Michigan Panthers Sign J.D. Duplain & Simon Laryea
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Michigan Panthers Sign J.D. Duplain & Simon Laryea

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Amidst all of the UFL to NFL news from the Michigan Panthers camp, the organization has added two new players. OL J.D. Duplain and Punter Simon Laryea have signed Letters of Intent with the team as of yesterday.

For clarity: these Letters Of Intent aren’t exactly official contracts. Those will be signed once players arrive at Training Camp, which is currently slated to begin around March 3rd (subject to change).

OL J.D. Duplain

It’s been an exciting start to UFL free agency. J.D. Duplain is the second UFL College Draft athlete to officially sign with their respective team. He was selected by the Michigan Panthers in the ninth round, and having been the only player that was currently available that the Panthers selected, has decided to sign with Michigan.

J.D. Duplain is staying home, finishing up at Michigan State this past season. He was a consistent force on the offensive line, starting in 47 of 52 games played as a Spartan. His 47 starts are second most by an offensive lineman in Spartan history. J.D.’s streak of 42 consecutive starts is also a school record (2nd).

Duplain received NFL interest coming out of college, with the 49ers, Steelers, Seahawks, and others all giving him looks. J.D. ended up going undrafted, and did not sign an UDFA deal either. Now, he’ll look to get his professional career started in the UFL.

It’s worth noting that Duplain will reunite with OT Jarrett Horst, who was with J.D. at Michigan State from ‘21-22.

P Simon Laryea

See also

In a rather interesting move, the Michigan Panthers added Simon Laryea to the roster, signing a Letter Of Intent. The Panthers featured Brock Miller at the punter position in 2024, and he performed quite well. He was one of three nominees for the All-UFL list, and was consistent throughout the year.

That said, GM Steve Kazor loves to bring in competition at the Specialist positions. We saw what happened last year when Jake Bates came into camp, and shocked everyone by beating out Cole Murphy for the roster spot.

Laryea doesn’t have much professional experience, similar to a guy like Bates. He has played in the CFL, punting in four games for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2022. He averaged 44.3 yards per punt with Hamilton, with a long of 61 yards.

In college, Simon played in a few locations. He played at Abilene Christian for his final three seasons, sending 206 punts for 8,108 yards – averaging 39.4 yards per punt. Laryea was recently at Nick Novak’s XFL combine, as one of the stronger performers at that event.

Final Thoughts

The Michigan Panthers are wasting no time in getting after it in free agency. GM Steve Kazor puts in a ton of work to make this roster into what it is, so it’s no surprise to see him actively pursuing new talent to improve the roster ahead of the 2025 UFL season.

Michigan also has seen a few players head to the NFL’s ranks. K Jake Bates, WR Marcus Simms, LB Javin White, and OT Chim Okorafor have all signed NFL contracts over the last week.

What are your thoughts on J.D. Duplain signing with the Panthers? Will Simon Laryea give Brock Miller a run for his money? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!

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