The 2026 UFL draft was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2026 UFL season.
History The 2024 UFL draft had largely been unsuccessful, as it was restricted to rookie players who had gone undrafted in that year's NFL Draft and most of the drafted players refused to sign with the UFL. To address this, the league indicated plans to hold the 2025 draft in September 2025, after NFL rosters and practice squads were set, to better assess who was actually available and would be realistically willing to sign. By summer 2025, with continued uncertainty about which teams would still be in the UFL and where they would be playing, this draft was indefinitely suspended.
Following Mike Repole's acquisition of the UFL and the relocation of the Michigan Panthers, Memphis Showboats, and San Antonio Brahmas, UFL representatives had initially promised that he would honor the contracts teams had signed with its existing players and not liquidate their rosters. Repole disregarded that promise and announced that every team's rosters would be dissolved and a draft would occur to create new teams. One of the goals of this process was to move the teams to a have more regional centered rosters.
Structure On January 9, 2026 quarterbacks were selected remotely. The next day, regional college allocation would occur. In this process, coaches are allowed to select a maximum of three players from a list of Division I FBS universities in close proximity to their home cities. Both of these category selections were announced on January 12.
On January 13-14th the main draft was held at the UFL HQ in Arlington, Texas. On the 13th, UFL players from the 2025 season were drafted in six positional groups: offensive lineman, running backs and tight ends, wide receivers, defensive front seven (defensive tackles, ends, and linebackers), defensive backs, and specialists. Teams could protect 12 players from their 2025 rosters on a reserve list that will not be available to draft, with the three teams in new markets each being given access to the rosters of one of the three 2025 teams that were not retained for 2026 for potential protection.
On January 14, the free agents draft was held; this was likewise broken into positional groups with an additional open draft section at the end.
Draft order was determined by a virtual lottery and the draft was conducted in a snake format, with the draft order reversing itself in each round.
Teams were allowed to select a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 62 players in the draft including three quarterbacks, a maximum of three college allocations, and a maximum of 12 protected players.
Eligibility To be eligible for the UFL Players draft, a player must have ended the 2025 UFL season on an active roster or injured reserve.
To be eligible for the free agent draft a player must not have been signed to a UFL active roster in 2025 and fall into one of the following categories:
2025 NFL draft-eligible players 2025 NFL training camp players 2026 NFL draft-eligible players UFL Showcase attendees Players who signed a LOI and did not finish the 2025 season on a UFL roster Other free agents
Protected players Teams are allowed to protect up to 12 players from their 2025 rosters. The three new teams will draw from the rosters of the now defunct teams. The Columbus Aviators will draw from the Michigan Panthers roster, the Louisville Kings from the Memphis Showboats, and the Orlando Storm from the San Antonio Brahmas.
Birmingham Stallions PlayerPositionCollegeDeonte BrownGAlabamaDeon CainWRClemsonTae CrowderLBGeorgiaTyrion Davis-PriceRBLSUSteven GilmoreCBMarshallMario GoodrichCBClemsonTre NorwoodSOklahomaRonnie PerkinsLBOklahomaArmani Taylor-PrioleauTSouth Carolina StateJordan ThomasTEMississippi StateMarlon WilliamsWRUCFMarvin WilsonDTFlorida State
Columbus Aviators PlayerPositionCollegeCohl CabralCArizona StateNoah DawkinsLBThe CitadelAkeem DentSFlorida StateD.J. MillerCBKent StateJaylon MooreWRUT MartinRyan NelsonTVirginiaGunnar OakesTEEastern MichiganWalter PalmoreDTMissouriDevin RossWRColoradoToa TauaRBNevadaKedrick Whitehead Jr.SDelawareKenny WillekesDEMichigan State
Dallas Renegades PlayerPositionCollegeAlex AkingbuluTFresno StateDeontay BurnettWRUSCTaco CharltonDEMichiganMyles DornSNorth CarolinaSeth GreenTEHoustonAjene HarrisCBUSCDae Dae HunterRBLibertySteven Jones Jr.CBAppalachian StateMarcus MinorGPittsburghDonald PayneLBStetsonWillie Taylor IIIDEEastern KentuckyTyler VaughnsWRUSC
