Birmingham Stallions (2022)

Birmingham Stallions
Birmingham Stallions
Current season
	Established 2021; Play in Protective Stadium; in Birmingham, Alabama; https://twitter.com/USFLStallions
League/conference affiliations
	United States Football League (2022–present) South Division (2022–present);
	Current uniform
Team colors	Red, gold, white;
Mascot	Arthur
Personnel
Owner(s)	National Spring Football League Enterprises Co, LLC, (Fox Sports)
General manager	Zach Potter
Head coach	Skip Holtz
Team history
	Birmingham Stallions (2022–present);
Championships
	League championships (2); 2022, 2023
	Conference championships (2); 2022, 2023
	Division championships (2); 2022, 2023
Playoff appearances (2)
	2022, 2023
Home stadium(s)
	Legion Field (2022); Protective Stadium (2022–present);

The Birmingham Stallions are a professional American football team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The Stallions compete in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member club of the league's South division, and are the league's current champions, defeating the Pittsburgh Maulers 28–12 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, on July 1, 2023.

History

The Birmingham Stallions were one of eight teams officially announced as a USFL franchise on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on November 22, 2021.[1] On January 6, 2022, it was revealed that former NCAA coach Gene Chizik would become the head coach of the Stallions. Chizik confirmed the report, but the parties have yet to agree. He ultimately took a deal to become the defensive coordinator for North Carolina two days later.[2][3] On January 20, 2022, it was announced on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that former NCAA football head coach Skip Holtz was named the head coach and general manager of the Stallions.[4]

The Stallions finished the 2022 regular season with a 9–1 record, winning the South division title and clinching the South division's first seed. The Stallions hosted their first South Division Championship game, facing the second-seed New Orleans Breakers. The Stallions defeated the Breakers 31–17 and advanced to the 2022 USFL Championship Game.[5]

On July 3, 2022, in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, the Stallions played against the North division's second seed, the Philadelphia Stars. Following halftime, the Stallions led by eleven points, but a 4-yard Stars' touchdown narrowed the Stallions' lead to five points with 5:17 remaining in the third quarter. On the Stallions' next possession, they were forced to attempt a 38-yard field goal, which was missed. Then Philadelphia's Case Cookus found Devin Gray in the end zone for a touchdown two plays later. The Stars attempted and converted a two-point conversion.[6] This gave Philadelphia a 23–20 lead, their first of the game. Following a pair of field goals and a 26–23 lead with under three minutes remaining, Scooby Wright had a 46-yard interception returned for a touchdown to seal the game for the Stallions effectively. Victor Bolden Jr. won the USFL Championship Game Most Valuable Player Award.

Following the 2022 season, the Stallions hired Zachary Potter. He previously held the title of team director during the Stallions 2022 season.[7]

In light of a possible merger with the USFL's primary rival, the XFL, officials in Birmingham were assured that the Stallions would be part of the merged league should the union go forward.[8]

Current Roster

Players

Initially, each team carried a 38-man active roster and a 7-man practice squad, but the rosters were increased to 40 active players and 50 total in May 2022.[9][10]

**Birmingham Stallions roster**
Quarterbacks 18 Jalen Morton 3 Kyle Sloter 6 J'Mar Smith Running backs 44 Bobby Holly FB 11 C. J. Marable 23 Ricky Person Jr. 25 Bo Scarbrough 4 ZaQuandre White Wide receivers -- Victor Bolden Jr. 1 Josh Johnson 81 Myron Mitchell 19 Peyton Ramzy 17 Marlon Williams Tight ends 86 Thaddeus Moss -- Chris Pierce		Offensive linemen -- Cohl Cabral C -- Gray Davis G -- Christian DiLauro T 74 O'Shea Dugas T 77 Derwin Gray T 76 Darius Harper T 67 Jahmir Johnson T -- Zack Johnson T 77 Ryan Pope T -- Cole Schneider G 79 Tre'Vour Wallace-Simms G -- Isaac Weaver C Defensive linemen 50 Keyshon Camp DT 94 Darrion Daniels DE -- Carlos Davis DT 96 Willie Henry DT 90 Joe Jackson DE -- Daniel Joseph DE 47 Joe Ozougwu DE 78 Jordan Thompson DE 99 Dondrea Tillman DE -- Curtis Weaver DE 97 Willie Yarbary DT		Linebackers 51 Damon Lloyd LB 35 Rashad Smith ILB 57 Elijah Sullivan OLB 33 Scooby Wright ILB Defensive backs 29 Brian Allen CB 26 Nate Brooks CB 7 T. J. Carter CB -- Madre Harper CB 36 Nate Holley S 5 Christian McFarland S 21 Bryan Mills CB 27 JoJo Tillery S Special teams 41 Ryan Langan LS 15 Colby Wadman P				Reserve lists Unrestricted FAs 8 Michael Dereus WR 16 Adrian Hardy WR 55 Jonathan Newsome DE 59 Quentin Poling LB 9 Tyree Robinson S Rookies in italics Roster updated October 14, 2023 57 active, 5 free agent(s) → USFL rosters

