2026 Columbus Aviators season

2026 Columbus Aviators season
Owner	Alpha Acquico, LLC
Head coach	Ted Ginn Jr.
Home stadium	Historic Crew Stadium
Results
Record	0–3
Conference place	8th in UFL League
Uniform
Columbus Aviators 2027 →

The 2026 Columbus Aviators season is the inaugural season for the Columbus Aviators. They are members of the United Football League (UFL) and play their games at Historic Crew Stadium, and are led by head coach Ted Ginn Jr.

Current roster

Players

Columbus Aviators roster

• v
• t
• e

Quarterbacks (QB)  8 Jalan McClendon  2 Jalen Morton 12 Aidan Sayin Running backs (RB)  5 John Lovett 35 Toa Taua  4 ZaQuandre White Wide receivers (WR) 17 Yulkeith Brown  3 Keke Chism 14 Grant DuBose 81 Tay Martin  7 Jaylon Moore 84 Easop Winston Jr.  6 Antwane Wells Jr. Tight ends (TE) 88 Alizé Mack 87 Camren McDonald 84 Gunnar Oakes

Offensive linemen (OL) 69 Cohl Cabral LG 71 Matt Farniok C 77 Chuck Filiaga RG 64 Chris Glaser C 58 Bless Harris RT 69 Aaron Monteiro RT 75 Ryan Nelson LT 65 Wisdom Quarshire RG Defensive linemen (DL) 98 Patrick Jenkins DT 97 Jerron Cage DT 99 Walter Palmore DT 96 Caeveon Patton DT 52 Adam Plant Jr. DE 91 Ron Stone Jr. DE 48 Kenny Willekes DE

Linebackers (LB) 30 Xavier Benson ILB 10 Noah Dawkins ILB  1 Tony Fields II ILB 51 Fred Thompkins 57 Jailin Walker ILB Defensive backs (DB) 33 Henry Black SS 15 Akeem Dent FS 13 O'Donnell Fortune CB 22 Tre'von Jones CB 41 Michael Lawson FS 21 D. J. Miller Jr. CB 27 Smoke Monday CB  0 Leon O'Neal Jr. FS 23 Nehemiah Shelton CB  9 Cam Smith CB 32 Kedrick Whitehead Jr. FS 28 Kyree Woods CB Special teams (ST) 50 Payton Bunch LS 43 Ryan Coe K 83 Brad Robbins P

Reserve 20 Storey Jackson ILB (IR) 14 Rashard Davis WR (IR)  0 Devin Ross WR (IR) 50 active As of March 24, 2026. Rookies in italics. Roster

Schedule

All times Eastern

Week	Day	Date	Kickoff	TV	Opponent	Results		Location	Attendance
						Score	Record
1	Sunday	March 29	8:00 p.m.	ESPN	at Orlando Storm	L 16–23	0–1	Inter&Co Stadium	11,127
2	Friday	April 3	8:00 p.m.	Fox	DC Defenders	L 26–44	0–2	Historic Crew Stadium	14,810
3	Sunday	April 12	12:00 p.m.	ABC	at Dallas Renegades	L 23–28	0–3	Toyota Stadium	5,133
4	Friday	April 17	8:00 p.m.	Fox	Dallas Renegades			Historic Crew Stadium
5	Sunday	April 26	12:00 p.m.	ABC	at Houston Gamblers			Shell Energy Stadium
6	Friday	May 1	8:00 p.m.	Fox	Houston Gamblers			Historic Crew Stadium
7	Friday	May 8	8:00 p.m.	Fox	at St. Louis Battlehawks			The Dome at America's Center
8	Sunday	May 17	1:00 p.m.	Fox	at Birmingham Stallions			Protective Stadium
9	Saturday	May 23	3:00 p.m.	ABC	Birmingham Stallions			Historic Crew Stadium
10	Sunday	May 31	3:00 p.m.	Fox	Louisville Kings			Historic Crew Stadium

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Game summaries

Week 1: at Orlando Storm

Columbus Aviators (0-0) at Orlando Storm (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Aviators	6	0	0	10	16
Storm	6	3	14	0	23

at Inter&Co Stadium • Orlando, Florida

• Date: March 29
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT/7:00 p.m. CDT
• Game attendance: 11,127
• TV: ESPN

Week 2: vs DC Defenders

DC Defenders (0–1) at Columbus Aviators (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Defenders	7	17	14	6	44
Aviators	7	7	6	6	26

at Historic Crew Stadium • Columbus, Ohio

• Date: April 3
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT/7:00 p.m. CDT
• Game attendance: 14,810
• TV announcers (FOX): Curt Menefee, Joel Klatt and Brock Huard

