Michigan Panthers Roster: UFL Dispersal Draft Breakdown

Davis Cheek heads to Michigan after spending the 2023 USFL season with the New Orleans Breakers as its backup quarterback. Before the USFL, Cheek played for the Carolina Panthers mainly on their practice squad. His college career at Elon finished with him being in the top two all-time in passing yards (8,548), passing touchdowns (51) and completion percentage (66.8).

Roster Impact: There will be a quarterback battle in camp with Cheek competing with Brian Lewerke and Danny Etling. 

Wes Hills exploded onto the scene out of nowhere as one of the best running backs in the USFL with the Breakers. He led the USFL in rushing yards in 2023 with 679 and was second in rushing touchdowns with 10. He also spent two seasons in the CFL with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, recording 405 yards and two touchdowns, and had brief stints in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions in 2019.

Roster Impact: Michigan has a good problem in the backfield as Hills will be competing with Matthew Colburn II for the starting spot. Both guys should be used in rotation, however, and their combination makes it one of the best backfields in the UFL. 

Over the last two seasons, Matthew Colburn II has been one of the top running backs in the USFL. He rushed for 264 yards and four touchdowns last year while also rushing for 457 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022. Colburn has played for multiple other leagues in his career, including the NFL, XFL, TSL and CFL.

Roster Impact: As previously mentioned, Colburn will be in the rotation in the backfield with Hills, and the two should get the bulk of the carries.

From the moment the Philadelphia Stars brought on Corey Coleman, everyone anticipated he would be the best receiver in the USFL. Coleman’s stats backed it up, leading the league in receptions (51) and receiving yards (669) while adding four receiving touchdowns last season. He was selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, starting a seven-year NFL career during which he recorded 61 receptions, 789 yards and five touchdowns.

Roster Impact: Coleman is one of the top five receivers in the UFL, so naturally he will go in as the number one passing target. He’s got three other former Stars receivers on the roster, along with Panthers holdover Devin Ross, making this receiver room deep and talented.

Devin Gray improved from year one to year two for the Philadelphia Stars, becoming one of their top receivers in 2023. Gray finished seventh in the league in receiving yards with 501 after posting 215 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 2022. He also played in the NFL for three different teams and in the TSL with the Generals.

Roster Impact: Gray will be one of the team’s starters. With this deep of a receiving core, the Panthers could be running a lot of shotgun with four receivers to get everyone involved.

There were moments last season where Jordan Suell made some nice plays for the Stars, but he only appeared in six games, catching 12 passes for 130 yards. The year before, he finished with 36 receptions for 370 yards and three scores. Suell was also a member of the TSL with the Generals and played in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Roster Impact: Suell will be one of the top four receivers on the Panthers and he will be fighting for receptions. There’s no doubt though he will be on the roster and making an impact in the passing game.

Terry Wright found his way onto the field for Philadelphia last season in the USFL, recording 142 yards and two touchdowns. Wright was drafted by the San Antonio Brahams in 2022 and was also a member of the CFL’s Ottawa Redblacks. He had a two-year stint in the NFL as well with three different teams.

Roster Impact: There are a ton of talented receivers on the roster. Wright will have to fight for a roster spot if someone doesn’t drop off. Still, he is well deserving of a place on a UFL team, so he should be able to make his way on there.

Philadelphia saw its fair share of injuries and inconsistent play on the offensive line. Guard Jacob Burton stepped up and played well for the Stars, starting in nine games in 2023. Burton spent time with the New York Giants in 2021.

Roster Impact: All but one offensive lineman for Michigan who started the last game in 2023 is back on the team. Gene Pryor could move from guard to tackle and Burton could fill in at right guard.

After a short run with the Washington Commanders at the beginning of the year, Drew Himmelman was brought in during the season by the Stars and performed well. Himmelman filled in at left tackle and helped an injury-prone line perform better down the stretch. He also played for the Denver Broncos in the NFL.

