ll take a closer look at what’s gone wrong over the years, holding St. Louis back from a Championship berth.
The A.J. McCarron Era
In 2023, the St. Louis Battlehawks immediately put themselves on the map. Anthony Becht, in his first year as a Head Coach, signed A.J. McCarron – the former National Champion at Alabama, and NFL draft pick with the Cincinnati Bengals.
To no one’s surprise, McCarron came to the XFL and performed. He was one of the league’s top quarterbacks, leading the XFL in passing touchdowns with 24 – to just six interceptions. Somehow, it wasn’t enough, and the Battlehawks missed the playoffs with a 7-3 record.
When the two leagues merged, A.J. McCarron opted to run it back with Becht in St. Louis. The Battlehawks once again got off to a fast start, with A.J. playing some of the best ball of his pro career.
However, the paradigm shifted in a week seven loss to Birmingham. McCarron badly injured his ankle, and was never the same after that. He toughed it out to play in week 10 and the playoffs – but something was clearly not right. His mobility was almost entirely eliminated, and the accuracy took a dip. This led to a painful loss to San Antonio in the 2024 XFL Championship.
It was a bitter end to A.J.’s tenure with the Battlehawks a few months later. Becht opted to move on from McCarron without warning, putting a close to a chapter that didn’t exactly sit right with fans.
2025 Season & Max Duggan
2025 told a fascinating story. Anthony Becht called in the big guns, signing both Max Duggan and Chevan Cordeiro to the roster. Alongside the two new additions, backup veteran Manny Wilkins was also brought back.
Impressively enough, Wilkins beat out both Chevan (injured) and Max Duggan in camp. He led St. Louis to a pair of wins early on, but suffered a season ending achilles injury in week four.
With Cordeiro still on injured reserve, Max Duggan was the next man up. Duggan joined St. Louis as a high-potential prospect, having led TCU to the National Championship game just a couple of years earlier. The UFL was the ideal landing spot for his development, following two seasons in Los Angeles with the Chargers.
It’s hard to accurately judge Duggan’s outing in St. Louis. He won the team six games in a row. That’s not easy to accomplish, and should be acknowledged.
That said, there was a major asterisk that bit them in the playoffs. Duggan struggled to throw the ball efficiently. His legs helped him take pressure off the passing game, but there wasn’t enough development there to feel confident heading into the playoffs. Max completed just 57% of his pass attempts during the regular season, with four touchdowns and four picks in six and a half games.
Unfortunately, those concerns were glaringly obvious in the playoffs. Max was beaten and battered by a fearsome Blake Williams’ led DC defense, throwing for just 105 yards and an interception in a bitter blowout loss to the Defenders at home.
For a second straight season, St. Louis fell short in the postseason at home – leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of fans.
Quarterback Carousel in 2026
Everything shifted once again in 2026. Ricky Proehl, the former St. Louis Rams wideout and Super Bowl Champion, was handed the reins. With Becht heading to Orlando, Ricky brought a different kind of energy and vibe to the city of St. Louis – a place he called home for quite some time in the NFL. He served as a quality replacement for Anthony.
Despite all of the talent at quarterback acquired in the UFL this past season, the Battlehawks once again had tough luck. Michael Pratt, who the team aggressively targeted and did sign, opted to sit out of UFL Training Camp.
This resulted in the Battlehawks trotting out veteran Brandon Silvers as the starter in week one. Despite his previous success with Offensive Coordinator A.J. Smith, Brandon was benched by week three.
In his place was Harrison Frost – a journeyman in alt-football the last few years. He’s been around the block, but hadn’t played many snaps. Harrison’s first two passes were intercepted against Birmingham, but right before Battlehawks fans gave up all hope – Harrison’s potential was put on full display. He threw for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, leading St. Louis back to a thrilling victory at home.
The next few weeks resulted in quite the storyline. Michael Pratt, who re-signed right before the season started, entered the game for his first action in week four vs. DC. He broke his ribs just a couple of snaps in, knocking him out for the year.
While Frost remained the starter, it was an odd experience with him at the helm. Harrison completed less than 30% of his pass attempts during their blowout loss to DC. Then, he came back and executed in week five, taking down the undefeated Orlando Storm on the road.
However, something else was brewing. With the injury to Pratt, St. Louis executed a blockbuster trade with Dallas – bringing longtime veteran QB and XFL Champion Luis Perez to the roster.
Two weeks later, Perez was named the starter – playing out the rest of the year with the Battlehawks. He showed plenty of promise early, with a 31-20 win over Columbus during his first start.
Disappointingly, the Battlehawks would see their Championship aspirations slip away once again. They fell to the Louisville Kings at home, outscored by double digits in the second half.
Even though Perez brought veteran leadership to the team, one has to wonder what would have happened if they stuck with Frost. Luis was dealing with an oblique injury – which clearly held him back from reaching the heights we’d seen from him in the past.
Injuries, again, were a constant factor. Pratt broke his ribs, Luis had issues, and Frost was dealing with a back injury which would have prevented him from playing in the postseason anyway.
The Future
As the 2027 season approaches, Head Coach Ricky Proehl has quite a bit to figure out. Both of his coordinators left for college gigs. Meanwhile, Harrison Frost and Luis Perez have both signed CFL contracts. It remains to be seen if they will return to St. Louis next year, but odds are that they won’t. Brandon Silvers has retired, leaving the door wide open.
In an ideal scenario, St. Louis will be able to attract someone who’s on the fringe of the NFL. Ironically, they need a similar situation to what Anthony Becht had in Orlando this year, bringing in Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Jack Plummer. Plummer ended up earning UFL MVP honors.
With all of the talent that the Battlehawks have rostered at quarterback, it’s been frustrating for the organization not to get it done. Between A.J. McCarron, Max Duggan, Luis Perez, and others – the Battlehawks are still winless in the postseason. That has to change at some point sooner than later.
Hopefully, Proehl has some tricks up his sleeve. With all of his NFL connections, and a full season under his belt as a Head Coach, don’t be surprised if he attracts some big names to this roster in 2027.
Who do you think should play quarterback for the St. Louis Battlehawks next year? Will Perez come back to town? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
