Arena Football League 2024 Preview
Brian Belefski
Saturday April 27, 2024
After a five-year hiatus, the Arena Football is back for season number 33. Some familiar franchise names are back, along with a few expansion teams and some that played in other indoor and arena leagues last season. Below is a capsule of the 16-team league with early preseason roster analysis.
Albany Firebirds
The historic Firebirds are back in Albany and the team returns a slew of veteran players, most notably receiver Darius Prince, who has 45 career AFL touchdowns and an extensive 50-yard career. A key question will be who the Firebirds put at the pivot to throw to their experienced receiving core. Malik Henry, who played in the NAL and was once a highly touted college recruit was slated to start, but was called up to the CFL’s Edmonton Elks in January. The team signed indoor football veteran Jake Medlock, who played for Head Coach Damon Ware in 2018 for the Cedar Rapids Titans, where he led the league in all major passing stats. Medlock could start a little rusty, as his last action was in 2019 for the IFL’s Tucson Sugar Skulls. Backing up Medlock will be 6-foot-5 Will Arndt, who started three games for the CFL’s Ottawa Redblacks in 2019 and has been a QB coach for Ottawa and Edmonton in the CFL. Along with Prince, the Firebirds boast Phillip Barnett, who has a decade experience playing arena and Marquel Wade.
The Firebirds deepest position could be FB/LB. Defensive mainstay, Nick Haag returns along with Trevon Shorts. The secondary will be led by David Tolentino, Jr., who was highlighted in the XFL mini documentary as “Player #54” for the Houston Roughnecks last season. Arthur Hobbs, who has CFL experience and played in the AFL from 2016-2019 returns to Albany, where he played in 2018. Veteran Shawn Lockett will spearhead the OL/DL unit in a career that started with the Philadelphia Soul in 2017.
Blast from the past
WR Daquan Patten is the son of the late David Patten, who played for Albany in 1996. Patten rose to stardom in the NFL, later catching Super Bowl touchdowns from Tom Brady for the New England Patriots.
Billings Outlaws
Billings Head Coach Cedric Walker has been involved in either the arena or Indoor football ranks since 1996 and from a coaching standpoint was most known for being the defensive coordinator of the San Jose SaberCats from 2012-15. Offensive coordinator will be 15-year AFL veteran QB and television analyst Sherdrick Bonner. With a highly decorated coaching staff, the Outlaws will look for starting QB Issac Harker to be productive. Harker, who was an Honorable Mention All-American at the Division II level at Colorado Mines has game experience in the CFL with Saskatchewan.
WR/DB Dallas Dixon should bring speed to the table after amassing 64 career receptions for 1,060 yards and nine touchdowns at Central Michigan. Karonce Higgins is another receiver to blossom in the AFL. A big play that’s always waiting to happen, Higgins led the CIF in receiving yards and touchdowns last season.
Blast from the past
He’s back! 42-year-old Danny Southwick will continue his epic QB journey for the Outlaws. Southwick has 115 career AFL touchdown passes and has played for a litany of AFL teams.
Georgia Force
Georgia will be the first team in the AFL since the 2001 Houston Thunderbears to be a traveling franchise. QB Justin Arth brings the most 50-yard experience having played for Tucson in the IFL and Carolina in the NAL most recently. Former Morehouse QB Kivon Taylor could also be in the mix at QB.
At receiver, Seantavious Jones brings a long pro football pedigree. The former Valdosta State star was active for three games in 2015 for the New Orleans Saints and has played in six different pro football leagues worldwide. Shavarez Smith should also be a productive target. Smith totaled 104 career receptions at South Alabama. Overall, the traveling roster does not feature many players with 50-yard or professional experience.
Blast from the past
The Force will be coached by AFL Hall of Famer Durwood Roquemore. The excellent defensive back notched 50 career AFL interceptions and was First-team All-Arena in 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993 and 1994.
Iowa Rampage
Leading the cast for the Rampage is former Marshall and NCAA record holding QB Rakeem Cato. The mobile QB, holds the NCAA FBS distinction of 46 consecutive games with a touchdown pass, which eclipsed the previous record of 38 by Russell Wilson. The former CFL starter with Montreal has bounced around the indoor circuits for the past few seasons, but brings an accurate arm and pocket presence. Cato is expected to use WR/DB Max Novak as a primary target. Novak is reunited in Iowa with Head Coach Tyus Jackson, who coached the shifty receiver with the Topeka Tropics last season. WR/DB Isaiah McFarland was one of the most productive defensive players in the CIF last season and is expected to be an impact player on both sides of the ball.
