Alt-Football Digest’s UFL Week Three Power Rankings
We are on the precipice of week four on the 2025 UFL season, somehow already almost one-third of the way through. This week’s Alt-Football.com UFL power rankings come to you via the contributions of the following respected spring football minds:
-Anthony Miller
-John Lewis
-Mike Mitchell
-Greg Parks
The collective rankings are based on a scoring system that awards eight points for a first place vote, seven for second, so on and so forth. The team’s ranking the previous week can be found in parenthesis after their current ranking. These will be updated each week throughout the regular season. Comments from the panel will follow each team’s place in the rankings.
The rankings after week one can be found here.
Please share your own Power Rankings and comments below!
(2) D.C. Defenders (32 points)
All four voters had D.C. in first place.
“The biggest surprise of the UFL season continues to prove that they are for real. D.C.'s defense forced four turnovers as they upset the St. Louis Battlehawks in the dome on Sunday. Quarterback Jordan Ta'amu leads the league in passing yards, and the running game started picking up with Abram Smith and Deon Jackson. Interim head coach Shannon Harris has made a straightforward argument about being the coach of the year.” (AM)
“When you have a single undefeated team in the league, they have to be top of the table, right? Plus, winning in St. Louis solidifies their number one spot this week.” (JL)
“My top-ranked team after week one returns to mine and everyone else's number one spot after taking down the previously unbeaten Battlehawks. It hasn't looked perfect for the UFL's lone undefeated squad, but D.C. has the two most impressive early season wins, against Birmingham and in St. Louis. The Defenders have been defying logic in 2025, losing their head coach and defensive coordinator but still raising their level of play under Shannon Harris and the future Tennessee State staff. In their first three games, D.C. has been both good and lucky. See Cornell Powell's easier-than-it-looks ricochet touchdown catch on Sunday. Now comes the hard part: living up to heightened expectations in a now-or-never campaign for the current Defenders, who could have a whole new regime next season.” (MM)
“It's the fourth week of power rankings, and the fourth team that I've put in the number one spot. How's that for parity? The Defenders are the lone undefeated team in the league, and they have two quality wins against St. Louis and Birmingham. The defense didn't skip a beat under new play-caller Blake Williams. The scary thing is D.C.'s offense hasn't even gotten unlocked yet: QB Jordan Ta'amu is completing less than 50% of his passes and Abram Smith is averaging under three yards per carry. If they get in a groove, look out.” (GP)
2. (1) St. Louis Battlehawks (26 points - highest rank: 2 - lowest rank: 4)
“Manny Wilkins played a lot of hero ball, which is a gift and a curse of having him be the starter at quarterback. After allowing just 15 points in the first two games, the defense took a hit with 27 points. As long as the Battlehawks can clean up the turnovers, there's no reason to believe there are any concerns about St. Louis.” (AM)
“D.C. stymied the Battlehawks and quarterback Manny Wilkins had what fans are hoping will be his worst outing of the season. I expect St. Louis to crawl back up the standings as the season progresses.” (JL)
“Sometimes, a loss can count for more than one, especially when it occurs at home against a division rival. Perhaps when the smoke clears, the Battlehawks' week three stumble at home will be a mere blip on their radar screen. But an overconfident St. Louis squad got a harsh dose of reality in a demoralizing loss against D.C. It's the type of defeat that could linger. The Battlehawks showed some serious flaws, particularly quarterback Manny Wilkins, who in the absence of a complimentary ground game, was forced to win with his decision-making in the pocket and failed his first big test of the year—a theme for St. Louis in Week 3 that they hope won't be an ongoing one.” (MM)
“A disappointing performance in the dome in week three doesn't negate their two statement wins that came before. Even with mistakes and turnovers, the Battlehawks were still in the game until the very end. Head coach Anthony Becht's fiery pre-game speech (caught by ESPN cameras) didn't seem to resonate as he had hoped. The offensive line, a great early-season story of the UFL, faltered here. The team can't get Hakeem Butler, out since week one due to injury, back fast enough.” (GP)
T3. (4) Birmingham Stallions (22 points - highest rank: 3 - lowest rank: 5)
“It was ugly offensively, but the Stallions put on a clinic defensively in their 10-9 win over the Arlington Renegades. Birmingham might have the best defensive line in the league, as they harassed Luis Perez all game, especially in the red zone. Matt Corral was spectacular on the game's final drive, but he's got to play better in the first 58 minutes if the Stallions want to win another league title.” (AM)
“The Stallions stumbled into a 10-9 win over Arlington. At one point, FOX sideline analyst Brock Huard commented that the Stallions were not playing ‘championship football.’ Hard to argue that point.” (JL)
