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Michigan Panthers (2022)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the team in the second edition of the USFL. For the team in the original USFL from the 1980s, see Michigan Panthers.
Michigan Panthers
Current season
Michigan Panthers logo
Michigan Panthers logo
Logo
Uniforms
Basic info
EstablishedNovember 22, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-11-22)
StadiumFord Field
Detroit, Michigan
ColorsRoyal plum, champagne silver, light blue
     
MascotPablo
Websitewww.theufl.com/teams/michigan
Personnel
Owner(s)Fox Corporation (50%), Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, RedBird Capital Partners (50%)
General managerSteve Kazor
Head coachMike Nolan
Team history
  • Michigan Panthers (2022–present)
Home fields
League / conference affiliations
United States Football League (2022–2023)

United Football League (2024–present)

  • USFL Conference (2024–present)
  • North Division (2022–2023)
Championships
League championships: 0
Conference championships: 1
Division championships: 0
Playoff appearances (3)

The Michigan Panthers are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Panthers compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a member of the USFL Conference. The team is owned and operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha Acquico and Fox Corporation. The team plays its home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit, which also hosts the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL).[1]

History

[edit]

The Michigan Panthers were one of eight teams that were officially announced as a USFL franchise on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on November 22, 2021.[2] On January 27, 2022, it was announced on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that former NFL head coach Jeff Fisher was named the head coach and general manager of the Panthers.[3]

The Panthers selected Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson with the first overall pick in the 2022 USFL draft.[4] In the first two games of 2022, the Panthers lost to the Houston Gamblers and New Jersey Generals.[5][6] On May 1, 2022, the team won their first ever game with a 24–0 win at Protective Stadium against the Pittsburgh Maulers.[7] Losses resumed after that, the Panthers' only other win of the season was against the Maulers, a 33–21 with the winner assuming the rights to the first overall pick in the 2023 USFL draft.[8]

In October, 2022, the Panthers hired Steve Kazor as general manager.[9] After all eight USFL teams played their home games in Birmingham, Alabama, the Panthers moved to the state of Michigan in 2023, announcing Ford Field as their home stadium.[10] On February 3, 2023, the USFL announced that Fisher had been replaced as head coach by Mike Nolan, citing only "personal reasons."[11]

A game between the Panthers (left) and the Houston Roughnecks in Houston in 2024

In September 2023, Axios reported that the XFL was in advanced talks with the USFL to merge the two leagues prior to the start of their 2024 seasons.[12] On September 28, 2023, the XFL and USFL announced their intent to merge with details surrounding the merger to be announced at a later date.[13] The merger would also require regulatory approval.[14] In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name "United Football League".[15] On November 30, 2023, Garcia announced via her Instagram page that the leagues had received regulatory approval for the merger and were finalizing plans for a "combined season" to begin March 30, 2024.[16] The merger was made official on December 31, 2023.[17]

With Ford Field charging a reported $500,000 per game, the Panthers paid the highest stadium rent of any team in the UFL.[18] This high fee and other conflicts led to worsening relations between the UFL and the stadium, including a delay in the renewal of the Panthers' lease for 2025[19] and the preemptive decision not to host a playoff game at the stadium even if the Panthers had clinched home field advantage.[20] Rynearson Stadium, a college football stadium that last hosted professional football games in 1974 with the ill-fated Detroit Wheels and had hosted the Panthers' practices in 2023, was reportedly considered as an alternative but ruled out mainly because of league officials' dislike of the stadium's nontraditional gray turf.[21] These issues overwhelmed the strong gains that the Panthers had made both on and off the field in 2025 (the team was the only UFL team to see an increase in ticket sales that year[22]) led to Michigan being included with the rest of the USFL Conference on a list of teams being considered for relocation following the 2025 season, a list that the UFL has not officially confirmed nor denied, calling it "unauthorized speculation."[18]

Current roster

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Players

[edit]
Michigan Panthers roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)
  • 69 Cohl Cabral G
  • 78 Cam Carter T
  • 60 Victor Curne T
  • 77 Brian Dooley T
  • 61 Noah Johnson C
  • 72 Chim Okorafor T
  • 76 Keith Russell T

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Reserve lists




Roster updated July 29, 2025

53 active

Staff

[edit]
Michigan Panthers staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator/Defensive line – Collin Bauer
  • Linebackers – Christian Runza
  • Defensive backs – Brock Marion



Player history

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Current NFL players

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Season Pos Name NFL team
2023 CB Josh Butler Dallas Cowboys
2023 WR D. J. Montgomery Indianapolis Colts
2024 K Jake Bates Detroit Lions
2024 CB Nate Brooks Cincinnati Bengals
2023–2025 OT Ryan Nelson Los Angeles Chargers
2023–2025 RB Toa Taua Cleveland Browns
2025 LB R.J. Moten New England Patriots
2025 CB D.J. Miller Detroit Lions

