On Sunday, the Arlington Renegades made a couple of additions as they finalize their UFL rosters. OG Grant Smith and LB Joey Asta signed contracts, making their way to Bob Stoops’ squad as Training Camp gets underway.
The #UFL announced the following transactions yesterday, Sunday, March 2 pic.twitter.com/zsGT58J6wU
— UFL Communications Department (@UFL_PR) March 3, 2025
OG Grant Smith
Grant Smith is an intriguing pickup for Arlington as they continue to build out their offensive line unit – one that doesn’t feature a true center. Smith has plenty of experience in various OL positions – specifically right tackle and left guard.
Smith played all of his college ball at South Dakota. As a senior, he was named to the 2023 RMAC All-Conference Second Team, which led to plenty of interest being named on watch-lists for the East-West Shrine Bowl and Reese’s Senior Bowl.
Grant Smith earned a spot on the Reese's Senior Bowl watch list this morning. Read more details below.
📰: https://t.co/mrhSDqKtd1 pic.twitter.com/fbHbj67ZYN
— South Dakota Mines Football (@HardrockerFB) August 23, 2023
At 6’5”, 325 lbs., Grant is a bigger prospect who’s young and has plenty of upside. Arlington has typically been targeting younger athletes from lesser-known schools as of late, and we’ll see how that strategy pays off for them in camp.
LB Joey Asta
Joey Asta is an NFL Draft eligible linebacker who joins this Arlington defense heading into camp. Asta is the second draft-eligible player signed by the Renegades, with QB Luke Lehnen being the first.
Joey spent his college days at Claremont McKenna, a D3 program where he saw plenty of success. Asta burst onto the scene as a true rookie in 2021, with 39 tackles and five sacks to his name that year. He’s got experience playing linebacker and defensive end, doing both at a high level. In 2022, Joey earned First-Team All-SCIAC honors after totaling 9.5 sacks alone that year.
Those positive trends would continue from season to season. In his final two years, Joey Asta earned First-Team All-SCIAC twice more. He finished his college career with 203 tackles, 43 TFL’s, 26 sacks, an interception, and four PBU’s.
As the Renegades kick off camp, GM Rick Mueller is bringing in a ton of young new blood who now have an opportunity to prove themselves at the pro level. Both Asta and Smith excelled at their respective schools, but it will be an uphill climb to make this roster given the talent Arlington already possesses.
What are your thoughts on Joey Asta and Grant Smith signing with Arlington? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
