The University of Maryland played host to the second UFL Showcase on the schedule for the league’s 2024 off-season on Sunday, July 14. (@TheUFL)
The University of Maryland played host to the second UFL Showcase on the schedule for the league’s 2024 off-season on Sunday, July 14. Among the dignitaries in attendance: D.C. Defenderes general manager Von Hutchins and head coach Reggie Barlow, San Antonio Brahmas GM Marc Lillibridge, and Memphis Showboats RB Darius Victor. Players of all stripes were in attendance, including those eligible for the 2024 UFL Draft, giving them an opportunity to get in front of league decision-makers prior to that selection meeting. Though the UFL did not make rosters for these events public, some digging on social media allowed the identification of select players. Here are those players, as well as some information about them.
*QB Chris Barrett (Ursinus College): Presenting decent size at 6’0″, 220 pounds, Barrett’s college career was marked by transfers, position changes, missed years, and more. His pro career has taken him to the National Arena League (NAL) and Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He has also worked out for HUB/GRID Camps, giving him familiarity with Memphis head coach John DeFilippo. In a free agent write-up by NFL Draft Bible, Barrett is described as an “athletic pocket passer…(who) owns above average arm strength.” James Larsen had an interview with and great article about Barrett’s odyssey in October.
*CB Shyheim Battle (NC State): A 41-game starter for the Wolfpack, Battle found himself as the elder statesman of the team’s defense in 2023. In his career, he intercepted seven passes and registered 32 passes defensed. In 2021, Battle was named an All-ACC Honorable Mention and a Pro Football Focus second team All-ACC performer. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked Battle 82nd among corners in his draft guide. After the 2024 NFL Draft, Battle attended rookie minicamp with the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints, though he was not signed. The experience of playing under a former defensive coordinator in Dave Doeren as his head coach at NC State could’ve only aided his development.
*RB Devon Brewer (Stetson): A former Ivy Leaguer at Cornell, Brewer finished out his playing career at Stetson in 2022 and 2023. It was a start-and-stop routine for Brewer with the Big Red, as he redshirted in 2018, had his 2019 season cut short due to injury, then the pandemic forced the cancellation of their 2020 schedule. Brewer finally got on track in 2021, finishing second on the team in rushing, averaging 4.5 yards per tote. At Stetson, he eased into a role in 2022 before getting a bigger opportunity in 2023. He carried the ball 118 times in his final year and scored seven touchdowns, but averaged just 3.0 yards per carry. That landed him at number 129 among running backs by Brugler.
*TE Paul Butler (California (Pa.)): Most players attending these workouts have little to no NFL experience. Butler may have one of the most extensive NFL resumes of the hundreds trying out in D.C. Initially signed as an undrafted free agent by the then-Oakland Raiders in 2018, Butler spent that year as well as 2019 on and off their practice squad. In 2018, he was even on the active roster for a spell, though did not see any regular season game action. He briefly hooked up with the Detroit Lions, the Raiders again, and finally the New England Patriots in 2020. Butler has been out of the game since then and is attempting to get his foot back into the pro football door via the UFL. He put up modest receiving stats in college, as his 6’6″, 250+-pound frame suggests more of a blocking type.
*DB Daijon Carson (Winston-Salem State): Carson appears to be one of the players that has fallen through the cracks due to the way the COVID-19 pandemic upended college football in 2020. Carson’s senior season was cancelled that year, and he opted not to return in 2021. Therefore, he didn’t make much of an impact during his career. He kept on keeping on, though, with his journey taking him to Mexico to play in the LFA (the same league that produced Renegades WR Juwan Manigo) the last two seasons.
*WR Jacquez Carter (Indiana Wesleyan): As a senior in 2022, the plaudits came rolling in for Carter: NAIA First-Team All-American; MSFA Mideast Offensive Player of the Year; First-Team All-MSFA; among others. A man among boys at that level, Carter recorded 79 receptions for 915 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final year. That worked out to over six receptions and more than 70 receiving yards per game. This after transferring in from Missouri State for his final two years; before that, he went the JUCO route at Arizona Western College (which shut down their football program in 2018). After a lack of interest from the NFL, in December 2023, Carter signed with the Northern Arizona Wranglers of the Indoor Football League.
*WR Jon’Tez Chaney-McClarin (MidAmerica Nazarene): From Bluffton University (in Ohio) to Ottawa University (in Kansas) to MidAmerica Nazarene (also in Kansas) comes Chaney-McClarin. Stats are hard to come by for Chaney-McClarin; it appears he only played one game in 2023 and didn’t appear on the team’s stat sheet (possibly due to injury). In an interview with The Gridiron Crew, Chaney-McClarin mentioned participating in the 2024 Podyum All-Star Bowl, one of many post-season all-star games that allows players to perform in front of pro scouts. If nothing else, Chaney-McClarin’s size (listed as 6’2″ and 220 pounds) is intriguing.
