The USFL is doing something that no spring league has done in recent history. It is returning for a second season in 2023 after enjoying some success in 2022.
Of course, the spring league landscape looks a bit different than it did last year. The XFL is now playing, and numerous former USFL players jumped ship and played in that league given its earlier start date compared to NFL training camp.
That, coupled with some of the losses the USFL had to the NFL last season, means that there are plenty of fresh faces in the USFL. And some of them will be recognizable.
While the USFL's base of players contains within it fewer former NFL stars than the XFL does, it does have a handful of players that fans will recognize. One is a former first-round pick of the Browns while another was once the Ravens' top running back.
Additionally, many of the USFL stars from 2022 are returning to their teams in 2023. That includes one of the league's top offensive players and a couple of quarterbacks who should be among the league's best in 2023.
Below is a breakdown of the most recognizable players on USFL rosters in 2023, starting with a breakdown of the league's quarterback rooms.
MORE: Teams, rosters & more to know about USFL's 2023 season
Quarterbacks in the USFL
Below is the full list of the quarterbacks on USFL rosters to start the 2023 season:
| Player | Team |
| Alex McGough | Birmingham Stallions |
| Jalen Morton | Birmingham Stallions |
| J'Mar Smith | Birmingham Stallions |
| Kenji Bahar | Houston Gamblers |
| Montell Cozart | Houston Gamblers |
| Terry Wilson | Houston Gamblers |
| Cole Kelley | Memphis Showboats |
| Brady White | Memphis Showboats |
| Ryan Willis | Memphis Showboats |
| Eric Barriere | Michigan Panthers |
| Josh Love | Michigan Panthers |
| Carson Strong | Michigan Panthers |
| De'Andre Johnson | New Jersey Generals |
| Kyle Lauletta | New Jersey Generals |
| Dakota Prukop | New Jersey Generals |
| McLeod Bethel-Thompson | New Orleans Breakers |
| Davis Cheek | New Orleans Breakers |
| Aqeel Glass | New Orleans Breakers |
| Case Cookus | Philadelphia Stars |
| K.J. Costello | Philadelphia Stars |
| Vad Lee | Philadelphia Stars |
| Kevin Thomson | Philadelphia Stars |
| James Morgan | Pittsburgh Maulers |
| Connor Sampson | Pittsburgh Maulers |
| Troy Williams | Pittsburgh Maulers |
Ahead of the season, every USFL team is carrying three quarterbacks, save for the Stars. They have four quarterbacks on their roster, though one may be part of the team's final cuts as they finalize their 50-man roster.
Here's a breakdown of some of the more recognizable quarterback names on that list.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson, New Orleans Breakers
Bethel-Thompson has been playing football for quite a while, but this will mark the first time that he is playing in an American league since 2016. The 34-year-old has been a star in the CFL for the past five seasons and is fresh off a Grey Cup win with the Toronto Argonauts.
Bethel-Thompson led the pass-happy CFL with 4,731 yards in 2022 and threw 23 touchdowns and 15 interceptions during the 2022 season. The 6-4, 220-pound passer has prototypical quarterback size and a solid arm that has allowed him to stay in the professional ranks for 12 years.
Though Bethel-Thompson never played an NFL regular-season game, he had stints with the 49ers, Dolphins, Vikings, Patriots and Eagles from 2011 to 2016 and spent time on the active roster for both the Vikings and 49ers. His wealth of experience and strong passing ability should be a boon for the Breakers, who figure to use him to replace Kyle Sloter.
Case Cookus, Philadelphia Stars
Cookus became the starter for the Stars early in the 2022 season and quickly became one of the league's best quarterbacks. His combination of accuracy, arm strength and mobility made him a dynamic threat and helped him to get Philadelphia to the championship game.
Cookus totaled 1,334 passing yards (fourth-most in the USFL), 12 passing touchdowns (second-most in the league) and added 217 rushing yards, including a 79-yard scamper for a score. His strong performance was good enough for him to get an NFL look with the Rams after the 2022 USFL season even despite breaking his leg in the championship game.
Since going undrafted out of Northern Arizona, Cookus has been with five NFL teams: the Giants, Broncos, Vikings, Raiders and Rams. But now, he will return for a second USFL season as he hopes to establish himself as a star once again.
