The St. Louis Battlehawks have a dominant offense with the return of the UFL’s top running back, Jacob Saylors, and Hakeem Butler, the league’s Offensive Player of the Year. St. Louis GM Dave Boller and Coach Anthony Becht have positioned the Battlehawks for another winning season and a run at the Championship Title by re-signing the league’s top offensive talents.
How UFL’s Top Offense Can Propel Battlehawks to a Championship
St. Louis has an advantage heading into the 2025 season with the two top offensive players in the UFL on their roster. Butler was the league’s top offensive player and Saylors the UFL’s best running back. The return of both players bodes well for the Battlehawks’ offense.
Appearing in nine out of ten regular season games, Saylors led all UFL running backs with 94 carries for 461 yards and five touchdowns. Named to the All-UFL team a year ago, Saylor’s performance was impressive enough to warrant NFL pre-season tryouts with the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns. However, the NFL opportunities didn’t pan out and Saylors is ready to dominate the Battlehawks ground game again.
Saylors – The Making of a Star
The 5’10” tall 199 lb. Saylors is used to turning heads with his performance. A native of Tennessee, Saylors was a three-sport high school standout at Marion County High School where he played football, basketball, and baseball. Saylors posted 1,795 yards on 26 attempts with 36 touchdowns his senior year. Saylors posted 4,100 yards with 74 touchdowns throughout his high school career.
Playing football at East Tennessee State, Saylors made the First-Team All-Southern Conference in 2021. On November 13, 2021, Saylors broke a school record for the most yards in a game against Western Carolina with 266 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He had 1,019 yards that season with 10 touchdowns. Saylors proved his versatility with 19 receptions for 143 yards with one touchdown and another 750 yards on 25 kick returns. He finished his junior year with 1,882 all-purpose yards.
Although Saylors only appeared in 11 games as a senior, he was named to the First-Team All-Southern Conference. He was credited with 225 rushes for 1,307 yards and 15 touchdowns. Throughout his collegiate career, Saylors had 608 carries for 3,851 rushing yards with 33 touchdowns. He had an additional 781 yards on 91 receptions with three touchdowns.
Saylors Finds Sucess
Despite not getting the call in the 2023 draft, Saylors tried out as an undrafted free agent. He briefly spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons. However, as a UDFA, he competed for touches against Joe Mixon, Chase Brown, and Chris Evans. Consequently, after being waived by both teams, Saylors opted to try spring football.
Saylors signed with the UFL Battlehawks in February of 2024. Sharing the St. Louis backfield with former NFL running back Wayne Gallman, Saylors didn’t immediately get the starting assignment. His first-week struggles led Becht to bench him in week 2. However, Saylors responded with a much stronger performance in week 3, scoring his first touchdown against the San Antonio Brahmas.
Continuing to improve, Saylors soon began outpacing Gallman. In addition to his rushing prowess, Saylors proved his value last season as a receiver with 152 yards on 23 catches with three touchdowns.
Leading the Way
Although Becht has yet to announce which of his three quarterbacks, Max Duggan, Manny Wilkens, or Chevan Cordeiro, will get the starting nod, his offense will be fueled by the league’s top talents in Saylors and Butler. It has to be frustrating for a player who excels in the UFL to be invited to an NFL training camp only to be dismissed before the season even begins. But that snub can spur a superior athlete to even greater heights. After being dismissed by the NFL, Saylors, and Butler are determined to prove that last year’s success wasn’t a fluke. An athlete’s competitive nature and a burning desire to prove they’re the best can propel a team to a championship.
Furthermore, St. Louis has the strongest fan base in the league. The Battlehawks broke all UFL attendance records a year ago. The Championship title game will be held in St. Louis in June. Imagine how “Kaw-Crazy” hometown fans would be cheering their beloved team to victory in the league championship.
Main Photo: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