DC Defenders PlayerPositionCollegeDeandre BakerCBGeorgiaMichah BaskervilleLBLSUTrey DeanSFloridaTykem DossGSouthern MissMason FairchildTEKansasDeon JacksonRBDukeMichael MaiettiCMissouriAndre MintzeLBVanderbiltCornell PowellWRClemsonDerick RobersonLBSam Houston StateTy ScottWRMissouri StateBryce ThompsonCBTennessee
Houston Gamblers PlayerPositionCollegeChristopher AllenLBAlabamaIsrael AntwineDTOklahoma StateDamon ArnetteCBOhio StateJustin HallWRBall StateKeenan IsaacCBAlabama StateAvery JonesCAuburnLawrence Keys IIIWRTulaneJack KramerCBowling GreenKirk MerrittRBArkansas StateMarvin Moody Jr.LB TulaneMarkel RobySPittsburgh StateGeor’Quarius SpiveyTEMississippi State
Louisville Kings PlayerPositionCollegeJonathan AdamsWRArkansas StateJaylon AllenDEMemphisJosiah BronsonDTWashingtonSteele ChambersLB Ohio StateCameron DantzlerCBMississippi StateKeaton EllisSPenn StateEric GarrorCBLouisianaNate GilliamTWake ForestJalen JacksonRBVillanovaKwamie Lassiter IIWR KansasAlec LindstromCBoston CollegeChris Pierce Jr.TEVanderbilt
Orlando Storm PlayerPositionCollegeTavante BeckettLBMarshallIsaiah BuggsDTAlabamaJashaun CorbinRBFlorida StateZuri HenryT UTEPSteven StilianosTEIowaJacob SykesDEUCLA
St. Louis Battlehawks PlayerPositionCollegeBradley AshmoreTVanderbiltRyan CollTRichmondFrank DarbyWRArizona StateTravis FeeneyLB WashingtonJarveon HowardRBAlcorn StateMyles JonesCBDukeKam KellyDBSan Diego StateJahcour PearsonWROle MissMyles SimsCBGeorgia TechPita TaumoepenuLB Utah
Quarterback Draft The Quarterback Draft marked the first phase of the UFL's player selection process. Head coaches, working in collaboration with the league's centralized scouting department, evaluated all eligible quarterbacks and submitted a ranked list of their top five candidates to the league. The draft took place on Friday, January 9, and all selections were announced three days later. Not every team was assigned three quarterbacks.
TeamPlayerCollegeBirmingham StallionsMatt Corral*Ole MissTaylor ElgersmaWilfrid LaurierJaren HallBYUColumbus AviatorsJalan McClendonBaylorJalen MortonPrairie View A&MClayton TuneHoustonDallas RenegadesLuis Perez*East Texas A&MAustin ReedWestern KentuckyDC DefendersMike DiLiello*Austin PeaySpencer Sanders*Ole MissJordan Ta'amu*Ole MissHouston GamblersHunter DekkersIowa WesternDonovan SmithHoustonLouisville KingsJason BeanKansasChandler RogersCaliforniaOrlando StormJack PlummerLouisvilleDorian Thompson-RobinsonUCLASt. Louis BattlehawksMichael PrattTulaneBrandon Silvers*TroyBen WooldridgeLouisiana
(*) indicates a player returning to the same team as held his rights in 2025.
Elgersma, a Canadian national, was later deemed ineligible to play in the UFL due to the failure of the United States government to issue a P visa.
Regional College Allocation Each head coach selected up to three players from local colleges to protect. This process was completed on January 10 and published two days later.
Player allocations for each UFL team were determined based on the league's regionalization map, as outlined below: Birmingham: Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, UAB Columbus: Indiana, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State Dallas: Baylor, SMU, TCU, Texas, North Texas DC: Maryland, Penn State, Virginia, Virginia Tech Houston: Houston, LSU, Rice, Texas A&M Louisville: Cincinnati, Kentucky, Louisville, Tennessee Orlando: Florida, Florida State, USF, UCF St. Louis: Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Missouri
TeamPlayerPositionCollegePrevious UFL teamBirmingham StallionsKobe JonesOLBMississippi StateSan Antonio BrahmasMason BrooksTOle MissDC DefendersDesmond LittleDEUABFree AgentColumbus AviatorsAlizé MackTENotre DameSan Antonio BrahmasJuwann Bushell-BeattyTMichiganSt. Louis BattlehawksJailin WalkerMLBIndianaFree AgentDallas RenegadesSam TecklenburgOLBaylorSan Antonio BrahmasKeondre CoburnDTTexasFree AgentSiaki IkaNTBaylorFree AgentDC DefendersGottlieb AyedzeTMarylandFree AgentBrandon SmithLBPenn StateFree AgentJohari BranchGMarylandDC DefendersHouston GamblersJontre KirklinWRLSUSan Antonio BrahmasAnthony Hines IIILBTexas A&MDC DefendersRashard LawrenceDELSUSan Antonio BrahmasLouisville KingsJaVonta PaytonWRTennesseeDallas RenegadesDaniel GrzesaikDECincinnatiFree AgentWillie TylerOLLouisvilleSan Antonio BrahmasOrlando StormCole SchneiderGUCFBirmingham StallionsSamuel JacksonGUCFHouston RoughnecksElijhah BadgerWRFloridaFree AgentSt. Louis BattlehawksHakeem ButlerWRIowa StateSt. Louis BattlehawksKevon LatulasRBMissouri State*St. Louis BattlehawksMichael OjemudiaFSIowaDC Defenders
{*} School wasn't on the original regionalization college assignment by the league.
