2024 UFL season

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
2024 UFL season
League United Football League
Sport American football
Duration Regular season:
March 30, – TBA
Playoffs:
TBA – TBA
Number of games 43 (40 regular-season games, 3 postseason games)
Number of teams 8
TV partner(s) ABC, ESPN, Fox, FS1
2024 UFL Championship

The 2024 UFL season will be the first season of the United Football League (UFL), which was created following the merger of the XFL and USFL, and the fifth in the combined history of the two leagues, following the 2020 XFL season, 2022 USFL season, and separate 2023 seasons for each league. The season will begin on March 30, 2024, with a matchup between the 2023 XFL champion Arlington Renegades and the 2023 USFL champion Birmingham Stallions.[1]

Offseason

Pre-merger

USFL

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

Main article: 2024 USFL season

On June 27, 2023, USFL President of Football Operations Daryl Johnston initially confirmed in an interview that the league would return for the 2024 season.[2]

USFL average viewership in 2023 was down 16% from its debut season to 601,000 and 3% lower than the 2023 XFL season, despite having 28 over-the-air network games compared to eight for the XFL.[3] The championship game also saw a significant decline in viewership from 2022 as the game averaged 1.2 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports digital platforms.[4] Johnston expressed disappointment and anger that the USFL was comparable to the XFL in ratings for the 2023 season, dismissing the XFL as "no competition" to the "far superior" USFL and questioning how "to be on par with our competition from a ratings standpoint in Year 2, I'm still trying to figure out: How did that happen? (...) they're not even close."[3]

40 players who played in the 2023 USFL season signed contracts with NFL teams. Two players (LaBryan Ray and Brandon Aubrey) started the 2023 NFL season on active 53-man NFL rosters, 11 other players started the season on practice squads, and Isaiah Zuber was placed on injured reserve.[5][6] 16 players finished the season on NFL rosters, with Aubrey selected to the Pro Bowl.[7]

XFL

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

Main article: 2024 XFL season

The XFL lost nearly $60 million during the season after spending approximately $140 million in expenses over the course of the 2023 season and earned $80 million in gross revenue, including roughly $20 million that came from its broadcast contract with ESPN.[8][9] Executives with the league and ESPN indicated that they considered the season a success.[10][11] After the season ended, the XFL made league wide cuts affecting up to 30 people, including two marketing executives, and shifted other employees to seasonal work.[12][13] According to several reports, the XFL marketing budget was only $120,000 for the 2023 season.[14]

More than 200 players who played in the 2023 XFL season earned invitations to workout for NFL teams, while 63 of them signed contracts. One player (Daniel Whelan) started the 2023 NFL season on an active 53-man NFL roster, while 17 other players started the season on practice squads.[15][16][17] 23 players finished the season on NFL rosters.[7]

During the 2023 season, XFL players filed a petition (through the United Steelworkers) for a representation election with Region 16 of the National Labor Relations Board,[18] but decided against joining the union by vote of 124 to 73.[19]

Merger

On September 19, 2023, Axios reported that USFL owner Fox Corporation and the Garcia/Johnson/RedBird Capital Partners consortium that owned the XFL were in advanced talks to create a "merger of equals" between the two leagues before the start of the 2024 season, with an agreement potentially announced by the end of the month.[20] The USFL registered a trademark for "National Spring Football League," the name of the USFL's parent company but speculated to also be a name for the potential merged league, that was made public September 27.[21] On September 28, 2023, the USFL and XFL announced their intent to merge with the specific details of the merger to be announced at a later date.[22] The merger would also require regulatory approval.[23] In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name "United Football League".[24] On November 30, 2023, XFL chairwoman Dany Garcia announced via her Instagram page that the leagues had completed the antitrust review process to approve their merger, and the leagues will "play a combined season" on March 30, 2024.[25] XFL President Russ Brandon will serve in the same capacity for the combined league, with Johnston being assigned to director of football operations.[26]

On December 27, 2023, during the broadcast of the 2023 Holiday Bowl, Fox aired a clip of Jeff Brohm's "let's play football" speech from the original incarnation of the XFL and announced that details on its involvement in the new merged league would follow "very soon."[27] Three days later, the merger was formally announced on Fox NFL Sunday.[28]

Teams

Four teams came from the XFL and three came from the USFL, while each league's Houston-based team was merged with its counterpart to create one. The XFL's Roughnecks take the Gamblers' place in the USFL while keeping the Roughnecks brand and the Gamblers' player rights and coaching staff. The XFL and USFL brands will remain as individual conferences.[28]

