The newly returning USFL has gotten many excited and now, heading into Easter Weekend, the league makes its long awaited return to the forefront and many are certainly looking forward to kickoff.
There’s certainly a lot to look forward to and for Philadelphia fans, the future certainly looks bright, especially when looking at both the defensive end and the offensive line, it seems that the coaching staff has a lot in store for any and all foes heading into their very own season opener on Easter Sunday at 4 PM EST against the New Orleans Breakers.
Defense…
Brad Miller and Martin Bayless were brought in to helm this impressive array of defensive players and really it seems like they’ve built quite the impressive group of men that really speak for themselves in reputation and experience.
Some standouts include:
Freedom Akinmoladun, who has some pro experience, having played with three NFL teams…The Jets, The Bengals and The Giants.
The 27 year old Texan who played in the CFL in 2021, Chris Nelson. He played with the Edmonton Elks and had an impressive college career with the Longhorns…a career that ended with 109 tackles and that’s after 29 games started.
The 29 year old from Illinois, Carroll Phillips is also on the list. He too has some major pro football experience, having clocked in time with the Atlanta Falcons, the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Te’von Coney, who played with the Oakland Raiders also made the roster and the ranks of the defense look mighty strong with this lean but menacing 230-pounder back there.
Jordan Moore looks equally impressive and brings with him some pro experience as well…stints with the Denver Broncos, the Atlanta Falcons and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL.
Others include: Gabriel Sewell Jr., Solomon Wise, Cody Brown, Amani Dennis, Ahmad Dixon, Jack Tocho, LaDarius Wiley, Mazzi Wilkins, Ryan Navarro and the impressive list only goes on from there, dear readers.
Offense…
To understand the offensive aspect of the team we must look at head coach of the Stars, Bart Andrus; he coached the TSL’s Generals in 2020, 2021. Well, expect the Stars offensive to look like a who’s who of Generals alum, because he brought many from that roster with him here.
Also on the coaching staff for the Star’s offense: Offensive coordinator, Marcel Bellefeuille and also offensive line coach, Jeff Jagodzinski, as per usflnewsroom.com.
Andrus also coached the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL back in 2009, and he isn’t the only member of the coaching staff to have CFL experience. Bellefeuille coached the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the past.
Overall, the coaching staff has quite the history in football in general and that goes for many leagues across the board which include experience even in the XFL (Jagodzinski was the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Renegades and Andrus led Team 9 for the XFL).
But all this aside, standouts in offense for the Stars include:
Bug Howard, with pro experience with the Cleveland Browns, the Denver Broncos and the Jacksonville Jaguars; Devin Gray with pro experience with the Atlanta Falcons and the Baltimore Ravens; Chris Rowland, with pro experience with the Atlanta Falcons and the Tennessee Titans, and obviously many more…
As for the TSL’s Generals alum that Andrus brought on board with him, the list is massive and it includes: QB, Bryan Scott, QB, Case Cookus, Darnell Holland (who also played for the XFL’s Team 9), RB, Paul Terry, WR, Jordan Suell, Sean Brown, Blake Camper, Paul Nosworthy….
What’s up with the mascot?
Well…the Stars have a deep-rooted history in this league…former champions (1984 and in 1985 as the Baltimore Stars—after relocation), they are starting the season with a lot of attention. Yet perhaps they didn’t count on this much attention from fans when they unleashed their new mascot.
Many are wondering just what in the blue hell the creature is…cute, but obviously ferocious (just look at those sharp teeth!), many have been left scratching their heads as to just what the heck he even is.
We’ll keep you posted on that front, dear readers. But I’ve gotta say, despite the mystery, I kind of like the little guy.