UFL Players Draft Source:
Three veteran players-St. Louis's Jaryd Jones-Smith, Birmingham's Amari Rodgers and Michigan's Kai Nacua—rejected their selections and retired from the UFL the day of the draft.
Phase 1: Offensive Linemen TeamPlayerPositionCollegeBirmingham StallionsSteven GonzalezGPenn StateNoah JohnsonCKansas StateNoah HendersonTEast CarolinaAvery GennesyGTexas A&MColumbus AviatorsNoah AtagiGWeber StateChuck FiliagaGMinnesotaMatt FarniokCNebraskaAaron MonteiroGBoston CollegeDallas RenegadesKeaton SutherlandGTexas A&MChim OkoraforTBenedictineAbdul BeechamGKansas StateDC DefendersAdrian EalyTOklahomaHouston GamblersChristian DiLauroTIllinoisKellen DieschTArizona StateJaryd Jones-SmithTPittsburghDohnovan WestCArizona StateCam CarterTMurray StateLouisville KingsJ. D. DiRenzoGRutgersNash JensenGNorth Dakota StateJames TunstallTCincinnatiGunner BrittonTAuburnOrlando StormJarrid WilliamsTMiami (FL)Teton SaltesTNew MexicoSt. Louis BattlehawksMike PanasiukCMichigan StateSpencer RollandGNorth Carolina
Phase 2: Defensive Front Seven (Linebackers, Defensive Ends, Defensive Tackles) TeamPlayerPositionCollegeBirmingham StallionsT. J. CarterDIKentuckyIzayah Green-MayEDGENorthern IllinoisAmani BledsoeDIOklahomaOlakunle FatukasiLBRutgersKyahva TezinoLBSan Diego StateColumbus AviatorsCaeveon PattonDITexas StateStorey JacksonLBLibertyPrince EmiliDIPennRon Stone Jr.EDGEWashington StateNelson CeaserEDGEHoustonXavier BensonLBOklahoma StateOlive SagapoluDIWisconsinDallas RenegadesAntwuan JacksonDIOhio StateTJ FranklinEDGEBaylorCarson WellsEDGEColoradoCallahan O'ReillyLBMontana StateAndrew DowellLBMichigan StateKalen DeLoachLBFlorida StateJ.T. TylerLBPrincetonDC DefendersDurrell JohnsonEDGELibertyDevonnsha MaxwellDIChattanoogaDennis JohnsonDIGrand Valley StateBrian AbrahamEDGEAlbanyFerrod GardnerLBLouisianaPhil HoskinsDIKentuckyHouston GamblersKyon BarrsDIUSCJerrod ClarkEDGECoastal CarolinaIkenna EnechukwuDIRiceLonnie PhelpsEDGEKansasShaka ToneyEDGEPenn StateMalik FisherDEVillanovaCharlie Thomas IIILBGeorgia TechLouisville KingsDeVere LevelstonEDGESMUMyjai SandersEDGECincinnatiLaRon StokesDIOklahomaJamir JonesEDGENotre DameShayne SimonLBPittsburghBenning Potoa'eDIWashingtonOrlando StormChris GarrettEDGEConcordia–St. PaulIsaiah MackDLChattanoogaMaximilian RobertsEDGEBoston CollegeWillie YarbaryDLWake ForestSt. Louis BattlehawksCarlos DavisDLNebraskaJordan WilliamsLBBaylorMike RoseLBIowa StateSteve LintonEDGEBaylorTaylor StallworthDLSouth Carolina
Phase 3: Running Backs/Tight Ends/Wide Receivers