Panthers Sign Jalen Wydermyer, Ralen Goforth, Arnold Tarpley
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Panthers Sign Jalen Wydermyer, Ralen Goforth, Arnold Tarpley

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The Michigan Panthers picked up three new faces in UFL free agency on Monday. TE Jalen Wydermyer, LB Ralen Goforth, and S Arnold Tarpley III all agreed to terms with the Panthers for this upcoming season.

TE Jalen Wydermyer

The Panthers made another addition to their tight end room, bringing some competition to training camp for Cole Hikutini and Gunnar Oakes. Jalen Wydermyer has signed with Michigan, as a young prospect who is looking to find his footing in the pro scene.

Jalen played his college football at Texas A&M, bursting onto the scene as a freshman with 447 touchdowns and six touchdowns. Wydermyer was named to the All-SEC Freshman team that year, and then proceeded to earn Second-Team All-SEC honors as a sophomore in 2020.

The success continued for Jalen in 2021. As a junior, he had 515 yards and four touchdowns – which earned him some NFL interest after he declared for the draft, rather than playing out his senior year. Jalen signed with the Buffalo Bills as an UDFA in 2022, but was let go in early August that year.

Since then, Jalen has had opportunities with the Colts and Patriots, but struggled to stick in either location. Now, he’s got the chance to prove his worth to the Michigan Panthers – and the rest of the professional football landscape.

LB Ralen Goforth

Another intriguing young pickup for the Panthers is linebacker Ralen Goforth, who’s fresh off an NFL stint with the Green Bay Packers.

Goforth played most of his college football at USC, spending four seasons there. Across that span, Ralen racked up 146 tackles and an interception – starting in 16 games for the Trojans. Goforth ended up transferring to Washington for his final year, posting 37 tackles as he started in one of 15 games played in 2023.

Ralen was signed by the Packers as an UDFA, and performed well in the preseason, totaling 15 tackles. Unfortunately, he landed on the injured reserve list, and was eventually waived in November.

Michigan’s defense has made several excellent additions this offseason, and it’s likely that Goforth ends up earning a roster spot in the spring – especially if Frank Ginda doesn’t return.

S Arnold Tarpley III

One of the most exciting pickups of the entire offseason for Michigan comes at the hands of the former Pittsburgh Mauler standout, Arnold Tarpley III. It was only a matter of time before Tarpley returned to spring ball, and now he signs with Michigan ahead of the UFL season.

Tarpley has been around the block in spring football. He played in the AAF and The Spring League, before landing with the Maulers in the USFL.

In the inaugural season of the USFL, despite Pittsburgh’s struggles as a team, Tarpley was excellent. He finished the year with 43 tackles and an interception, consistently making plays for a group who simply couldn’t find their footing from week to week.

2023 told a different story for the team. Pittsburgh made it to the USFL Championship, flipping the script from the year prior. For Arnold, though, the consistency continued. In 2023 he posted 42 tackles, two TFL, eight PBU’s, and three interceptions.

Arnold was named to the All-USFL Defense in 2023 – and it caught the attention of the Atlanta Falcons – who signed Arnold and kept him on the practice squad for the last year. However, with Tarpley’s release in August, he became available – and now reunites with former teammate Bryce Torneden in Michigan.

General Manager Steve Kazor has done a tremendous job of putting together an even better roster than what Michigan had in 2024. They’ve refined a few key position groups, and now will look to get over the hump against Birmingham this upcoming campaign.

What are your thoughts on Jalen Wydermyer signing with Michigan? Will Ralen Goforth and Arnold Tarpley make this defensive roster? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!

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