Houston Roughnecks (2024)

This article is about the team in the third edition of the UFL. For the team that used this branding in the XFL, see Houston Roughnecks (2020).

Houston Roughnecks
Current season
Houston Roughnecks logo Logo Houston Roughnecks uniforms Uniforms
Basic info
Established	November 22, 2021;3 years ago (2021-11-22)
Stadium	Space City Financial Stadium Houston, Texas
Colors	Navy, red [1]
Website	www.theufl.com/teams/houston
Personnel
Owner(s)	Fox Corporation (50%), Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, RedBird Capital Partners (50%)
General manager	Will Lewis
Head coach	Curtis Johnson
Team history
Houston Gamblers (2022–2023) Houston Roughnecks (2022–present)
Home fields
Protective Stadium/Legion Field (2022) Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (2023) Rice Stadium (2024) Space City Financial Stadium (2025–present)
League / conference affiliations
United States Football League (2022–2023) South Division (2022–2023) United Football League (2024 –present) USFL Conference (2024–present)
Championships
League championships: 0
Conference championships: 0
Division championships: 0

The Houston Roughnecks are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The Roughnecks compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a member of the USFL Conference. The team is owned-and-operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha Acquico and Fox Corporation. The team was a founding member of the USFL, as the Houston Gamblers in 2022, named after the 1980s USFL team of the same name. Though named after the city of Houston, the 2020s Gamblers never played there under that brand, instead playing its home games as the guest of other USFL teams in Birmingham, Alabama in 2022 and Memphis, Tennessee in 2023. When the USFL and XFL merged to form the UFL in 2024, the Gamblers took over the branding of the original Houston Roughnecks that had played the 2023 season in the XFL and played in Houston at Rice Stadium and played at Space City Financial Stadium ^[2] (previously TDECU Stadium, the home of the 2020 and 2023 Roughnecks) during the 2025 season.

History

The Gamblers' logo from 2022 to 2023.

Houston Gamblers (2022–2023)

For the team in the original USFL from the 1980s, see Houston Gamblers.

The Houston Gamblers were one of eight teams that were officially announced as a USFL franchise on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on November 22, 2021. ^[3] On January 6, 2022, it was announced on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that former NCAA Football Head coach Kevin Sumlin was named the Head coach and General manager of the Gamblers. ^[4] Houston was the only city in the USFL nominally based west of the Mississippi River and the only city that had a representative team in both professional spring football leagues, the USFL (the Gamblers) and the XFL (the Roughnecks), though the Gamblers never set foot in Houston, instead playing as a traveling team under the USFL's hub model.

On January 6, 2022, former college head coach, Kevin Sumlin was named the head coach and general manager for the Houston Gamblers. ^[5] The Gamblers' first season game was on April 17, 2022, against the Michigan Panthers at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama. Kicker Nick Vogel made a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter (the first points for the franchise). The Gamblers defeated the Panthers 17–12, winning their first game in franchise history. The Gamblers lost their next seven games before winning for their final two games of the season, and failing to qualify for the USFL playoffs. ^[6]

In September 2022, the Gamblers announced that Robert Morris was named their new general manager. ^[7] In November 2022, the USFL announced that the Gamblers will play at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee for the 2023 season. ^[8] In February, 2023, Sumlin announced his plans to join the coaching staff of the Maryland Terrapins, this led to the Gamblers hiring former New Orleans Saints assistant coach, Curtis Johnson as their new head coach. ^[9]

Houston Roughnecks (2024–present)

Houston Roughnecks in action against the Arlington Renegades in 2023

On January 1, as part of the merger with the XFL, the Gamblers merged with their XFL counterpart, the Roughnecks. The merged team took on the Roughnecks name and identity (including history and social media presence), while maintaining the Gamblers' coaching staff, player rights and position in the USFL Conference. ^[10] The team will play in Houston as the Roughnecks did, but renovations to TDECU Stadium, the Roughnecks' home in 2020 and 2023, required the use of a different venue; Rice University Stadium was approached about the possibility prior to the merger. ^[11] On February 1, 2024, the Roughnecks announced an agreement to play the 2024 season at Rice Stadium. ^[12] The Roughnecks announced their return to TDECU Stadium on September 13, 2024. ^[13] Four days later, the stadium announced it would be renamed Space City Financial Stadium as soon as signage was replaced in the first quarter of 2025, in time for the Roughnecks' return to the venue. ^[2]

