Head coach Skip Holtz of the Birmingham Stallions holds the Championship Trophy after defeating San Antonio Brahmas during the UFL Championship Game at The Dome at America’s Center on June 16, 2024 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Rovak/UFL/Getty Images)
Webster’s dictionary (the online version, of course) defines “dynasty” as “a group that is very powerful or successful for a long period of time.” After their third consecutive spring football crown, won in a 25-0 drubbing of the San Antonio Brahmas, the Birmingham Stallions are at the very least on the doorstep of that word: “Dynasty.”
The Stallions mowed over their USFL competition in 2022 and 2023 under former college football head coach Skip Holtz, son of the legendary college coach (and ESPN commentator) Lou Holtz. The Stallions rocketed out to a 9-1 record in the first season of the reborn league. They were one of two 9-1 squads, and they only eked out a championship victory, 33-30 over the Philadelphia Stars.
The next season, 2023, they took a step backward – to 8-2. This time, they were in sole possession of the best record during the regular season. They fended off a challenge from the Pittsburgh Maulers in the finale, becoming two-time champions with a 28-12 win.
We heard all the reasons why the Stallions would come back down to earth in the new United Football League in 2024. Birmingham would no longer be a hub city, so the team would lose the advantages that came with that. The quality of play would increase and opposing teams would be even stronger and in a better position to challenge the Stallions’s dominance.
Instead, they breezed to another 9-1 record, improving by one game their tally in 2023. In a league where close games were the norm, four of the nine victories were by two or more scores. They followed that up with two playoff victories in which they outscored their opponents 56-18. Is it possible the Stallions are getting even stronger?
“You know, it is hard to continue to win,” said Holtz in the press conference after the championship, when asked how he keeps the team focused after so much success. “You put a target on your chest and everybody’s shooting for you. Everybody is circling that game. You’re going to get everybody’s best effort.
“But as I have told the team, the only thing better than playing against the Stallions is having the opportunity to play for them.”
Birmingham has done just that, continued to win, despite the changes that are natural in the world of spring football. Players move on, either to retirement or to the NFL. Rosters must be replenished. There are no contracts like the NFL, where you can lock up your best players for the future. Everything is year-to-year.
So quarterbacks come and go, from J’Mar Smith, to Alex McGough, to Adrian Martinez. Holtz and the Stallions have won now with all three. They’ve won with a different leading receiver all three years: Victor Bolden, Jr. in 2022, Davion Davis in 2023, and Deon Cain in 2024. They’ve had a different leading tackler and top sack artist each year. It’s not simply the ability to win consistently, it’s the ability to restock the cupboards with new, yet still talented, players – sometimes more so. Much of the credit goes to wunderkind general manager Zach Potter for that.
Perhaps the most impressive part of their 2024 run is the way the defense was able to rally in the absence of coordinator John Chavis, who stepped down late in the season after dealing with some health issues. In stepped defensive backs coach Corey Chamblin, assisted by newly-hired former Vegas Vipers head coach Anthony Blevins (he never lost a game as head coach, you know).
After encountering some rough waters early after the change, the Stallions defense clamped down when they needed to, giving up an average of nine points in their two playoff games, including pitching the only shutout of the UFL season in the league championship.
So, does this qualify as a “dynasty”? I suppose it depends on how you define a “long period of time.” Certainly, in the history of spring football, three years is an eternity. Who knows what the Stallions roster and coaching staff will look like in 2025. If the past is any indication, there will be holes to fill, players to replace, and additions to be made. The team will return with a target on their chest, just as Holtz indicated, with every squad in the UFL gunning for them. One thing is consistent about any dynasty: They welcome the challenge.
