Danny Etling finally made his way to Spring Football. After lobbying since 2021 for the former LSU Quarterback to make the plunge, Etling was announced finally by the Michigan Panthers to be joining the team along with Arkansas Kicker Jake Bates.
Etling has bounced around the NFL as a QB and even time at Wide Receiver. The LSU alum joins his 9th team across three leagues since leaving LSU as a 7th round pick in 2018. Etling earned a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots in 2018, and has been around a wealth of knowledge playing with QBs like Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, and Kirk Cousins. Etling’s expierence should translate nicely into success for the Panthers as the team recently saw E.J. Perry a QB similar to Etling’s skillset sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the remainder of the 2023 season.
The Panthers also signed Jake Bates a kicker from Arkansas as well on Christmas Eve. Bates was an All-SEC kicker who spent part of August with the Houston Texans. Bates who was primarily a Kickoff Specialist did not attempt a FG at Arkansas or Texas State per the team’s website.
The Panthers currently roster Carson Strong and Brian Lewerke along with Etling going into the USFL-XFL merger in 2024. With Josh Love still a free agent and on the CFL’s negotiation list the Panthers look to be set at the position moving forward. Last season Michigan went 4-6 with a playoff berth in Head Coach Mike Nolan’s first year with the team. For more insight on the USFL-XFL Merger check out the video below.