Team Location Stadium Capacity First season Head coach
USFL Conference
Birmingham Stallions Birmingham, Alabama Protective Stadium 47,100 2022 Skip Holtz
Houston Roughnecks Houston, Texas Rice Stadium[29] 47,000 2022 Curtis Johnson
Memphis Showboats Memphis, Tennessee Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium 58,325 2023 John DeFilippo
Michigan Panthers Detroit, Michigan Ford Field 65,000 2022 Mike Nolan
XFL Conference
Arlington Renegades Arlington, Texas Choctaw Stadium 25,000 2020 Bob Stoops
DC Defenders Washington, D.C. Audi Field 20,000 2020 Reggie Barlow
San Antonio Brahmas San Antonio, Texas Alamodome 64,000 2023 Wade Phillips
St. Louis Battlehawks St. Louis, Missouri The Dome at America's Center 67,277 2020 Anthony Becht


Locations of current teams for the 2024 UFL season, (USFL Conference – red; XFL Conference – blue)

Coaches

Eight of the 16 head coaches from both leagues' 2023 season return, some with different teams.

The USFL fired head Memphis Showboats coach Todd Haley shortly before the merger[30] and reassigned John DeFilippo, who had coached the New Orleans Breakers in 2023, to the Showboats.

San Antonio Brahmas coach Hines Ward resigned on December 28, 2023. Roughnecks coach Wade Phillips was reassigned to the Brahmas,[31][32] while Houston Gamblers head coach Curtis Johnson was assigned to the Roughnecks.

Rod Woodson had resigned his position with the Vegas Vipers before the team was contracted.[33] The remaining five coaches—the Generals' Mike Riley, the Stars' Bart Andrus, the Maulers' Ray Horton, the Guardians' Terrell Buckley and the Sea Dragons' Jim Haslett—had their positions eliminated with the merger, as was that of Anthony Blevins, who had been named Woodson's successor.

Players

Draft

2023 USFL College Draft

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

Main article: 2023 USFL College Draft

On February 21, 2023, the USFL held a draft where 2023 draft-eligible players could be selected by USFL teams.[34] In the announcement, USFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Daryl Johnston stated, "We are building the USFL for long-term success and our first-ever College Draft demonstrates our clear focus on building winning teams for Season Two, Season Three and beyond."[34] 80 players were selected across 10 rounds.[35] Due to this draft occurring two months prior to the 2023 NFL Draft, many of the players selected would go on to be drafted by or sign as an undrafted free agent with an NFL team.[36]

2023 XFL Rookie Draft

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

Main article: 2023 XFL Rookie Draft

In an interview after the 2023 XFL season, the league's Senior Vice President of Player Personnel Doug Whaley disclosed that the league plans a "rookie" draft and intended to conduct "multiple drafts" in the fall of 2023.[37][38] The XFL Rookie Draft took place on June 16, 2023, with 80 players being selected.[39]

On July 28, the XFL held a "rights claim" draft, which had not been announced to the public, and the picks were later released through the official XFL transaction page.[40] The players' rights were assigned to the selected teams, but they were not under contract with the teams (similar to the "negotiation lists" in the CFL[41]). The players selected included: Tavon Austin, Darrynton Evans, Chris Odom, Dru Samia, Josh Jackson, Darrell Henderson, Harrison Hand, Quinton Bell, and Anthony Gordon.[42]

Dispersal draft

On December 19, 2023, the USFL initially informed the USFL Players Association that four teams would be contracted as part of the USFL–XFL merger.[43] The transition will involve a three-phase player allocation process,[44] with a similar system to be used for XFL players.[45] Phase 1 and 2 is set for January 5th, and an open dispersal draft for remaining USFL/XFL players (phase 3) is scheduled for January 15, 2024:[46][47]

  • Phase 1: Each remaining USFL/XFL team will identify up to 42 "protected" Contract Players from its roster.
  • Phase 2: Teams can then claim up to 20 additional "protected" players from non-surviving USFL/XFL teams (respectively). Procedures may be in place for handling multiple claims for the same player.
  • Phase 3: A dispersal draft will include all USFL/XFL players not "protected" in the earlier phases. Non-contracted players who have previously participated in the USFL or XFL must sign with the respective league before the draft.[48]

Rules

Mike Pereira and Dean Blandino will be in charge on the UFL's officiating and rules.[29]