Game information

First quarter DC – Deon Jackson 1-yard run (Matt McCrane kick), 10:37. Defenders 7–0. Drive: 8 plays • 43 yards • 4:23 CLB – Jalan McClendon 1-yard run (Ryan Coe kick), 3:46. Tied 7–7. Drive: 13 plays • 60 yards • 6:51 Second quarter DC – Matt McCrane 35-yard field goal, 14:23. Defenders 10–7. Drive: 9 plays • 42 yards • 4:23 DC – Xazavian Valladay 10-yard run (Matt McCrane kick), 5:11. Defenders 17–7. Drive: 9 plays • 59 yards • 4:33 DC – Deon Jackson 12-yard run (Matt McCrane kick), 1:56. Defenders 24–7. Drive: 2 plays • 41 yards • 0:27 CLB – Zaquandre White 6-yard run (Ryan Coe kick), 0:55. Defenders 24–14. Drive: 3 plays • 15 yards • 0:18 Third quarter DC – Deon Jackson 48-yard run (Matt McCrane kick), 7:46. Defenders 31–14. Drive: 2 plays • 50 yards • 0:49 DC – Briley Moore 21-yard pass from Jordan Ta'amu (Matt McCrane kick), 6:17. Defenders 38–14. Drive: 3 plays • 27 yards • 1:20 CLB – Alizé Mack 21-yard pass from Jalan McClendon (Jalen McClendon two-point pass to Roc Taylor failed), 0:00. Defenders 38–20. Drive: 12 plays • 60 yards • 6:17 Fourth quarter DC – Matt McCrane 25-yard field goal, 8:12. Defenders 41–20. Drive: 10 plays • 56 yards • 6:48 CLB – Tay Martin 3-yard pass from Jalan McClendon (Jalen McClendon three-point pass attempt failed), 3:22. Defenders 41–26. Drive: 10 plays • 75 yards • 4:50 DC – Matt McCrane 32-yard field goal, 1:56. Defenders 44–20. Drive: 4 plays • 4 yards • 1:21 Top passers DC – Jordan Ta'amu – 8/11, 99 yards, TD, INT CLB – Jalan McClendon – 23/37, 157 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers DC – Deon Jackson – 11 rushes, 97 yards, 3 TD CLB – Jalan McClendon – 8 rushes, 55 yards, TD Top receivers DC – Cornell Powell, 4 receptions, 41 yards CLB – Tay Martin, 6 receptions, 57 yards, TD

Week 3: at Dallas Renegades

Columbus Aviators (0-0) at Dallas Renegades (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Aviators	0	0	0	0	0
Renegades	0	0	0	0	0

at Toyota Stadium • Frisco, Texas

• Date: April 12
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. p.m. EDT/11:00 a.m. CDT
• TV: ABC

Week 4: vs Dallas Renegades

Dallas Renegades (0-0) at Columbus Aviators (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Renegades	0	0	0	0	0
Aviators	0	0	0	0	0

at Historic Crew Stadium • Columbus, Ohio

• Date: April 17
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT/7:00 p.m. CDT
• TV: FOX

Week 5: at Houston Gamblers

Columbus Aviators (0-0) at Houston Gamblers (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Aviators	0	0	0	0	0
Gamblers	0	0	0	0	0

at Shell Energy Stadium • Houston, Texas

• Date: April 26
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT/11:00 p.m. CDT
• TV: ABC

Week 6: vs Houston Gamblers

Houston Gamblers (0-0) at Columbus Aviators (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Gamblers	0	0	0	0	0
Aviators	0	0	0	0	0

at Historic Crew Stadium • Columbus, Ohio

• Date: May 1
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. p.m. EDT/7:00 p.m. CDT
• TV: FOX

Week 7: at St. Louis Battlehawks

Columbus Aviators (0-0) at St. Louis Battlehawks (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Aviators	0	0	0	0	0
Battlehawks	0	0	0	0	0

at The Dome at America's Center • St. Louis, Missouri

• Date: May 8
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT/7:00 p.m. CDT
• TV: FOX

Week 8: at Birmingham Stallions

Columbus Aviators (0-0) at Birmingham Stallions (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Aviators	0	0	0	0	0
Stallions	0	0	0	0	0

at Protective Stadium • Birmingham, Alabama

• Date: May 17
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
• TV: FOX

Week 9: vs Birmingham Stallions

Birmingham Stallions (0-0) at Columbus Aviators (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Stallions	0	0	0	0	0
Aviators	0	0	0	0	0

at Historic Crew Stadium • Columbus, Ohio

• Date: May 23
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. EDT/2:00 p.m. CDT
• TV: ABC

Week 10: vs Louisville Kings

Louisville Kings (0-0) at Columbus Aviators (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Kings	0	0	0	0	0
Aviators	0	0	0	0	0

at Historic Crew Stadium • Columbus, Ohio

• Date: May 31
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. EDT/2:00 p.m. CDT
• TV: FOX

Standings

2026 UFL standings v t e
UFL League
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	TD+/-	TD+	TD-	PF	PA	DIFF	STK
Dallas Renegades	3	0	1.000	–	6	12	6	95	49	46	W3
Orlando Storm	3	0	1.000	–	4	8	4	71	52	19	W3
DC Defenders	2	1	.667	1	5	11	6	99	49	50	W2
St. Louis Battlehawks	2	1	.667	1	-3	6	9	65	71	-6	W1
Birmingham Stallions	1	2	.333	2	3	9	6	65	69	-4	L2
Houston Gamblers	1	2	.333	2	-8	4	12	46	101	-55	L1
Louisville Kings	0	3	.000	3	-3	4	7	49	63	-14	L3
Columbus Aviators	0	3	.000	3	-4	8	12	65	95	-30	L3
(x)–clinched playoff berth; (e)–eliminated from playoff contention

References

1. "2026 Columbus Schedule". United Football League. January 22, 2026. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
2. Sauter, Aaron (January 22, 2026). "Storm Watch: The UFL Drops The Orlando Storm's 2026 Schedule" . Retrieved January 22, 2026.