Staff

**2023 Birmingham Stallions staff**

	Front office General manager – Zach Potter Head coaches Head coach/Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks – Skip Holtz Offensive coaches Running backs – Larry Kirksey Wide receivers – Mike Jones Offensive line – Neil Callaway			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator/Linebackers – John Chavis Defensive line – Marty Long Defensive backs – Bob Shoop Assistant defensive backs – Daric Riley

Player History

Current NFL Players

USFL Season	Pos	Name	NFL Team
2022	LB	DeMarquis Gates	Chicago Bears
2022-2023	K	Brandon Aubrey	Dallas Cowboys
2023	CB	Lorenzo Burns	Cleveland Browns
2023	WR	Austin Watkins	Cleveland Browns
2023	DT	Khalil Davis	Houston Texans
2023	WR	Matt Hankins	Los Angeles Chargers
2023	QB	Alex McGough	Green Bay Packers

USFL MVP award winners

Year	Player	Position	Selector
Stallions USFL MVP winners
2023	Alex McGough	QB	USFL

Birmingham Stallions Best Hair Award

On June 13, 2022 the Stallions started a Best Hair Award tradition following by a teammate vote. The first ever winner was J'Mar Smith.[11]

Year	Player	Position	Record	Ref
2022	J'Mar Smith	Quarterback	9-1	[11]

Coach History

Head Coach history

#	Name	Term	Regular season				Playoffs			Awards
#	Name	Term	GC	W	L	Win %	GC	W	L	Awards
Birmingham Stallions
1	Skip Holtz	2022-present	20	17	3	.850	4	4	0	*2023 USFL Coach of the Year

*Holtz also serving as Offensive Coordinator

Defensive Coordinator history

#	Name	Term	Regular season				Playoffs			Awards
#	Name	Term	GC	W	L	Win %	GC	W	L	Awards
Birmingham Stallions
1	John Chavis	2022-present	20	17	3	.850	4	4	0

Championships

The Stallions have won two USFL Championships and two South Division Championships, going back-to-back on both in 2022 and 2023.

USFL Championships

Year	Coach	USFL Championship Game	Stadium	Location	Opponent	Score	MVP	Record
2022	Skip Holtz	2022	Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium	Canton, Ohio	Philadelphia Stars	33–30	Victor Bolden Jr.	9–1
2023	Skip Holtz	2023	Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium	Canton, Ohio	Pittsburgh Maulers	28–12	Deon Cain	8–2
Total USFL championships won:								2

South Division Championship Games

Year	Coach	Stadium	Location	Opponent	Score	Record
2022	Skip Holtz	Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium	Canton, Ohio	New Orleans Breakers	31–17	9–1
2023	Skip Holtz	Protective Stadium	Birmingham, Alabama	New Orleans Breakers	47–22	8–2
Total South Division championship games won:						2

Statistics and records

Season-by-season record

Note: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.