Roster Impact: Himmelman could compete with Josh Dunlop for the starting left tackle position, which he has a chance to win.

Ryan Pope played for the Birmingham Stallions over the past two seasons, and this past offseason, the Stallions traded Pope to the Philadelphia Stars. Pope was picked in the first round of the USFL Supplemental Draft in 2022.

Roster Impact: Pope will look to earn a roster spot as a depth player for the Panthers.

Tristen Taylor started four of the six games he appeared in for the Stars during the 2023 season. The right tackle was a two-time All-American selection at Eastern Washington in 2020 and 2021.

Roster Impact: Taylor could be in competition for the right tackle position as it appears to be open.

Nasir Player has spent the past two seasons playing for the strong Pittsburgh Maulers defense and saw an increased role last year. Player took advantage of the playing time, recording 28 tackles and four sacks in 10 games. He was previously a member of TSL’s Alphas and was also on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Roster Impact: There are plenty of talented pass rushers on the Panthers, including Breeland Speaks. Player should be one of the starters or at minimum in the rotation as he will be used often.

Jerod Fernandez has been the general for the New Orleans Breakers’ defense for the past two seasons, racking up 150 tackles, two sacks and one interception during that time. He also had a two-year stint in the CFL with the Ottawa Redblacks, where he contributed 54 tackles and two forced fumbles in 2019 and 2021, and briefly played in the NFL with the Washington Commanders.

Roster Impact: Expectations are that Fernandez will be starting at inside linebacker for the Panthers as he is one of the top linebackers in the UFL.

The Pittsburgh Maulers had Keith Gipson Jr. in their secondary for the past two seasons, where he recorded 51 tackles and three interceptions.

Roster Impact: Gipson is a solid tackler and tough in coverage and will be on the roster for the team. Michigan only produced seven interceptions on defense, so Gipson should help with adding more to that number.

Alex Thomas made a nice impact on the New Orleans Breakers in 2023, starting in four of the 10 games. Thomas finished with 16 tackles and two interceptions on the season.

Roster Impact: Levonta Taylor returns as one of the starters on the Panthers last season. Thomas and Gipson will be in the rotation in the starting lineup.

New Orleans has had Adonis Alexander in its secondary over the past two seasons, and he recorded 53 tackles and two interceptions with the Breakers. Alexander also played in the NFL for four different teams from 2018 through 2021.

Roster Impact: The top safeties from last season’s Panthers squad are all back for 2024. This will present some stiff competition for the starting role, but Alexander should be able to make a run for a roster spot and could be a depth player.

Bryce Torneden has been one of the top defensive backs in the USFL for the past two years with the Pittsburgh Maulers. Torneden was named to the All-USFL team in 2022, and his career stats in the league include 118 tackles, two sacks and one interception. He also played in the TSL with the Sea Lions.

Roster Impact: Torneden will compete for a starting job and should be able to win it. He played a key role in Pittsburgh’s secondary and should be one of Michigan’s top defenders.

Shalom Luani can do it all, from creating turnovers to laying big hits on ball carriers. Luani recorded five interceptions in 2022, as well as racking up 44 tackles and one interception this past season with the Generals. He is a former seventh-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and spent four years in the league.

Roster Impact: Luani is another safety that is going to challenge for a starting job after being one of the top defenders on the Generals. 

The New Jersey Generals had a ton of success in field positioning thanks to punter Brock Miller, who averaged 44.6 yards per punt in 2022 and 2023 combined. He also punted for the Seattle Dragons in the XFL in 2020, where he averaged 42.1 yards per punt in five games before the league canceled its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Roster Impact: Previous Panthers punter Kyle Kramer was not retained, and the job will be Miller’s unless something unexpected happens before the season.

Jordan Ober performed well last year as the long snapper for the Generals. He had a workout with the Arizona Cardinals during the offseason.

Roster Impact: Ober fills in an immediate need at long snapper, so he should be able to secure the job for the season.