Notable players

[edit]
Season Pos Name Notes
2023 DT Robert Nkemdiche Former Arizona Cardinals Defensive Tackle, 2016 1st Round Pick
2023–present DE Breeland Speaks Former Kansas City Chiefs Defensive End, 2018 2nd Round Pick

Offensive Player of the Year award winners

[edit]
Panthers USFL OPOY winners
Year Player Position Selector
2025 Bryce Perkins QB UFL

Defensive Player of the Year award winners

[edit]
Panthers USFL DPOY winners
Year Player Position Selector
2023 Frank Ginda LB USFL
2024 Breeland Speaks DE UFL

Special Teams Player of the Year award winners

[edit]
Panthers USFL DPOY winners
Year Player Position Selector
2025 Kedrick Whitehead Jr. S UFL

Coach history

[edit]

Head coach history

[edit]
# Name Term Regular season Playoffs Awards
GC W L Win % GC W L
Michigan Panthers
1 Jeff Fisher 2022 10 2 8 .200 0 0 0
2 Mike Nolan 2023–present 30 17 13 .586 3 1 2 *UFL Coach of the Year (2024)

Offensive coordinator history

[edit]
# Name Term Regular season Playoffs Awards
GC W L Win % GC W L
Michigan Panthers
1 Eric Marty 2022-2023 20 6 14 .300 1 0 1
2 Marcel Bellefeuille 2024–present 20 13 7 .650 2 1 1

Defensive coordinator history

[edit]
# Name Term Regular season Playoffs Awards
GC W L Win % GC W L
Michigan Panthers
1 Daniel Carrell 2022 10 2 8 .200 0 0 0
2 Steve Brown 2023 10 4 6 .400 1 0 1
2 Collin Bauer 2024–present 20 13 7 .650 2 1 1

Records

[edit]
All-time Panthers leaders
Leader Player Record Years with Panthers
Passing Yards Josh Love 1,907 passing yards 2022–2023
Passing Touchdowns Josh Love 15 passing touchdowns 2022–2023
Rushing Reggie Corbin 955 rushing yards 2022–2023
Rushing Touchdowns Bryce Perkins 7 rushing touchdowns 2024-present
Receiving Yards Siaosi Mariner 873 receiving yards 2024–present
Receiving Touchdowns Cole Hikutini 7 receiving touchdowns 2023–present
Receptions Joe Walker 66 receptions 2022–2023
Tackles Frank Ginda 348 tackles 2022–present
Sacks Breeland Speaks 18.5 sacks 2023–present
Interceptions Kai Nacua 4 interceptions 2023–present
Coaching wins Mike Nolan 17 wins 2023–present

Starting Quarterbacks

[edit]
Main article: Lists of starting quarterbacks in the UFL

Regular season – As of June 9, 2025

Season(s) Quarterback(s) Notes Ref
2022 Shea Patterson (0–5) / Paxton Lynch (2–1) / Josh Love (0–2) [23]
2023 Josh Love (3–6) / E.J. Perry (1–0) [24]
2024 Danny Etling (3–1) / E.J. Perry (2–2) / Brian Lewerke (2–0) [25]
2025 Bryce Perkins (4–2) / Danny Etling (2–1) / Rocky Lombardi (0–1) [26]

Postseason

Season(s) Quarterback(s) Notes Ref
2023 E.J. Perry (0–1) [27]
2024 Danny Etling (0–1) [28]
2025 Bryce Perkins (1–1)

Most games as starting quarterback

Name Period GP GS W L Pct
Josh Love 2022–2023 14 11 3 8 .273
Danny Etling 2024–2025 15 7 5 2 .714
Bryce Perkins 2024–2025 12 6 4 2 .667
E.J. Perry 2023–2024 5 5 3 2 .600
Shea Patterson 2022 6 5 0 5 .000
Paxton Lynch 2022 6 3 2 1 .667
Brian Lewerke 2024 5 2 2 0 1.000
Rocky Lombardi 2025 2 1 0 1 .000

Statistics and records

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Season by season record

[edit]
UFL champions† (2024–present) USFL champions§ (2022–2023) Conference champions* Division champions^ Wild Card berth#
Season Team League Conference Division Regular season Postseason results Awards Head coaches Pct.
Finish W L
2022 2022 USFL North 3rd 2 8 Jeff Fisher .200
2023 2023 USFL North 2nd # 4 6 Lost Division Finals (at Maulers) 27–31 (OT) Frank Ginda (DPOY)
Ethan Westbrooks (SMOY) 		Mike Nolan .567
2024 2024 UFL USFL 2nd # 7 3 Lost USFL Conference Championship (at Stallions) 18–31 Mike Nolan (COTY)
Breeland Speaks (DPOTY)
2025 2025 UFL USFL 2nd * 6 4 Won USFL Conference Championship (at Stallions) 44–29
Lost UFL Championship (Defenders) 34–58 		Bryce Perkins (MVP)
Total 19 21 All-time regular season record (2022–2025) .475
1 3 All-time postseason record (2022–2025) .250
20 24 All-time regular season and postseason record (2022–2025) .455

Rivalries

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Northern Duel

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The Michigan Panthers previously shared a rivalry with the New Jersey Generals.[29] This rivalry was called the Northern Duel. The Panthers finished with a 1–3 record against the New Jersey Generals in 2 seasons. After the 2023 season the rivalry was not renewed as the New Jersey Generals folded during the XFL–USFL merger of 2024.