Legend
USFL champions^†	Division champions^{^}	Wild Card berth^#

Birmingham Stallions season-by-season records
Season	Team	League	Division	Regular season					Postseason results	Awards
Season	Team	League	Division	Finish	Wins	Losses	Ties	Pct	Postseason results	Awards
2022	2022	USFL^†	South^{^}	1st^{^}	9	1	0	.900	Won Division finals (Breakers) 31–17 Won USFL Championship Game (1) (Stars) 33–30	J'Mar Smith (SDF MVP) Victor Bolden Jr. (CG MVP)
2023	2023	USFL^†	South^{^}	1st^{^}	8	2	0	.800	Won Division finals (Breakers) 47–22 Won USFL Championship Game (2) (Maulers) 28–12	Alex McGough (USFL MVP) Skip Holtz (COTY) Deon Cain (CG MVP)
Totals					17	3	0	.850	(2022–2023, regular season)
					4	0	—	1.000	(2022–2023, playoffs)
					21	3	0	.875	(2022–2023, regular season and playoffs)

Records

All-time Stallions leaders
Leader	Player	Record	Years with Stallions
Passing	J'Mar Smith	1,573 passing yards	2022
Rushing	C. J. Marable	401 rushing yards	2022
Receiving	Marlon Williams	474 receiving yards	2022
Coaching wins	Skip Holtz	9 wins	2022
Sacks	DeMarquis Gates	6.5 sacks	2022
Interceptions	Lorenzo Burns	2 interceptions	2022

References

"USFL unveils team cities, nicknames and logos for 2022 debut". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
Chizik, Gene [@CoachGeneChizik] (January 6, 2022). "Addressing a rumor this morning. I am honored that the new @USFL is interested in me for a HC position. We have had several discussions. Although this is a consideration, nothing has been finalized… #Facts" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022 – via Twitter.
"North Carolina Tar Heels football names Gene Chizik assistant head coach for defense". ESPN. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
"What you need to know for USFL in 2022:Two more head coaches revealed". Fox Sports. January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
"USFL Playoffs 2022 score, highlights: Birmingham Stallions defeat New Orleans Breakers 31–17". www.sports.nbcsports.com. NBC Universal. June 25, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
Jones, Alex (July 3, 2022). "Birmingham Stallions win 2022 USFL Championship over the Philadelphia Stars". WBRC. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
"USFL hires new general managers for two teams". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
Johnson, Roy S. (2023-09-22). "Will Birmingham Stallions be part of possible USFL-XFL merged league?". The Birmingham News. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
"USFL to have a "player selection meeting" on February 22–23". ProFootballTalk. 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
"USFL expands game-day rosters by two, total rosters by five". ProFootballTalk. 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
CHAMPIONSTALLIONS [@USFLStallions] (June 13, 2022). "Votes are in! @jMar_Smith was chosen as the Birmingham Stallions Best Hair by his teammates 🤣🔥 t.co/cF4wpFlaWK" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022 – via Twitter.

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[1] "USFL unveils team cities, nicknames and logos for 2022 debut". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-18.

[2] Chizik, Gene [@CoachGeneChizik] (January 6, 2022). "Addressing a rumor this morning. I am honored that the new @USFL is interested in me for a HC position. We have had several discussions. Although this is a consideration, nothing has been finalized… #Facts" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022 – via Twitter.

[3] "North Carolina Tar Heels football names Gene Chizik assistant head coach for defense". ESPN. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-08.

[4] "What you need to know for USFL in 2022:Two more head coaches revealed". Fox Sports. January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.

[5] "USFL Playoffs 2022 score, highlights: Birmingham Stallions defeat New Orleans Breakers 31–17". www.sports.nbcsports.com. NBC Universal. June 25, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.

[wbrc-6] Jones, Alex (July 3, 2022). "Birmingham Stallions win 2022 USFL Championship over the Philadelphia Stars". WBRC. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.

[7] "USFL hires new general managers for two teams". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2023-02-05.

[8] Johnson, Roy S. (2023-09-22). "Will Birmingham Stallions be part of possible USFL-XFL merged league?". The Birmingham News. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

[9] "USFL to have a "player selection meeting" on February 22–23". ProFootballTalk. 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2022-01-05.

[10] "USFL expands game-day rosters by two, total rosters by five". ProFootballTalk. 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2022-06-01.

[merged1-11] CHAMPIONSTALLIONS [@USFLStallions] (June 13, 2022). "Votes are in! @jMar_Smith was chosen as the Birmingham Stallions Best Hair by his teammates 🤣🔥 t.co/cF4wpFlaWK" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022 – via Twitter.