It’s no secret that football MVP awards are mostly synonymous with the quarterback position.
Just look at the NFL, where a quarterback has been named the MVP in 12 straight seasons. How about the Heisman Memorial Trophy? Same story, as 12 of the past 15 recipients have been signal-callers. Even in spring football, where KaVontae Turpin was named MVP of the 2022 USFL season, then it was a pair of quarterbacks – Alex McGough (USFL) and Adrian Martinez (UFL) – who took home MVP honors after that.
Perhaps this is the year when we buck the trend, as the top standout performances in Week 1 of the 2025 UFL season belonged to the running backs. Jacob Saylors, Kalen Ballage and Jarveon Howard all had big rushing outputs in season-opening wins, but who sits atop the MVP ladder?
Here’s a look at my first UFL MVP power rankings of the season:
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Jacob Saylors rushes for first TD of the 2025 UFL Season, giving Battlehawks lead over Roughnecks
5. Arlington Renegades QB Luis Perez
Week 1 stat line: 20 of 25 passing for 164 yards
Week 1 result: 33-9 win against San Antonio
No quarterback has more consistently shown himself capable of winning in spring professional football leagues in the United States than Perez, who was characteristically meticulous and mature behind center, even in Week 1.
Perez, who operates the offense like co-offensive coordinator Chuck Long, showed he was attuned to all aspects of the offense. Even while the running back room took center stage in the win, Perez quietly completed 20 of 25 passes for 164 yards.
The former Division II national champion is one of just two QBs in the UFL to lead his team to a league championship, and Arlington looks ready to mount a run at winning its first UFL title. (Alex McGough led the Birmingham Stallions to the 2023 USFL title, and Perez led the Renegades to the 2023 XFL title.)
4. DC Defenders QB Jordan Ta’amu
Week 1 stat line: 17 of 37 passing for 211 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Week 1 result: 18-11 win against Birmingham
Ta’amu had earned Shannon Harris’ trust, and it paid dividends. After throwing the ball nearly 40 times for 211 yards with one TD and an INT, the Defenders became just the second team to defeat the Birmingham Stallions in two years and the first to accomplish that feat in Week 1.
Now in his third season with the Defenders, Ta’amu has thrown for at least 1,800 yards when he’s started 10 games. In his only season in the USFL as the starter for the Tampa Bay Bandits, he led the league in passing with 2,014 yards. Last season, he led the league in passing TDs with 15.
If Ta’amu stays healthy, the Defenders have their best chance since 2023 to play for the league championship.
3. Michigan Panthers QB Bryce Perkins
Week 1 stat line: 16 of 19 passing for 163 yards, 1 TD
Week 1 result: 26-12 win at Memphis
Perkins was the most efficient and polished passer I watched all weekend and that was evident in his stat line with just three incompletions thrown all game. Though he split time with former LSU QB Danny Etling, Perkins looks like he should not only be the Panthers’ full-time QB, but the best in the USFL this season.
“In every play, there’s going to be a throw or a run that’s available to us,” Perkins said on Saturday.
Knowing that and articulating it in a postgame media conference underscores just how comfortable he is in Year 2 of Marcel Bellefueille’s offense.
Perkins left Virginia as the single-season record holder for passing yards (3,538) and had the second-most wins as a starter (17) behind former Cavalier Matt Schaub. Perkins is a winner, and that might just be an intangible trait that helps Michigan battle for the USFL conference crown.
2. Arlington Renegades RB Kalen Ballage
Week 1 stat line: Nine rushes for 110 yards with a TD
Week 1 result: 33-9 win against San Antonio
Ballage became the first player to post a 100-yard rushing game in the UFL in Week 1.
Like the running back room in St. Louis, the Arlington Renegades feasted. Ballage rushed for 110 yards on just nine carries and a TD, while De’Von Smith enjoyed a short yardage back’s dream — three rushes, 3 yards, three TDs.
It seems, though, Ballage is the featured tailback after playing one of his best games as a professional. In 2016, he tied the FBS record for TDs in a single game with eight in a 68-55 win for Arizona State against Texas Tech — seven rushing TDs on 13 carries. What’s more? Battlehawks QB Manny Wilkins was his quarterback at ASU.
“I thought Kalen was going to make a big difference, and he does,” Renegades coach Bob Stoops said on Saturday. “I’m excited to watch him the rest of the year.”
1. St. Louis Battlehawks RB Jacob Saylors
Week 1 stat line: 16 rushes for 98 yards, four catches for 48 yards
Week 1 result: 31-6 win at Houston
The league’s 2024 rushing leader is still a menace. As was evident last season, Saylors is one of the elite tailbacks in the UFL. He showed why in the Battlehawks’ Week 1 rout with 145 total yards on 20 touches. If he can hold that pace, there’s no question he’ll be one of the players vying for player of the year honors in June.
It helps to have what looks like the league’s best offensive line unit. As the offense continues to fill out, I’ll be watching to see just how much of it runs through Sayers, who looks like one of the most dynamic skill players on a formidable Battlehawks offense.
Running back Jarveon Howard’s 113 rushing yards on just 13 carries opened eyes, too. And the only thing better than having one great tailback is having two. St. Louis coach Anthony Becht must feel good about the prospect of mounting a challenge for the UFL title.
Only seven players have rushed for 100 yards or more in the UFL, and three of them have been St. Louis Battlehawks. Running back Mateo Durant rushed for 104 against Arlington last season.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast “The Number One College Football Show.” Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young and subscribe to “The RJ Young Show” on YouTube.
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