Franchise matchup history

[edit]
Team Record Pct.
Arlington Renegades 2–0 1.000
DC Defenders 2–1 .667
Memphis Showboats 4–1 .800
Houston Gamblers/Roughnecks 4–2 .667
St. Louis Battlehawks 1–1 .500
San Antonio Brahmas 1–1 .500
Philadelphia Stars 2–2 .500
Pittsburgh Maulers 2–3 .400
New Jersey Generals 1–3 .250
Tampa Bay Bandits 0–1 .000
New Orleans Breakers 0–2 .000
Birmingham Stallions 1–7 .125
  • Defunct teams in light gray.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Reisman, Jeremy (January 26, 2023). "USFL's Michigan Panthers will play at Ford Field in 2023". Pride Of Detroit.
  2. ^ "USFL unveils team cities, nicknames and logos for 2022 debut". FOX Sports. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  3. ^ "USFL 2022: Jeff Fisher, Larry Fedora named as final two coaches". Fox Sports. January 27, 2022. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  4. ^ McMann, Aaron (February 25, 2022). "The USFL helps keep ex-Michigan QB Shea Patterson's dream alive". MLive.com. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  5. ^ Ryan Ford (April 17, 2022). "Michigan Panthers lose 17-12 to Houston Gamblers: Game thread replay". www.freep.com. USA TODAY Network. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  6. ^ Ryan Ford (April 22, 2022). "Michigan Panthers now 0-2 after 10-6 loss to the New Jersey Generals: Game thread replay". www.freep.com. USA TODAY Network. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  7. ^ Madison Jones (May 1, 2022). "USFL Score, highlights: Michigan Panthers shutout Pittsburgh Maulers, 24-0, to win first game of the season". www.sports.nbcsports.com. NBC Universal. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  8. ^ Jeff Kerr (June 19, 2022). "USFL Week 10 takeaways: Panthers earn first pick in 2023 draft by winning matchup of two worst teams". www.cbssports.com. CBS Sports Interactive. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  9. ^ "USFL hires new general managers for two teams". FOX Sports. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  10. ^ Tony Paul (January 24, 2023). "USFL's Michigan Panthers will play at Ford Field in 2023; EMU may host practices". www.detroitnews.com. The Detroit News. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  11. ^ "USFL Michigan Panthers Head Coach Jeff Fisher stepping down ahead of 2023 season". FOX 2 Detroit. February 3, 2023. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  12. ^ Baysinger, Tim; Primack, Dan; Fischer, Sara (September 19, 2023). "Scoop: Football leagues XFL and USFL in merger talks". Axios. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  13. ^ TSN ca Staff (September 28, 2023). "XFL, United States Football League announce intention to merge". TSN. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  14. ^ Schad, Tom (September 28, 2023). "XFL, USFL confirm intention to merge into single spring football league". USA Today. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  15. ^ "XFL files trademark applications for 'United Football League' and 'UFL'". San Antonio Express-News. October 18, 2023.
  16. ^ "We are pleased to have completed the antitrust review process in connection with the proposed merger of the XFL and USFL and intend to play a combined season this spring kicking off on Saturday, March 30. We are now finalizing terms of the definitive agreement and will share more about this new League in the coming weeks". Instagram.
  17. ^ "USFL, XFL announce merger, formation of new spring football league: The UFL". Yahoo Sports. December 31, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  18. ^ a b Romo, Christian. "Michigan Panthers 1 of 4 UFL teams reported to relocate for 2026. Here's what we know". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  19. ^ Parks, Greg (October 16, 2024). "As UFL season tickets go on sale, league still struggles with ticketing, venue issues". UFLBoard.com. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  20. ^ Alman, Greyson (May 20, 2025). "Why the UFL's Final Two Weeks Matter — Even If the Results Don't". UFL News Hub. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
  21. ^ Larsen, James (July 23, 2025). "UFL Abandons Four Markets: Breaking Down The "Why"". Pro Football Newsroom. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  22. ^ Camenker, Jacob. "What's next for UFL? News on expansion, attendance, plans for 2026 season". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  23. ^ "2022 Michigan Panthers Stats". footballdb.com. May 18, 2025.
  24. ^ "2023 Michigan Panthers Stats". footballdb.com. May 18, 2025.
  25. ^ "2024 Michigan Panthers Stats". footballdb.com. May 18, 2025.
  26. ^ "2025 Michigan Panthers Stats". footballdb.com. May 18, 2025.
  27. ^ "2023 Postseason Michigan Panthers Stats". footballdb.com. May 18, 2025.
  28. ^ "2024 Postseason Michigan Panthers Stats". footballdb.com. May 18, 2025.
  29. ^ "USFL's divisional rivalries unveiled for every team". FOX Sports. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
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