*WR Marlon Cook, Jr. (UT-Martin): 2023 was Cook’s sixth college season, having spent the previous five at Shepherd University. With Shepherd in 2022, Cook went over 1,000 yards receiving on 68 catches. In moving from Division II to Division I, Cook took on more of a complimentary role with the Skyhawks. He had just one start in ’23, with 19 receptions for 193 yards. Both of those numbers were good for fourth on the team. Cook still made Brugler’s draft guide…coming in at number 235 for receivers. The 4.72 40 is concerning, even for a bigger frame (a verified 6’2″, 205 pounds).
*DB Jacob Davies (Ripon College): A two-sport athlete at Ripon College, Davies starred on both the football and track & field teams. As a football player, he was All-Midwest Conference Second Team as a defensive back in 2022 and 2023, and as a return specialist in ’22. Davies returned kicks and punts, while defensively he picked off three passes and had 12 passes defensed in those two seasons. His track background likely helped him excel in the return game: He was part of a group that set the school record in the outdoor 4×100 relay as well as the indoor 4×200 relay.
*DL Dioh Desuah (Seton Hill University): The rare single-school player in this day and age, Desuah played four years and 41 games at Seton Hill. A stalwart along the interior defensive line during that time, Desuah broke out as a senior, setting career-highs in tackles (39), tackles for loss (14) and tying a career-high with five sacks. He was a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award, which is given to the top small-school defensive players in the country. Earlier this month, Desuah was part of the National Arena League’s Wheeling Miners when they won the NAL championship.
*LB Devan Hebron (Morgan State): A strong-side linebacker for the Bears, Hebron’s final tally in college was 82 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks in 32 games. His 2021 season was cut short due to an injury after just three games. Statistically, his best season came as a sophomore in 2019 when he finished sixth on the team in tackles. Hebron’s athletic testing was off the charts at Morgan State’s pro day this year, which could make him an intriguing prospect for teams.
*WR Kordell Hoover (Grand Valley State): The resume for Hoover is quite thin, owing to just six receptions for 170 yards and two touchdowns in four seasons. On the plus side: He was a four-time Academic All-GLIAC selection in the conference, and he has extensive experience on special teams. He would need a big workout in front of UFL scouts to get on their radar.
*S Chris Jefferson (Purdue): A two-time Associated Press D-II All-American at Findlay as a sophomore and junior, Jefferson leveled up to Purdue for his final two seasons. He worked his way into the defensive backfield rotation in 2021, playing in all 12 games, making 47 tackles. In 2022, Jefferson was on his way to a strong concluding campaign, starting the first five games of the season. However, at that point he left the team citing the need to work on his mental health. During that short stint, he still managed to intercept two passes and break up five others. Jefferson returned to work out at the team’s pro day in March, indicating an interest in continuing his football journey.
*DL Dre Jones (Florida A&M): This 6’2″, 266 pound defensive end began his college career at Abilene Christian before transferring to Florida A&M for the 2022 season. Jones feasted on Alabama State in ’22, with three sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss in that game. In 2023, he increased his tackle total to 22, adding five tackles for loss but just half a sack. He’ll have to assuage concerns about his speed, as he ran just a 5.32 40. Brugler ranked him as a defensive tackle, number 122 in the class.
*LB Paul Makinano (Penn State): Makinano does not appear to have actually played for Penn State, yet that was his final stop in a college career that saw him begin at Sacred Heart before moving onto East Carolina and then Happy Valley. In fact, Makinano doesn’t appear to have played much anywhere. His story is intriguing because he was born in the Philippines before coming to American and attending high school in Connecticut. He’s been a part of many football workouts, including regional combines leading up to the 2020 NFL Draft, and GRID Camps.
*QB Guy Myers (Charleston): The Memphis Showboats signed Myers just prior to the merger back in December last year. He made it though the dispersal drafts but was waived at the end of January. The Northeast Oklahoma transfer put up modest stats at Charleston. Before taking over the starting job in his final season in 2021, Myers was used as a wildcat QB, often running the ball from the position. As we found out this year, athleticism at QB is key to the success for most behind center in the UFL. That athleticism may give Myers a chance to get noticed.
*LB Qwahsin Townsel (Hampton): A bit of a diamond in the rough, Townsel was a 25-game starter at Villanova across four seasons, topping out with 71 tackles as a junior in 2021. Townsel jumped right in as a starter at inside linebacker for Hampton in 2022, finishing third in the conference and leading the team in tackles with 100. He improved on his counting stats in his graduate senior season the following year, notching 107 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and three forced fumbles. In both of his seasons at Hampton, Townsel garnered Second Team All-CAA honors. His Villanova player page describes him as an “athletic performer with good quickness…has good tackling skills.”
*DL Juan Watkins, Jr. (Ohio University): Nicknamed “Vonnie,” Watkins was the 91st-ranked edge rusher by Brugler in the 2024 NFL Draft. In his first three years with the Bobcats, he played in just seven games (the team competed in only three games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season). In 2022 and 2023, Watkins combined to start 21 games in total. His pass-rush prowess was evident, with 14.5 tackles for loss in ’22, followed by eight in ’23. That hasn’t always translated to sacks, as he had just 9.5 total over that time. He’ll likely have to add some weight to his 237-pound frame to hold up in the pros on the edge.
