4 Takeaways from Week 3 of the 2026 UFL Season

St. Louis Battlehawks backup quarterback Harrison Frost’s UFL debut started with a thud. His first two passes were interceptions, including one returned for a score that provided an early lead for the visiting Birmingham Stallions. However, Frost stayed strong and rebounded by throwing three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, guiding the Battlehawks to a 34-30 comeback victory at The Dome at America’s Center on Sunday. “Obviously, you start doubting yourself when things don’t go your way,” Frost said postgame, “but if you keep believing and keep throwing punches, hopefully one will land. And luckily, it did.” Frost replaced an ineffective Brandon Silvers in the first half, as Battlehawks head coach Ricky Prohl elected to make a change at quarterback. Frost finished 9-for-15 for 148 yards and three touchdown passes, along with the two early interceptions. His favorite target, Hakeem Butler, finished with four receptions for 146 yards and a score. The loss ruined the return to St. Louis (2-1) for AJ McCarron, who served as the starting quarterback for the Battlehawks for two seasons. Now the head coach in Birmingham, McCarron’s squad dropped to 1-2 this season. Elsewhere, the Orlando Storm (3-0) remained unbeaten, escaping with a controversial overtime victory on the road against the Louisville Kings (0-3). The Dallas Renegades (3-0) also remained undefeated, narrowly outlasting the Columbus Aviators on only five days rest after a short week. Columbus played without head coach Ted Ginn Jr., with offensive coordinator Todd Haley serving as the team’s interim head coach. Finally, the defending champion DC Defenders (2-1) pummeled the Houston Gamblers (1-2) in record-breaking fashion, spoiling the debut of Maryland product Taulia Tagovailoa, the younger brother of NFL QB Tua Tagovailoa. Here are my takeaways from Week 3 of the UFL: 1. Tyler Vaughns making early case for UFL Offensive Player of the Year In his fourth season with the Renegades, Vaughns is off to his best start as a pro. The USC product leads the league in receptions (23), receiving yards (331) and receiving touchdowns (four) through three games, and he’s one of the primary reasons Dallas head coach Rick Neuheisel’s team has started the year undefeated. An All-UFL performer last season, Vaughns is one of the frontrunners for the UFL Offensive Player of the Year award. The Renegades lead the UFL in points scored (95) and total yards per game (326.3). Vaughns had his lowest output of the season in the Renegades’ victory over the Aviators in Week 3, finishing with five catches for 41 yards. Along with a high-powered offense, the Renegades also have an opportunistic defense, leading the UFL with six interceptions. Dallas cornerback Shaun Wade tops the UFL with three picks. 2. Is Matt McCrane destined for the NFL? Brandon Aubrey, Jake Bates, Andre Szmyt and Harrison Mevis are all kickers that turned success in the UFL into successful NFL careers. McCrane is putting himself in position to become the next in line to make an NFL team. McCrane made his second, 60-yard field goal last week in the Defenders’ dominant victory over the Gamblers this weekend, taking advantage of the new UFL rule that awards four points for any field goal over 60 yards. McCrane is 7 of 8 for the season, with his only miss from 55 yards. Battlehawks kicker Tucker McCann has the second-longest field goal this season from 58 yards, while the Storm’s Michael Lantz made a 57-yard field goal. 3. QB Matt Corral searching for better command of offense Considered one of the players to compete for league MVP honors this season, Corral has struggled with turnovers thus far, which is one of the main reasons the Stallions have started the year a surprising 1-2. Corral is tied with Defenders QB Jordan Ta’amu for the league lead with four interceptions on the year. It’s a continuation of a trend for Corral, who finished tied for second with four turnovers last season, even though he started just two games. McCarron, a former quarterback, was blunt in his assessment of what his expectations are for Corral moving forward. “Matt’s got to play with confidence,” he said. “I thought he was very hesitant early on, and my biggest thing to him is you can’t have bad turnovers. You can’t just throw the ball up. But you’ve also got to have a mentality of, ‘Forget it, on to the next play,’ and go out and throw the ball with conviction and not just try and guide it.” [2026 UFL Title Odds: Renegades Favored; Defenders, Storm Closing Gap] 4. Aviators, Kings still looking for first win While the Aviators dropped to 0-3 this year, they did hold a lead against one of the best teams in the league in the second quarter. Columbus leaned on the experience of interim head coach Todd Haley, who served as head coach of the legacy Memphis Showboats in 2023 and has been a longtime offensive coordinator and former head coach for the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. However, the Aviators get another opportunity to face the Renegades at home on Friday. The Aviators have lost to Dallas and Orlando — both undefeated in UFL action — by a combined 12 points. The UFL has not announced if Ginn will be available to coach in Week 4. Like the Aviators, the Kings have been competitive in their first three games, losing by an average of five points a contest — including twice to the Storm. The Kings can take solace in quarterback Jason Bean playing well, as he finished with 352 passing yards and three touchdowns. 4 ½: What’s Next In Week 4, things kick off Thursday evening with the Kings facing the Gamblers. There’s one game on Friday night, per usual, this time with the Renegades battling the Aviators. We’ve also got another doubleheader on Saturday, with the Battlehawks taking on the Defenders in the afternoon, followed by the Stallions hosting the Storm later on.

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