The defensive front will be led by Jaylon Abdul-Karim, who was tops in the IFL last season with three forced fumbles for Sioux Falls. WR/DB Kiante Northington is no stranger to the AFL, having played for Atlantic City in 2019, recording 60 tackles. Former Wisconsin and Wyoming DB Deron Harrell is an intriguing prospect. The Rampage will be Harrell’s first professional opportunity after coming off a hip injury that sidelined his productive college career. Marquis Burks, a former Auburn standout and Jakobi Smith should pave the way at OL/DL.
Blast from the past
Former AFL legendary receiver Donovan Morgan will be the Iowa offensive coordinator. Morgan achieved success as the AFL’s 2008 Rookie of the Year for the Chicago Rush.
Louisiana Voodoo
The Voodoo, who will be playing in Lafayette after originally slated to play in Lake Charles will be guided by QB Chase Fourcade. In college, at the FCS level, Fourcade owns every Nicholls career passing records and has been in USFL and CFL training camps. Offensive line will be anchored by Isame Faciane, who was once on the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills practice squad and has played in the CFL and IFL. Another lineman Toree Boyd, brings USFL and IFL experience.
Defensively, the Voodoo expect Kyle Chandler to be a presence in the secondary. Chandler has AFL experience with the Philadelphia Soul in 2019. The most valuable signee, Erick McIntosh, brings the most experience on defense. The 8-year AFL veteran has 319 career tackles with 13 interceptions. 41-year-old Thyron Lewis, who has 95 career AFL receiving touchdowns will suit up for the Voodoo. IFL standout WR Carrington Thompson, who played at Tucson is expected to be one of the leaders for Louisiana. Former Alabama Crimson Tide punter and two-time National Champion, Cody Mandell will handle the kicking duties.
Blast from the past
Former AFL New Jersey Red Dogs receiver Michael Lewis will be an offensive assistant with the Voodoo. Lewis’ rise to fame started as a beer delivery man, playing 50-yard football and later elevating to NFL Pro Bowl status with the New Orleans Saints. Also on the Voodoo staff is Damon Mason, who holds the AFL career tackling record with 1,009.
Minnesota Myth
Arena Football returns to the Target Center for the first time since 1996 when the Minnesota Fighting Pike played there. Coincidentally the starting QB on that team, Rickey Foggie will be the head coach of the Myth. The longtime AFL QB and University of Minnesota star will be mentoring another former Golden Gopher QB, Demry Croft. Croft, who once ran for a school record 183 yards and three touchdowns against Nebraska in 2017, had a tumultuous college career and is looking for a new opportunity. Croft brings indoor experience and was a member of the IFL All-Rookie team in 2021 with the Tucson Sugar Skulls - throwing for 24 touchdowns.
The Myth will be looking at former Quad City IFL receiver Jerron McGaw to lead them in catches. Initially, the new franchise features a lot of small college standouts looking to develop and make a name for themselves.
Blast from the past
Longtime AFL veteran QB Jeff Loots will be the defensive coordinator for the Myth. Loots was the backup QB to Foggie in 1996 and finished his AFL career with 100 passing touchdowns.
Nashville Kats
The AFL returns to Nashville for the third iteration of the Kats and first time since 2007. The Kats are lucky to have two capable QB’s in Ramone Atkins and Charlie Brewer. Atkins is an elite athlete at QB and was the 2022 IFL Rookie of the Year for New Mexico. Last season, he had 37 passing touchdowns with 21 rushing touchdowns for Tucson. Many college fans remember Brewer, who played at Baylor, Utah and Liberty. Brewer’s 9,700 passing yards ranks him second all-time in Baylor history.
Nashville will have a stacked receiving core with length. Carlos Carriere, a 6-foot-5 player with a dynamic receiving frame was a college star at Maryland. He led the Terps in receiving touchdowns with five in 2021, before transferring to Central Michigan in 2022 and leading the Chippewas in receiving. Cade Brewer, is also expected to be a matchup nightmare. The former Longhorn started 33 games at TE in college at Texas, and had eight career touchdown receptions.
Two former SEC big men in Tennessee DT Ja'Quain Blakely and Texas A&M standout Zay Henderson should bring tenacity to opposing offensive fronts. The Kats front office has done well signing seven street free agents that played last season in the XFL and USFL. Nashville gained those players due to the two leagues merging and providing less roster spots. Former Ole Miss DB Derrick Jones played two seasons with the New York Jets and was with the USFL Breakers last season.
Blast from the past
Kats’ Head Coach Dean Cokinos returns to Nashville after being an assistant there from 2005-07. Cokinos has a 33-54 career AFL coaching record with stints at Alabama, Georgia, New Orleans and Washington.
