Louisville Kings get NFL Shot After UFL Title

The United Football League can only work if the best of the rest believe this spring football league can be a springboard to the National Football League. Days after winning the United Bowl, a couple of Louisville Kings are hopping on and jumping up to the NFL.

Two days after hoisting the United Bowl trophy in Washington D.C., kicker Tanner Brown was in New Orleans, trying out for the Saints. The UFL’s Special Teams Player of the Year did something in the playoffs that no NFL kicker has ever done before: sink two 60+ yard field goals in the same game. Those boots were worth eight points in a nine-point win over the St. Louis Battlehawks.

Tanner Brown led the UFL in scoring and made 29-32 field goal attempts. That 90.6% success rate and proven long-range capacity has the former Oklahoma State kicker looking like the next Brandon Aubrey.

Brown wasn’t the only one who caught the eyes of NFL scouts. Lucky Jackson and Tarik Black, two of the Kings’ top wide receivers, are signing contracts with the Detroit Lions. James Larsen of Pro Football Newsroom reported the transaction.

Jackson, a former WKU Hilltopper, led the Louisville Kings with 32 receptions in the spring and picked up 392 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson spent three years on the Vikings’ practice squad, and dabbled in the CFL, before winning a title with the Louisville Kings. Black appeared in one fewer game but posted similar numbers, finishing the regular season with 27 receptions for 387 yards and three scores. The former Michigan wide receiver concluded his college career at Texas. He has one career NFL reception from 2021, a 10-yard catch for the Jets in week 18.

Unfortunately, the Louisville Kings’ wide receivers are getting this opportunity at the cost of a former Cat. The Lions selected Kendrick Law in the fifth round of this year’s NFL Draft, but the rookie has already suffered a season-ending injury. Law tore his ACL during Detroit’s offseason program.

More Kentucky News and Views on the KSR YouTube Channel

Kentucky Sports Radio has expanded its coverage of the Wildcats in the most ridiculous manner possible on our YouTube Channel. Here you will be able to find interviews with coaches and players, as well as commentary from the KSR crew. From Rapid Reactions following big events to our lengthy lineup of live shows, subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel to stay up to date on everything happening around the Big Blue Nation.