“The back-to-back-to-back kings of spring pro football continue to find ways to win ugly, a mark of all championship teams. Birmingham's struggles on offense have continued, but with some advantageous breaks going their way, Matt Corral delivered for Birmingham when it counted most. With the Stallions continuing to play at a high level defensively, if Birmingham can build off their week 3 finish offensively, Skip Holtz's team will only get better as the season progresses.” (MM)
“Don't look now, but the Stallions are in first place in the USFL Conference. They beat Arlington in a slugfest on Friday night, showing they may have to get it done with their defense this year and may not be the offensive juggernaut we've come to expect from Skip Holtz's crew. A false start penalty, literally a split-second, was the difference between a Stallions win and loss, so they're as vulnerable as we've seen them recently.” (GP)
T3. (5) Michigan Panthers (22 points - highest rank: 2 - lowest rank: 4)
“Even with Matthew Colburn out, the Panthers found a home run hitter in Jaden Shirden as he unloaded on a 43-yard touchdown run in the win against the Brahmas. Bryce Perkins didn't get the start as a quarterback, but he played well, completing 73.9% of his passes with two rushing touchdowns and being named offensive player of the week. Michigan has some inconsistency early in the season, but their defense keeps them in every game despite the number of injuries and changes to the team.” (AM)
“Panthers running back Jaden Shirden had a highlight reel rushing TD of the season to punctuate a tight win over San Antonio. The Panthers seem to be putting it together again this season.” (JL)
“Danny Etling being knocked out of action in week three gave Mike Nolan a mulligan for his boneheaded decision not to start the team's best playmaker, Bryce Perkins. It wasn't perfect for Perkins in week three, but Michigan wouldn't have beaten San Antonio without him. It was an important victory for the Panthers, who want to keep pace in the USFL conference and get another shot at Birmingham's crown.” (MM)
“Now that was more like it: Bryce Perkins recovered from a shaky week two performance to solidify himself as the starter. Michigan opted to go with Danny Etling to begin the game, but he was ruled out due to injury early on. Perkins played well - he wasn't perfect, but if he plays like this every game, he's going to give Michigan a shot each week. The defense seemed to miss Breeland Speaks at times. Don't overlook the contributions of returner Devin Ross, who often gave Michigan advantageous field position with his returns.” (GP)
5. (3) Arlington Renegades (15 points - highest rank: 5 - lowest rank: 6)
“Arlington's offense has scored just 20 points in the last two weeks after scoring a league-leading 33 points in week one. Perez is completing high-percentage passes, but isn't getting the team in the end zone when they are in the red zone. The Renegades' defense doesn't get enough credit as they are among the best in the UFL, but allowing a final drive touchdown and one-point conversion doesn't help matters. With St. Louis coming into town, Perez must get this offense rolling from the first drive.” (AM)
“I had questions about the Renegades’ defense and so far, I’m not sure they’re getting answered. Arlington had to hold off Houston and gave up a game-tying TD and one-point conversion to a struggling Birmingham team in the loss.” (JL)
“The Renegades are coming off arguably the worst loss of the early UFL season. They squandered multiple opportunities and left the door open for Birmingham to steal one late. Some Arlington supporters would argue that the steal occurred thanks to a replay assist negating a game-clinching interception. But Bob Stoops's bunch earned the ‘L’ by not coming through in several pivotal situations. The Renegades season can go south fast if their offense doesn't wake up. They play St.Louis twice in the next three weeks, with a showdown against D.C. sandwiched in between.” (MM)
“What seemed like an offensive aberration in week two has risen to a pattern. And it's a negative one. Against an admittedly solid Birmingham defense, Arlington put up just nine points. The downfield passing game is nonexistent as Luis Perez is content to dink-and-dunk his way between the 20s. Like most UFL teams, Arlington gets stuck in the red zone. If they can get out of this offensive funk, and quick, their defense is good enough to still compete for a playoff spot.” (GP)
6. (7) San Antonio Brahmas (13 points - highest rank: 3 - lowest rank: 8)
“The hits keep coming for San Antonio as the Brahmas lost offensive coordinator A.J. Smith last week as he resigned, and now lost head coach Wade Phillips for an unknown amount of time after taking a leave of absence. Payton Pardee performed well as head coach, offensive coordinator, and special teams coordinator last week, which might give some Brahmas fans hope that the team could make a turnaround.” (AM)
“Despite a change in offensive coordinator and the head coach on the DL this weekend, the Brahmas looked good against Michigan. Quarterback Kellen Mond becoming part of the rushing attack gives this team another dimension. I might get grief for putting an 0-3 team as the third-best in the league, but if this is a snapshot of the week, to me, they have to be there.” (JL)
“Despite a valiant effort against one of the league's better teams in Michigan, the 2024 XFL Champion Brahmas remain winless after a heartbreaking 26-23 loss. In a 10-game season, it can get late very early if a team falls too far behind. That's why it's not hyperbole to state that San Antonio's week four clash at D.C. is a must-win game.