Oregon Blackbears
Oregon has the arguably most famous owner in New York Giants defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, but it will be interesting to see his role in the Salem based franchise. One impact player for the Blackbears will be WR/DB Nick Brassell. The former Ole Miss player has extensive 50-yard experience, most recently for Bay Area and Albany. Rayshad Lewis, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Ray Lewis is expected to be a mainstay at WR/DB after playing at Utah State, Maryland and Kentucky in college. Connor Kaegi, a 6-foot-7 pocket passer will be the tallest QB to play in the AFL since Tommy Grady. Kaegi has worldwide pro experience playing in the NAL, TSL and most recently in Germany.
The secondary will be led by former Utah safety, Vonte Davis, who earned 2021 AP Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team recognition. The OL/DL will be guided by Dwayne Wallace, who started at the FBS level for California and Kansas. Wallace was with San Antonio of the XFL last season.
Blast from the past
Kayvon Thibodeaux isn’t the first superstar NFL defensive end to own an Arena team. Hall of Famer, Bruce Smith once owned the af2 Norfolk Nighthawks.
Orlando Predators
The 50-yard football world got a seismic shift when QB Drew Powell signed with Orlando. Powell, a three-time IFL MVP (2018, 2021, 2022) brings a versatile approach to the position. An exceptional runner, Powell will look to pass to veteran receiver Jared Dangerfield, previously of the Washington Valor. Expect former Oklahoma State starting receiver Jordan McCray to provide playmaking abilities with his 6-foot-5 frame.
The defense should be anchored by DB Tevin Homer, who has an ArenaBowl championship with Albany in 2019 and an IFL champion for Northern Arizona in 2022. FB/LB D.J. Calhoun was an XFL casualty in the offseason after playing for the Las Vegas Vipers. The former Arizona State Sun Devil had 26 tackles in the XFL. The OL/DL is led by Freddie Booth-Lloyd and Micah Robinson.
Blast from the past
Head Coach E.J. Burt comes back to Orlando after playing for the Predators from 2003-05. Burt compiled 33.5 sacks during his dominant AFL career as a pass rusher.
Philadelphia Soul
The Soul, which will play home games in Trenton, NJ are loaded with talent at the receiver position. Antwane Grant, who was the 2019 AFL Rookie of the Year for Atlantic City should provide spark to the team. WR/DB Lamont Wade played in 47 career games at Penn State. Wade has the Big Ten record for forced fumbles in a game with three against Ohio State in 2019.
DB Clifton Duck will be expected to dominate in the secondary. The former Appalachian State product led the IFL’s Sioux Falls Storm with six INT’s last season. Duck has NFL training camp experience with the Chicago Bears. Local product, FB/LB David Calderon, from Kutztown State brings experience playing for Iowa in the IFL. The QB position will be handled by Joe Mancuso, who had an impressive college career at Richmond and played for Las Vegas of the IFL in 2023.
Blast from the past
Soul WR Emery Sammons returns to the franchise. The Norfolk State product played in Philadelphia from 2012-14 and has 254 career AFL receptions.
Rapid City Marshals
Either Brian Villanueva or Jack Sheehan is expected to run the show on the red turf at QB for Rapid City. Sheehan threw for 38 touchdowns and six interceptions last season in the IFL for Green Bay. Villanueva, who once played for the Iowa Barnstormers will turn 45-year-old in June and has extensive indoor and arena experience.
OL/DL Joshua Frazier, a 2018 7th round NFL Draft pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers from Alabama is expected to be the glue on the line. FB/LB Ezekial Noah should make a splash in the league. The Former Boise State standout played for San Diego in the IFL last season and is known for his elite tackling abilities. DB Shaun Lewis looks to be a cover corner that’s needed in this league. Lewis was an All-OVC First-Team player at UT-Martin in 2022.
Blast from the Past
Former AFL WR Shon King is the head coach for the Marshals. After playing for the New York Dragons, King has been coaching various levels of indoor football since 2007.
Salina Liberty
The Liberty are making a move up in the football world, advancing from the ranks of the CIF to the AFL. QB Joseph Hess, who started the latter half of last season for the Orlando Predators is expected to guide Salina.
Veteran indoor player Tracy Brooks should bring a Swiss Army knife type dynamic as a player that can play multiple positions in the Ironman game. Brooks has been a mainstay in Salina and has been a previous rushing leader in the CIF. The Liberty will be anchored by veteran OL/DL’s Kelvin McCoy, Bruce Trigg and Kenny Carter.
