All-things-UFL thread.

[PromoTheRobot]

UFL delays college draft to early September - NBC Sports https://share.google/7OWuleYj8BeWjbZwS

[Mr. WEO]

On 6/26/2025 at 11:29 PM, PromoTheRobot said:

UFL delays college draft to early September - NBC Sports https://share.google/7OWuleYj8BeWjbZwS

 

"The goal will be to have a clearer picture of the players who won’t make it into an NFL roster or practice squad."

 

The UFL/XFL/USFL has been uncanny in their ability to predict who these players are for years, lol.

[PromoTheRobot]

The entire USFL conference (Birmingham, Memphis, Houston and Michigan) is being relocated. Where? Boise, Columbus, Kentucky and Orlando.

 

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/report-ufl-will-relocate-birmingham-michigan-houston-memphis

[Gregg]

1 minute ago, PromoTheRobot said:

The entire USFL conference (Birmingham, Memphis, Houston and Michigan) is being relocated. Where? Boise, Columbus, Kentucky and Orlando.

 

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/report-ufl-will-relocate-birmingham-michigan-houston-memphis

 

I give it one more year before RIP becomes official.

[thenorthremembers]

6 minutes ago, Gregg said:

 

I give it one more year before RIP becomes official.

 

Until the NFL gets involved and treats this like a developmental league its not going to work.   There has to be something outside of boredom that ties people to the league.   

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, thenorthremembers said:

 

Until the NFL gets involved and treats this like a developmental league its not going to work.   There has to be something outside of boredom that ties people to the league.   

 

What stops them is the potential added liability for things like CTE. If they entered a partnership with the UFL they become a possible target for lawsuits. And any profit from spring football is so low it's not with the risk.

Edited July 23 by PromoTheRobot

[Gregg]

3 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

What stops them is the potential added liability for things like CTE. If they entered a partnership with the UFL they become a possible target for lawsuits. And any profit from spring football is so low it's not with the risk.

 

The talent is just not there. All of the top players in college will go to the NFL. These spring football leagues just produce bad, boring football. Just look at how many of these leagues have failed over the years going back to the original USFL in the 80's. The only football that fans really care about is the NFL and college. 

[PromoTheRobot]

36 minutes ago, Gregg said:

 

The talent is just not there. All of the top players in college will go to the NFL. These spring football leagues just produce bad, boring football. Just look at how many of these leagues have failed over the years going back to the original USFL in the 80's. The only football that fans really care about is the NFL and college. 

 

I don't agree that the football is that bad. People might not care about these teams but the level of play is competitive within the league.

2 hours ago, Gregg said:

 

I give it one more year before RIP becomes official.

 

It might be sooner. 

 

[Mike in Horseheads]

Bring back the Shrevport Steamers!

[PromoTheRobot]

2 hours ago, Mike in Horseheads said:

Bring back the Shrevport Steamers!

Originally the Cleveland Steamers. 💩

[PetermansRedemption]

The only way an alternative league ever would have worked was pre-college NIL days. If you could have signed some 4 or 5 star recruits and offered them pay and football for 3 years and then the NFL draft, that would have had a slight chance. Now they get that pay at the college level. 

[Sierra Foothills]

23 hours ago, PetermansRedemption said:

The only way an alternative league ever would have worked was pre-college NIL days. If you could have signed some 4 or 5 star recruits and offered them pay and football for 3 years and then the NFL draft, that would have had a slight chance. Now they get that pay at the college level. 

 

It's interesting to think about the total of NIL money versus the total of UFL money.

 

[PromoTheRobot]

8 hours ago, Sierra Foothills said:

 

It's interesting to think about the total of NIL money versus the total of UFL money.

 

 

Average UFL salary was $64,000. What is the average NIL in the Big Ten or SEC?

[Sierra Foothills]

2 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Average UFL salary was $64,000. What is the average NIL in the Big Ten or SEC?

 

According to Google AI:

• Average Earnings: In 2024, the mean average college football player earned approximately $40,800 in NIL revenue. The median total earnings were much lower at $928, showing that high-value deals are concentrated among fewer players.

• Deal Distribution: Many players have multiple smaller deals. 54.5% of deals were valued between $0-$100, and 91.5% of deals were valued at $5,000 or less, according to NCAA data through October 31, 2024.

• Total Market: The total NIL market for 2024-25 was projected to reach $1.67 billion with football accounting for 42% ($700 million) of all NIL agreements.