“Even more concerning is the health and status of the legendary Wade Phillips. The 77-year-old grizzled veteran coach, soon to be 78, has missed two of his team's games on the sidelines with undisclosed issues [this was written prior to the announcement that Phillips is taking a leave of absence]. Payton Pardee, son of another coaching legend, his father Jack, stepped up admirably to take over the reins on Sunday. Pardee's plate was full, with him adding offensive play-calling duties on top of his special teams coordinating. From a coaching perspective, it was a heroic effort by Pardee. The Brahmas must play like heroes to dig themselves out of a deepening hole.” (MM)
“The Brahmas showed signs of life under new offensive coordinator Payton Pardee. Relying on the run game was a smart move, and they incorporated a little more movement from QB Kellen Mond, which also seemed to help. A pick-six from Jordan Williams aside, the defense has not been playing up to expectations and that's something they've got to figure out. The status of Wade Phillips, who coached from the press box in a game earlier this season and was absent due to illness here, is of concern for this team [this was also written prior to Wednesday’s announcement].” (GP)
7. (8) Houston Roughnecks (9 points - highest rank: 6 - lowest rank: 7)
“Life is pretty good in Houston after the Roughnecks won their second game in two years. Roughnecks head coach Curtis Johnson finally wised up and went with Nolan Henderson as the starter, and it worked out pretty well for Houston as he completed 10 of 11 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. Hopefully the quarterback controversy is squashed and the Roughnecks can try to pull off a miracle with the Stallions coming to Houston in week four.” (AM)
“I can’t badmouth the Roughnecks too much after a gritty win at Memphis. Granted, Showboats QB E.J. Perry fell apart and gave up some terrible interceptions late, but a win is a win and Houston finally got one.” (JL)
“After a more respectable week two effort, the Roughnecks, thanks to what should be a permanent switch to Nolan Henderson at quarterback, notched their first win of 2025 against winless Memphis. It wasn't without the team's usual follies, where the Roughnecks committed several undisciplined plays down the stretch that nearly cost them a victory. Nevertheless, Houston has been more competitive after an embarrassing showing at the start of the new season, where it looked like they were making an argument for the league to reduce its teams from eight.” (MM)
“It was a close one, but Houston eked out a victory over the equally-hapless Memphis Showboats. Credit to Curtis Johnson as he pressed a lot of the right buttons to get this result, though Houston tried to do everything to give the game away late. It sounds like the Roughnecks will be rolling with Nolan Henderson at QB going forward, which is also probably the right move. Neither he nor Anthony Brown is a major threat with their arm; however, Henderson presents as a more dynamic runner.” (GP)
8. (6) Memphis Showboats (5 points - highest rank: 7 - lowest rank: 8)
“Showboats head coach Ken Whisenhunt has stepped down for the rest of the season, and Jim Turner is back in as interim head coach. Memphis has a problem at quarterback with E.J. Perry and Troy Williams not playing consistently enough to earn the job. Poor Jarren Horton is coaching a much-improved Showboats defense, but it isn't enough without an offense to support them.” (AM)
“Head coach Ken Whisenhunt said there are things to learn from the loss. I don’t know if NOT going for two for the win rather than one for the tie at home is one of them, but I do wonder if he’s rethinking that one.” (JL)
“It was another close game, another tough loss for Memphis, against a team many thought the Showboats were better than. For better parts of Saturday, Ken Whisenhunt's crew looked like they were on their way to safe sailing. But E.J. Perry's poor decision-making sank the Showboats ship against Houston. Perry's meltdown may have opened the door for Troy Williams to try and recapture the magic he showed late in 2023 with the Maulers. The Showboats need any spark they can get with their season fading fast.”
“So close. So, so close. A win at home in front of the 4,000 fans (or thereabouts) who came out would've been a nice reward for their time and money. Alas, the Showboats continue to seek that elusive win, which would be the first for head coach Ken Whisenhunt [this was written prior to the announcement of Whisenhunt’s departure]. This team is almost completey one-dimensional on offense with zero effective ground game. Neither E.J. Perry nor Troy Williams has distinguished himself at QB, though Perry's four interceptions are problematic. Is it too late to call Quinten Dormady?” (GP)