James Morgan, Pittsburgh Maulers
Morgan is somewhat of a USFL newcomer, as he signed with the Maulers near the end of the 2022 season. Now, he will get a chance to compete for playing time and showcase the potential that made him a fourth-round pick of the Jets in 2020.
Morgan never gained traction with the Jets and lasted just one season there before being scooped up by the Panthers. He then was with the Steelers, went back to the Jets and joined the Colts before making the jump to the USFL. He then spent time with the Cardinals during the 2022 offseason but couldn't win a spot with the team.
Considering that Morgan was a solid prospect and enjoyed a prolific career at Bowling Green and Florida International, it will be interesting to see how he fares in Pittsburgh. The Maulers struggled at quarterback last year, so perhaps the 26-year-old Morgan will finally get a chance to showcase what he can do, as he has never even played a preseason game at the NFL level.
J'Mar Smith, Birmingham Stallions
Smith helped lead the Stallions to a championship in 2022 and now will look to do the same in 2023. The Louisiana Tech product teamed up with his college coach, Skip Holtz, in the league's inaugural season and found immediate success taking over for an injured Alex McGough.
Smith started seven games for the Stallions in the regular season and racked up 1,573 passing yards and 10 passing touchdowns. Both were good for the third-best in the USFL. He also added 187 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, so he posted similar production to Cookus overall.
Smith may not be as sharp of a passer as some of the other quarterbacks in the league — he completed just 54.8 percent of his passes — but his strong leadership and ability to avoid crucial mistakes should allow him to provide a Birmingham with a steady hand.
Carson Strong, Michigan Panthers
Strong may not be the starter for the Panthers, but his name is an intriguing one. He was expected to be a mid-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but he ultimately wasn't selected because of concerns surrounding a knee injury that had troubled him since high school.
Still, Strong enjoyed a solid college career at Nevada. He fittingly had a strong arm and was accurate with it, completing 70.1 percent of his passes as a redshirt junior for 4,175 yards, 36 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He isn't very mobile, but many believed he could develop into a very good pocket passer and potentially, a starter.
The Eagles gave Strong a chance to showcase his abilities and the Cardinals also had him on the practice squad for one week as well. But now, Michigan will give Strong a chance to prove himself on the field. And if he can get there, he could find a lot of success provided that he can adjust to a pro-style offense.
MORE: Tracking every pick made in the 2023 USFL Draft from Malik Cunningham to Adrian Martinez
Other notable USFL players
Below are some of the other most recognizable players in the USFL, which feature a handful of former NFL stars.
Corey Coleman, WR, Philadelphia Stars
It's hard to believe that Coleman was a first-round pick all the way back in the 2016 NFL Draft, but seven years later, he is still trying to make it work in professional football. Coleman spent the first two seasons of his career with the Browns before bouncing to the Bills, Patriots, Giants and Chiefs.
Now, Coleman will look to rekindle his football career and make his first catch in a regular-season game since 2018. He finished his NFL career with 61 catches, 789 yards and five touchdowns and will now look to establish himself as a top target for Case Cookus.
Alex Collins, RB, Memphis Showboats
Collins is another player from the 2016 NFL Draft who will be making his USFL debut in 2023. He played a total of five NFL seasons with the Seahawks and Ravens, but his best year came in 2017, when he racked up 973 yards and six touchdowns on 212 carries in Baltimore.
At 5-10, 210 pounds, Collins should provide the Showboats with a strong runner up the middle. He will compete with David Hamm and Justin Stockton for playing time, but the 28-year-old should be the early favorite to lead the backfield in carries.
Reggie Corbin, RB, Michigan Panthers
Corbin is returning for a second season in the USFL after starring for the Panthers in 2022. He played in just eight games yet he finished fourth in the league in rushing yards with 519 and averaged an impressive 5.5 yards per carry.
Corbin, 27, played collegiately at Illinois and totaled 2,361 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground during his four seasons there. The 5-10, 200-pound back has a great combination of power and speed that will make him the best player on Michigan's offense entering 2023.
