UFL Begins New Season, Filled with Former Huskies

The United Football League kicks off a new season on Friday night and six former University of Washington players and two ex-Husky coaches surface in the eight-team spring league for those who can't get enough of the game -- or can't afford to quit.

Three of those who came through Montlake now play for the Birmingham Stallions in safety Alex Cook and wide receivers Jaydon Mickens and John Ross.

Offensive guard Victor Curne is a member of his hometown Houston Gamblers, defensive tackle Josiah Bronson has a roster spot with the Louisville Kings and linebcker Travis Feeney is a tireless presence for the St. Louis Blackhawks.

Former UW head coach Rick Neuheisel leads the Dallas Renegades, and his inside linebacker coach is Tim Hundley, who was Neuheisel and Keith Gilbertson's defensive coordinator on those Husky staffs.

The 6-foot-4, 247-pound Feeney, 33, is playing in his 11th pro season, and third in the UFL, after going to NFL and CFL training camps and playing in the AAF and USFL leagues.

IN 2025, he was named UFL Defensive Player of the week for a 5-tackle, 1.5-sack and 2 forced-fumble outing.

Former Husky wide receiver John Ross warms up for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Of these former Huskies, Ross clearly is the most prominent after getting taken ninth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, playing in 38 games for the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles, and catching 63 passes for 963 yards and 11 touchdowns.

He last played in the NFL in 2024 and just signed with Birmingham and the UFL for this season.

Cook likewise likewise joined the Stallions for this season after bouncing around NFL practice squads for the past three years.

Wide receiver Jaydon Mickens celebrates with the DC Defenders in 2025. | Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images

Mickens, 31, joined the UFL in 2025 and won a league championship with the DC Defenders.

He played 38 NFL games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars as more of a return specialist, running a punt back 72 yards for a score for the latter.

Mickens was part of the Bucs' 2021 Super Bowl championship team.

Ex-Husky defensive tackle Josiah Bronson is shown in 2021 with the New Orleans Saints. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The 6-foot-4, 321-pound Curne played in 39 games over four seasons with the UW and one with Ole Miss, and is new to the UFL.

Bronson, who goes 6-foot-3 and 307 pounds, has been bouncing around the NFL, USFL and UFL since leaving the UW following the 2020 season He's appeared in 8 NFL outings and 10 in the UFL.

Neuheisel, of course, coached the Huskies in 1999-2002 and won a Rose Bowl before the school fired him for participating in a betting pool with school donors.

He also coached for Colorado and UCLA and more recently for the AAF, another pro spring league. In recent years, he's been a CBS TV college football analyst. He's new to the UFL this season, as is Hundley.