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United Football League general manager Doug Whaley is on the phone, and he’s talking with conviction about what type of players fans can expect to see in the UFL this season.
A former general manager of the Buffalo Bills, Whaley has also served two stints in the XFL (2020, 2023) and most recently returned to his alma mater as general manager at Pittsburgh. That breadth of experience has uniquely positioned him to evaluate not just who can play professional football, but who can thrive — and maximize their potential — across a demanding 10-week season that begins March 27.
“We’re excited to be able to get some really untapped potential to come into our league, get those players professional coaching and really hone their skills,” Whaley told me. “We want them to be able to show not only the UFL and our great fans what they can do, but get a hand from the NFL teams that say, ‘Hey, this guy, we thought he had something, but we weren’t sure.’
“Now that guy is able to demonstrate that he can take that ‘something’ and develop it into something that can be translated to our level, which is the NFL.”
The UFL is a showcase league. It’s built around fan experiences first, and its purpose is to entertain. However, for players, it is yet another chance to play the game and return to the NFL, not as a body for training camp, but as a bona fide, fully-realized investment for one of 32 NFL teams.
With a mandate to help all eight UFL teams build competitive and recognizable rosters, Whaley and his staff have filled a draft pool with players from last season’s UFL teams, as well as players who have played in the NFL.
That starts with the UFL Draft, which will feature stages that look like this:
Quarterback Draft: Jan. 9 with selections announced on Jan. 12.
Features returning UFL starters like Luis Perez and Jordan Ta’amu.
Regional College Allocation Draft: Jan. 10 with selections announced on Jan. 12.
Choose a maximum of three (3) players from their allocated colleges.
UFL Players Draft: Jan. 13
The draft will include all players who finished the 2025 UFL season on active rosters and injured reserve.
Free Agent Draft: Jan. 14
Players who are not under contract in another league can be selected.
The order of selection for the 2026 UFL Draft will be determined by a virtual lottery. All rounds for each position will be conducted via “snake style.” The maximum number of picks per team is 62, and the maximum number of players who are invited to UFL training camps is 64.
For those who make training camp rosters, the rest is up to them. Regardless, the league will feature plenty of talent. Of that, Whaley is sure.
“The thing that transcends everything when you’re looking at player evaluation,” Whaley told me, “is it comes down to how they do what they do and can that translate to helping teams win.”
Do you work smartly? Do you study relentlessly? Do you approach the game with reverence and zeal? Is the desire to play professional football what wakes you up before the sun rises?
How badly do you want this? How badly do you need this?
What will separate these players from their peers is a willingness to fight for a dream that might never be realized.
If you chase it every day, perhaps you have what it takes to win in the UFL.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him @RJ_Young.
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