Jerod Fernandez, LB, New Orleans Breakers
The Breakers employed one of the best defenses in the USFL last year, and the linebacker play it got out of Fernandez and his running mate Vontae Diggs was a big part of it. Fernandez racked up 86 tackles and nine TFL last season for the Breakers. The former mark with the third-most in the USFL while the latter was the second-most.
Fernandez is 6-1, 226 pounds and should once again be a true three-down playmaker for New Orleans. Perhaps with another strong season, the 28-year-old will be given another chance to make it to the NFL.
Reuben Foster, LB, Pittsburgh Maulers
Foster seemed like a slam-dunk pick when the 49ers selected him in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. However, he played in just 16 total games in his career before off-the-field issues and a devastating knee injury sidelined him. The knee injury also left him with nerve damage and foot drop which made it difficult for him to get back onto the field.
Now, Foster is attempting to make an NFL comeback at age 29. Will he be athletic enough to do so successfully after the knee injury? That remains to be seen. But if he looks anything like he did in his rookie season, during which he recorded 72 tackles, seven TFL and finished third in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, he could be a star in the USFL.
Lano Hill, S, Michigan Panthers
The Seahawks had high hopes for Hill when they spent a third-round pick on him in the 2017 NFL Draft. He never quite lived up to that billing, as he was primarily a backup and recorded 64 passes and just one pass defense in 42 games over four seasons.
Hill is still just 27 and has a solid 6-1, 217-pound frame, so the Panthers are hoping that he can find success in the USFL after starring during his college career at Michigan. This homecoming for the Detroit native will be fun to watch regardless of how he plays.
Shalom Luani, S, New Jersey Generals
Luani was a do-it-all player in his first USFL season. He finished second in the league with five interceptions and added 31 tackles, four TFL and a sack in eight games played for the New Jersey defense.
Before joining the USFL, Luani was a core special teams player for the Raiders, Seahawks and Chargers. The seventh-round pick from the 2017 NFL Draft could draw the attention of NFL talent evaluators with another strong season.
Bo Scarbrough, RB, Birmingham Stallions
Scarbrough joined the USFL midway through its first season and quickly became a key part of Birmingham's backfield. He totaled 352 rushing yards in six games though he scored just one touchdown.
During his NFL days, Scarbrough was a bruising 6-1, 235-pound back who played for the Lions and Cowboys. He ran for 408 yards and a touchdown on 95 carries with most of his action coming in Detroit. Prior to joining the NFL, Scarbrough starred at Alabama.
Channing Stribling, CB, Philadelphia Stars
Stribling signed with the Commanders after leading the USFL in interceptions with seven during the 2022 NFL season. He didn't make the Washington roster, so he is back for another potential championship run with Philadelphia.
The Stars are the ninth different team for which Stribling has played across five leagues. The 6-1, 188-pound Michigan product was a ballhawk in college, racking up six interceptions in his first two seasons with the Wolverines.
Mark Thompson, RB, Houston Gamblers
The Gamblers had a tough time on offense in 2022, but it was no fault of Thompson. He was one of the top runners in the USFL, as he ran for 463 yards and two touchdowns over nine games in Houston.
The Florida product has a strong, 6-2, 237-pound frame but also has good elusiveness. He will once again be asked to carry the Houston offense in 2023.
Darius Victor, RB, New Jersey Generals
Victor was a star in his first USFL season with the Generals. The USFL's Offensive Player of the Year ran for 577 yards, the third-most in the league, along with a league-best nine rushing touchdowns in 10 games. Had he not shared carries with Trey Williams, he could have been even more dominant.
Victor figures to be among the best running backs in the USFL during the 2023 season. Mike Riley uses a ground-dominant attack so don't be surprised to see him threaten double-digit touchdowns again.
Scooby Wright III, LB, Birmingham Stallions
Last but not least, the Land Shark. Wright was one of the stars of the USFL in 2022, as the former Arizona linebacker harkened back to his college days as a do-it-all downhill threat on defense.
Wright racked up 24 tackles and three sacks as the leader of the Stallions' defense. He will continue to play a key role for the team in 2023 and can rely on the experience he has at the NFL level with the Cardinals and Patriots to guide him in replacing DeMarquis Gates, who landed with the Bears after starring for Birmingham last season.
