It’s not an easy week for coaches in the United Football League (UFL). With every team cutting down to 50 players, the Birmingham Stallions have made their final moves to solidify their roster for the upcoming season.
The Stallions were a team that many in the spring football space were watching closely. With the amount of talent they brought to camp, it’s been difficult to predict who exactly would make the final cuts.
On Thursday, the Stallions released 13 players according to the FOX Sports roster page. Let’s take a look at who ended up being included in those cutdowns.
Offensive Cuts
RB Nate Noel
WR Cam Echols-Luper
WR Marcus Simms
TE Jude Wolfe
OT Chris Chernak Jr.
OG Preston Wilson
OL Joey Lombard
We knew Birmingham had to make a couple cuts to their skills positions. Unfortunately, Nate Noel has been released – after what was an impressive camp based on what we saw. With McFarland, Davis-Price, and Snoop in the building – it was an uphill battle for Nate from the get go. He’s got a bright future, regardless.
Cam Echols-Luper and Marcus Simms are two wideouts who have a strong track record in spring ball. Echols-Luper, in particular, was showing out throughout camp. At 30 years old, one has to wonder if this is his last stop professionally. Simms has simply been injury prone, which kept him from reaching his full potential a year ago. It likely kept him from cracking the 50-man in Birmingham as well. TE Jude Wolfe is a bit of a surprise to see on this list. He’s got a huge frame, and is known to be a strong run blocker.
The offensive line group did need some trimming. Chris Chernak has very little pro experience – it’s not shocking to see him let go. Preston Wilson and Joey Lombard are a couple of youngsters in their own regard, who got stuck behind a ton of firepower in this room.
Defensive Losses
DT Marvin Wilson
DT Ryder Anderson
DE Desmond Little
DE Phillip Webb
LB Johnny Buchanan
CB Jesse Johnson III
S Omar Jarvis Jr.
The most surprising release out of this group is DT Marvin Wilson. He’s a veteran, having spent two seasons with Birmingham, totaling 40 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He’s expected to garner interest elsewhere.
It’s disappointing to see Desmond Little on this list, especially with the Stallions’ lacking deep depth in their edge room. He was one of the few local prospects on the roster, having played at Alabama. Ryder Anderson is another D-Lineman who has NFL exp. with the Giants.
Jesse Johnson and Omar Jarvis were simply put in a tough spot. Birmingham has a lot of depth in this secondary. We’re hopeful that the two will get opportunities in the future. The same goes for LB Johnny Buchanan, who returned to the gridiron after a lower body injury in 2024 removed him from the Battlehawks roster.
Final Thoughts
For A.J. McCarron and this entire Birmingham staff, cutting the roster down was no easy task. As McCarron told us last week, there were simply “no bad apples” in this organization. That’s a great problem to have, but it makes these decisions all the more difficult.
With a roster set in stone, the Stallions will now prepare to face off against the Louisville Kings on March 27th, to kick off the UFL’s third season.
Do any of these cuts surprise you? Which players should the Stallions have kept? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
