Former Trojans play in UFL

The United Football League kicked off its spring football season last weekend. Among the eight-team league are three former Troy Trojans: Brandon Silvers, Mike Rivers and Jabre Barber. 

Brandon Silvers, a former quarterback for Troy, enters his third season with the St. Louis Battlehawks. After spending the previous two seasons as the backup behind former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, Silvers has taken the reign of the offense. 

The Pensacola, Florida, native was at Troy from 2013-17, earning a Sun Belt Championship in his senior season. Silvers earned All-Sun Belt First Team honors in 2016. He also accounted for 156 yards and a rushing touchdown in the historic road win over LSU. 

Silvers was undrafted in 2018. He spent time with the now-defunct Alliance of American Football’s Memphis Express. Silvers was a practice squad member for the New York Jets followed by stints with the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons, Houston Roughnecks and finally the St. Louis Battlehawks. 

Silvers threw for 198 yards and a touchdown in the week one win over the D.C. Defenders, 16-10. 

Former Trojan punter Mike Rivers enters his second season in the UFL. Rivers has been the starter for the Houston Gamblers since last season, where he averaged 48.1 yards per punt. 

Rivers was a transfer from North Carolina A&T that spent his final season of eligibility in the Wiregrass in 2022. Rivers averaged 42.1 yards per punt in his senior campaign with his longest punt being 56 yards. He was coached at Troy by Jon Sumrall and won a Sun Belt Championship in his lone season as a Trojan.  

The Houston Gamblers fell to the Arlington Renegades in week one, 36-17. The team went 5-5 last season, narrowly missing the league’s four-team playoff. 

Making his league debut was Jabre Barber. The former wide receiver previously served as a Trojan from 2020-23 and was a member of the 2023 Sun Belt Championship team under Jon Sumrall.  

While suffering a season-ending injury in 2022 that forced him to miss the next season, Barber used the remainder of his eligibility at Texas A&M in 2024. He now plays for the Birmingham Stallions. 

With new head coach AJ McCarron, Barber and the Stallions earned a 15-13 win on the road against the Louisville Kings. He accounted for one reception for seven yards. 

Barber is set to battle against fellow Trojans for each of the next two weeks. The Stallions take on the Gamblers and Mike Rivers this Sunday, with Brandon Silvers and the Battlehawks on deck in week three on Apr. 12.