The 2024 UFL dispersal draft was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the
2024 UFL season
The 2024 UFL season will be the first season of the United Football League (UFL), which was created following the merger of the XFL and USFL, and the fifth in the combined history of the two leagues, following the 2020 XFL season, 2022 USFL seaso ...
and disperse the rosters from the eight teams from its component conferences, the
XFL and
USFL
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
, that were not retained in the merger.
Process
Following the merger of five teams of the
XFL and three teams of the
USFL
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
into the United Football League (UFL) the UFL announced plans for a
dispersal draft for XFL and USFL players on teams that were not joining the UFL. The draft will involve a three-phase player allocation process.
Phases 1 and 2 occurred on January 5, and an open
dispersal draft for remaining USFL/XFL players (phase 3) is scheduled for January 15, 2024.
As part of the terms of the merger, the
Houston Roughnecks will use a base roster from their USFL counterpart, the
Houston Gamblers,
[ UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE REVEALS TEAM MARKETS AND HEAD COACHES FOR 2024 SEASON]
Press release. Retrieved January 1, 2024. and drew from the USFL dispersal pool in Phase 2 of the draft. The
2023 Roughnecks' roster was dispersed to other teams in the XFL pool during Phase 2.
Phase 1
In Phase 1, each of the eight remaining teams selected up to 42 players currently under contract, or (in the XFL's case) who had signed a letter of intent with that team, who will be exempt from Phase 3 of the draft.
[
]
Phase 2
Phase 2 of the draft involves separate dispersal drafts for the USFL and XFL. The rosters of the four contracted teams from each league were placed into separate pools, where the four remaining teams from each league can claim up to 20 players from their league's respective pool.[
]
Phase 3
In Phase 3, billed as the UFL Super Draft, the remaining players not protected in Phase 1 nor claimed in Phase 2, along with any free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
s who sign with the league, are subject to an open draft in which any of the eight teams can claim the player's rights.[
]
XFL dispersal draft
The following players were claimed by former XFL teams during Phase 2 of the dispersal draft:
Arlington Renegades
D.C. Defenders
San Antonio Brahmas
St. Louis Battlehawks
USFL Dispersal Draft
The following players were claimed by former USFL teams during Phase 2 of the dispersal draft:[
]
Birmingham Stallions
Houston Roughnecks
Memphis Showboats
Michigan Panthers
UFL Super Draft
Phase 3 of the dispersal draft, billed as the UFL Super Draft, occured January 15, 2024, with results live-tweeted via Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
.
References
United Football League (2024)
{{United Football League