• Power 4 vs. Group of 5: Power 4 athletes (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC) earn more on average, receiving $75,390 compared to the average of $39,944 for all college football players.

• Top Earners: Players like Shedeur Sanders ($4.7 million) and Arch Manning ($2.8 million) had estimated valuations in the millions in 2024.

Also relevant is that there were thousands of NCAA players that received NIL money in 2024 whereas at any given moment there are less than 500 UFL players.

 

Final rough estimate is total NIL money for NCAA Football player in 2024: $700 million

Total compensation paid to UFL players in 2024: $32 million

 

[Sierra Foothills]

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/dan-campbell-thinks-it-would-be-great-for-the-ufl-to-become-an-official-nfl-farm-system

 

Lions HC Dan Campbell:

 

“I don’t make those decisions — nobody cares what I think about that. I think it would be great. NFL Europe was awesome back in the day because that was a chance to really develop guys,” Campbell said. “We’ve gotten a couple players out of there and I know other teams have. You get to see them, they’re playing in the spring so they’re in shape, so they’re just coming off running around, being football ready. That’s enticing to us, too. If you need a guy, at least you know — you’ve got evidence right there — versus someone who’s been home for three months, they say they’ve been working out but you don’t know. It’s not football working out like these guys are.”

 

[PromoTheRobot]

Billionaire investor Mike Repole buys into UFL, promises changes. 

 

https://www.espn.com/united-football-league/story/_/id/45863976/new-ufl-investor-talks-market-changes-expansion

[Mr. WEO]

On 7/23/2025 at 1:46 PM, thenorthremembers said:

 

Until the NFL gets involved and treats this like a developmental league its not going to work.   There has to be something outside of boredom that ties people to the league.   

It really doesn’t bear repeating, yet here we go: NCAA is was and always will be the only NFL farm league. 
 

The NFL has been free to poach any of these semi pro leagues’ players for years.  They just aren’t interested.  Why would they lend their valuable brand to these toxic brand serial failures? 

[Sierra Foothills]

On 7/23/2025 at 1:57 PM, Mike in Horseheads said:

Bring back the Shrevport Steamers!

 

On 7/23/2025 at 4:21 PM, PromoTheRobot said:

Originally the Cleveland Steamers. 💩

 

Yeah except in Shreveport, Steamers meant steamship where in Cleveland, Steamers meant... something else.

 

8 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Billionaire investor Mike Repole buys into UFL, promises changes. 

 

https://www.espn.com/united-football-league/story/_/id/45863976/new-ufl-investor-talks-market-changes-expansion

 

"Mike Repole, who cofounded Vitaminwater, Smartwater, and BodyArmor before selling them to Coca-Cola for more than $12 billion, joins RedBird Capital Partners, FOX, ESPN, Dany Garcia, and Dwayne Johnson as owners of the league."

 

Son of working class, immigrant family, first in his family to attend college.

 

He's bullish on the UFL.

 

 

[PromoTheRobot]

9 hours ago, Sierra Foothills said:

 

 

Yeah except in Shreveport, Steamers meant steamship where in Cleveland, Steamers meant... something else.

 

 

"Mike Repole, who cofounded Vitaminwater, Smartwater, and BodyArmor before selling them to Coca-Cola for more than $12 billion, joins RedBird Capital Partners, FOX, ESPN, Dany Garcia, and Dwayne Johnson as owners of the league."

 

Son of working class, immigrant family, first in his family to attend college.

 

He's bullish on the UFL.

 

 

 

Yeah, we know about Cleveland. 😜

 

By the way @YoloinOhio Columbus is confirmed as a new UFL city. An as of yet determined team will relocate there 

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2025/07/31/ufl-columbus-franchise-relocation-updates/85448517007/

[PromoTheRobot]

Columbus Ohio is OFFICIALY Getting a Team with an agreement for the stadium. 

New UFL Owner Mike Repole : “I think that partnering up with some of these MLS teams is going to be very, very exciting,” Repole said. “When we have 12,000 fans in a 60,000 [capacity] stadium, it looks like a COVID game. When you have 12,000 fans in a 15,000 [capacity] stadium, you’re basically sold out.” 
I think youll see a lot of partnerships between the UFL and the MLS League. 

Maybe even similar looking uniforms so fans have a a distinct color scheme to follow. 

Repole Continues: "The vibe hasn't been to where it should be," he said. "You can hear a pin drop when someone runs 80 yards. That's not so good. Nobody wants to turn on the TV and see 10,000 fans in a 65,000-seat stadium. It's like watching a COVID game."