Standings

2024 UFL standings
USFL Conference
Team W–L PCT GB DIV PF PA DIFF STK
Birmingham Stallions 0-0 – - 0-0 0 0 0 -
Houston Roughnecks 0-0 – - 0-0 0 0 0 -
Memphis Showboats 0-0 – - 0-0 0 0 0 -
Michigan Panthers 0-0 – - 0-0 0 0 0 -
XFL Conference
Team W–L PCT GB DIV PF PA DIFF STK
Arlington Renegades 0-0 – - 0-0 0 0 0 -
DC Defenders 0-0 – - 0-0 0 0 0 -
San Antonio Brahmas 0-0 – - 0-0 0 0 0 -
St. Louis Battlehawks 0-0 – - 0-0 0 0 0 -
(x)–clinched playoff berth; (y)–clinched division; (e)–eliminated from playoff contention

Season structure

Preseason

The UFL will continue the XFL agreement with Arlington, Texas, to serve as the league's centralized hub. The league will host training camps on February 24, 2024, and that all eight teams will play in their markets.[29]

Regular season

The league is divided into two conferences, the USFL Conference and the XFL Conference, each a continuation of their respective league. The UFL regular season will kicks off with the USFL and XFL champions matchup between the Birmingham Stallions and Arlington Renegades, on March 30, 2024.[29] Each team was given a ten-game schedule with no bye weeks, playing two games against each division rival (one home and one away) and one game against each team in the other division.[29]

Postseason

The postseason will be a four-team playoff in which the top two teams in each conference will face each other in the first round. The two conference champions will then play each other for the league championship.[49]

Season schedule

Week 1

Week 1
Date Time Away team Result Home team Stadium Attendance Broadcast Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
March 30 TBD Birmingham Stallions - - Arlington Renegades TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
March 31 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

Week 2

Week 2
Date Time Away team Result Home team Stadium Attendance Broadcast Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
April 6 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
April 7 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

Week 3

Week 3
Date Time Away team Result Home team Stadium Attendance Broadcast Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
April 13 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
April 14 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

Week 4

Week 4
Date Time Away team Result Home team Stadium Attendance Broadcast Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
April 20 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
April 21 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

Week 5

Week 5
Date Time Away team Result Home team Stadium Attendance Broadcast Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
April 27 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
April 28 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

Week 6

Week 6
Date Time Away team Result Home team Stadium Attendance Broadcast Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
May 4 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
May 5 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

Week 7

Week 7
Date Time Away team Result Home team Stadium Attendance Broadcast Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
May 11 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
May 12 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

Week 8

Week 8
Date Time Away team Result Home team Stadium Attendance Broadcast Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
May 18 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
May 19 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

Week 9

Week 9
Date Time Away team Result Home team Stadium Attendance Broadcast Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
May 25 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
May 26 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

Week 10

Week 10
Date Time Away team Result Home team Stadium Attendance Broadcast Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
June 1 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
June 2 TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD - - TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

Attendance

Announced attendance figures for each home game. In the weekly columns, dashes (—) indicate away games, while bold font indicates the highest attendance of each team.

Team / Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total Average
Arlington Renegades — — — — — — — — — — 0 Formatting error: invalid input when rounding
Birmingham Stallions — — — — — — — — — — 0 Formatting error: invalid input when rounding
DC Defenders — — — — — — — — — — 0 Formatting error: invalid input when rounding
Houston Roughnecks — — — — — — — — — — 0 Formatting error: invalid input when rounding
Memphis Showboats — — — — — — — — — — 0 Formatting error: invalid input when rounding
Michigan Panthers — — — — — — — — — — 0 Formatting error: invalid input when rounding
San Antonio Brahmas — — — — — — — — — — 0 Formatting error: invalid input when rounding
St. Louis Battlehawks — — — — — — — — — — 0 Formatting error: invalid input when rounding
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
Average 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0   0

Awards

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Statistical leaders

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

League finances

The league was created as a "merger of equals", with the respective leagues' owners assuming 50% ownership of the newly formed UFL. Gerry Cardinale called it "a tremendous opportunity to achieve something unique. A legitimate shot at becoming one of the top professional leagues in the country after the big four leagues".[50]

Personnel

Source[51]

Media

In the United States, the combined league retains the services of Fox Sports and ESPN, which held broadcasting rights to the USFL and XFL, respectively.[52][53][54] In early December 2023, NBC Sports, which had shared broadcast rights to the USFL with Fox Sports in 2022 and 2023, announced that it would not carry the league in the 2024 season due to an increase in schedule conflicts, stemming from the proposed start date being slightly earlier than 2022 and 2023.[55] There had been one year remaining on NBC's contract.[56]

Viewership

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Reception

The UFL announcement was the number one story the following weekend in St. Louis.[57]

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ We couldn't have Jeff Brohm's @LouisvilleFB in the Holiday Bowl without bringing this legendary quote back 🤣⏪
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  51. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  53. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  55. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  56. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  57. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=2024_UFL_season&oldid=727368319"