Blast from the past
Salina is coached by Heron O’Neal. O’Neal previously played for the Milwaukee Mustangs in 2001 and 2002 and has been a respected coach in the indoor ranks for the last two decades.
SW Kansas Storm
Out of the franchises that played in the CIF last season, SW Kansas could be the most impressive. On paper, the Storm have added a diverse assortment of quality offensive and defensive linemen with impressive resumes. Most notable is Connor Davis, who was on the Cleveland Browns practice squad in 2001 and had a stint with San Antonio in the UFL. What makes the 6-foot-8 Davis intriguing to the arena game is he was a TE in the NFL.
Expect FB/LB Jeremy Cox to be an early frontrunner to lead the league in rushing. Cox played in seven regular season games for the Denver Broncos in 2000 and is Old Dominion’s second leading rusher all-time with 2,175 yards. Todd Athey, a 6-foot-4 target should propel the Storm at receiver and was an All-Rookie performer in the IFL in 2021. Other receivers to watch out for include Chris Platt, who had 1,987 career receiving yards and 12 touchdowns at Baylor and Illinois product Jonah Morris. QB Caden Walters brings indoor experience, having recently played for Northern Arizona last season.
The defensive line will be led by Will Kiely, who played in 2022 with Ottawa of the CFL. DL Will Miles also brings pro football experience and had 2.5 sacks for Pittsburgh in the USFL.
Blast from the past
The SW Kansas Storm has no ties to the original AFL, although the league did have the Tampa Bay Storm from 1991-2017.
Washington Wolfpack
Many Washington Husky college fans will have a reason to follow the Wolfpack. WR/DB Austin Joyner, who had 56 tackles and two interceptions in his college career is expected to be the marquee player for the new franchise. Joyner Brings CFL experience with the BC Lions. Brandon Wellington, a two-year starter at UW is also expected to bring his experience at the WR/LB position. Another former Husky, DeShon Williams is expected to provide athleticism at the DE/TE position. Williams was on the Seattle Seahawks practice squad in 2021.
Jacob Ta’ase is expected to be the starting QB. WR/DB J.R. Nelson, who played collegiately at Montana has potential to be a solid two-way performer. Overall, the roster lacks a lot of professional or 50-yard experience.
Blast from the past
The marks the second time that Everett will host Arena Football. The Angel of the Winds Arena also was the home to the af2 Everett Hawks in 2007.
West Texas Desert Hawks
Head Coach Chris Siegfried, a former commissioner of the NAL has seen a lot of talent in the past two decades of the 50-yard game. With his experience, West Texas harvested a plethora of talented players for the new look AFL. The most notable is former Auburn QB Nick Marshall to play WR/DB. Since guiding the Tigers to the National Championship game, Marshall has converted to defense. He has played three seasons in the NFL and five in the CFL totaling 20 career INTs and 15 total return touchdowns.
The Desert Hawks were expecting Kory Curtis, a 6-foot-4 sharpshooting QB from Division II Gannon to play a pivotal role, but he recently signed by the Seattle Seahawks for training camp. Starting at QB will be Jonathan Bane, who has been a successful indoor QB, most notably winning the NAL Championship with Jacksonville in 2019 and was a backup QB for the AFL’s Tampa Bay Storm in 2016.
The Desert Hawks have two veteran receivers in Devin Wilson and 6-foot-7 Lonnie Outlaw, who is a mismatch for defenses to match up against in corner fade routes. Rookie receiver, Shocky Jacques-Louis brings ample FBS college experience starting at Pitt and Akron. Sean Coyne, who had 11 career TD receptions at New Hampshire also figures into the mold in West Texas. Leon Brown, Dominick Jackson and Justin Alexandre are scheduled to withhold a strong OL/DL front with longtime AFL veteran Calvin Fance controlling the interior.
Blast from the past
Siegfried formerly coached the AFL’s Pittsburgh Power from 2011-12 and compiled an 11-17 record. In af2, he coached Spokane to an ArenaCup title in 2006.
Wichita Regulators
The Regulators offense should be impactful with speedy WR/DB Traveon Samuel, who played last season for Omaha in the CIF and had 57 career receptions in college at Louisville. The secondary is led by Juwan Offray, who played in the AFL for Albany and Columbus in 2019 is expected to be the central defensive cog. Indoor veteran Derrick Bernard, who was also once a minor league baseball player in the New York Mets farm system is expected to be the starting QB.
Blast from the past
Wichita Head Coach Clinton Solomon registered 16 career touchdown receptions in his AFL career for San Antonio in 2014 and Las Vegas in 2015.