USFL Preview: 5 Key Players Who Will Impact The Season
We are living in the pinnacle of opportunity for American pro football. With sustainable leagues in the XFL and USFL, along with the oldest league of all, the CFL, plus the ELF, which is now entering its third year, never before have players had so many viable options.
It’s certainly an exciting time for football fans with USFL kickoff, the XFL season inching towards playoff time and the NFL Draft just two weeks away!
The start of the 2023 USFL season kicks off this weekend in Memphis and Birmingham. After a near 40-year hiatus, the USFL returned last year, proving that spring football in the United States can be sustainable. In addition, it can serve as a springboard for players looking to achieve or return to NFL status.
Every player aspires to be the next KaVontae Turpin, last year’s USFL MVP-turned-NFL Pro Bowl selection, who parlayed his success into a freshly minted three-year, $2.5M contract. That is what you call a game-changer.
So who are the top players in the USFL and which prospects will NFL teams be monitoring? Let’s take a look…
J’Mar Smith, QB, Birmingham Stallions – The journeyman signal-caller out of Louisiana Tech had stints with the New England Patriots (2020) and Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2021), plus an audition at HUB Football CAMP (2021) before reuniting with his former college coach Skip Holtz at Birmingham to bring home the USFL Championship (2022). His poise in the pocket and confidence level with where to go with the football will make the Stallions one of the odds-on favorites once again in 2023.
McCleod Bethel-Thompson, QB, New Orleans Breakers – In one of the more surprising moves of the offseason, Breakers head coach John DeFilippo was able to recruit Bethel-Thompson from the Toronto Argonauts, whom he led to the Grey Cup last season. Coach Flip is hoping to rekindle some old magic, as the two go back to their days with the Philadelphia Eagles. A 13-year veteran who has played for nine NFL teams, ‘MBT’ is the most accomplished player in the USFL.
Reuben Foster, LB, Pittsburgh Maulers – Football is a relationship business and Maulers head coach Ray Horton knows Foster from their days in Washington. The former first round pick is undoubtedly talented but looking to rehab his image much like the aforementioned Turpin. He most recently had workouts with the Miami Dolphins and Seattle Seahawks but dominating in the USFL might be the best way for Foster to make it back to the NFL.
Darius Victor, RB, New Jersey Generals – One might say Victor was the most exciting player in the USFL a year ago. He accounted for 758 all-purpose yards, while leading the league with nine touchdowns and earning 2022 Offensive Player of the Year honors. The compact runner runs with physicality and flashes elusiveness in the open field to make defenders miss. His performance earned him a tryout with the New Orleans Saints, he’ll try for an encore.
Ryan Willis, QB, Memphis Showboats – The biggest wildcard in the USFL is Willis, The Spring League MVP back in 2021 before TSL morphed into the USFL. After a stint with the Chicago Bears, Willis found himself on the wrong end of a quarterback battle in St, Louis of the XFL (lost out to AJ McCarron who took a $4M pay cut from the NFL to prove his worth as a starter). Now, he finds himself behind local fan favorite Brady White, a ticket sales play. Willis is patiently biding his time and owns the ability to take over the league!
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