By August 2025, incoming UFL co-ownership had indicated it would be moving between two and four teams, ^[14] reportedly all from the USFL Conference; ^[15] the Birmingham Stallions were eventually spared from relocation, ^[16] and the league was "trying" to save the Michigan Panthers with a more ideal stadium, effectively guaranteeing that the Roughnecks and Memphis Showboats would be the two minimum teams relocating, one of them to Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. ^[15]

Current roster

Players

Houston Roughnecks roster

• v
• t
• e

Quarterbacks (QB) 13 Anthony Brown 14 Nolan Henderson  8 Jalan McClendon Running backs (RB) 27 Lorenzo Lingard 22 Kirk Merritt  6 ZaQuandre White Wide receivers (WR) 18 Emmanuel Butler  3 Keke Chism  7 Cyril Grayson 11 Justin Hall 15 Lawrence Keys III 16 Marcus Simms 19 T.J. Vasher Tight ends (TE) 86 Josh Pederson 89 Cam Sutton

Offensive linemen (OL) 66 Noah Atagi G 78 Zach Banner T 79 Isaiah Battle T 75 T. J. Bradley T 74 Avery Gennesy G 54 Avery Jones C 65 Jack Kramer C Defensive linemen (DL) 95 Israel Antwine DT  4 Tashawn Bower DE 96 T.J. Franklin DE 97 Glen Logan DT 92 Darrius Moragne DT 94 Olive Sagapolu DT

Linebackers (LB)  2 Christopher Allen OLB 30 Xavier Benson ILB 43 Rashod Berry OLB 44 Jamir Jones OLB 20 Drew Lewis ILB 63 Lonnie Phelps OLB 33 Jeremiah Tyler OLB Defensive backs (DB) -- Malik Dunlap CB 29 Corn Elder CB 25 Armani Marsh CB  1 Leon O'Neal Jr. FS 12 Shawn Preston Jr. SS  9 Colby Richardson CB 31 Markel Roby SS 21 Ja'Quan Sheppard CB 23 Rayshad Williams CB Special teams  3 Chris Blewitt K 45 Marco Ortiz LS 47 Mike Rivers P

Reserve lists Roster updated August 21, 2025 47 active

Staff

Houston Roughnecks staff

Front office General manager – Will Lewis Head coaches Head coach – Curtis Johnson Offensive coaches Pass game coordinator/quarterbacks - Eric Price Running backs/special teams - Garrett Chachere Run game coordinator/offensive line - Tom Cable Offensive Quality Control - Jordan Higgins

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator/linebackers – Vacant Defensive line – Kwahn Drake Defensive backs/special teams – Brett Maxie Defensive quality control - Zach Shagi

Player history

Current NFL players

Season	Pos	Name	NFL Team
2025	CB	Damon Arnette	Houston Texans

Notable players

Season	Pos	Name	Notes
2024	LB	Reuben Foster	Former San Francisco 49ers Linebacker, 2017 1st Round Pick
2024	TE	Ryan Izzo	Former New England Patriots Tight End, 2018 7th Round Pick
2025	CB	Damon Arnette	Former Las Vegas Raiders Tight End, 2020 1st Round Pick

USFL Offensive Player of the Year award winners

Gamblers USFL OPOY winners
Year	Player	Position	Selector
2023	Mark Thompson	RB	USFL

USFL Defensive Player of the Year award winners

Gamblers USFL DPOY winners
Year	Player	Position	Selector
2022	Chris Odom	DE	USFL

Coach history

Head Coach history

#	Name	Term	Regular season				Playoffs			Awards
			GC	W	L	Win %	GC	W	L
Houston Gamblers
1	Kevin Sumlin	2022	10	3	7	.300	-	-	-
2	Curtis Johnson	2023	10	5	5	.500	-	-	-
Houston Roughnecks
—	Curtis Johnson	2024–present	20	6	14	.300	-	-	-

Offensive Coordinator history

#	Name	Term	Regular season				Playoffs			Awards
			GC	W	L	Win %	GC	W	L
Houston Gamblers
1	David Beaty	2022	10	3	7	.300	-	-	-	*Co Offensive Coordinator
2	J. D. Runnels	2022	10	3	7	.300	-	-	-	*Co Offensive Coordinator
3	Eric Price	2023	10	5	5	.500	-	-	-
Houston Roughnecks
—	Eric Price	2024–present	20	6	14	.300	-	-	-

Defensive Coordinator history

#	Name	Term	Regular season				Playoffs			Awards
			GC	W	L	Win %	GC	W	L
Houston Gamblers
1	Tim Lewis	2022	10	3	7	.300	-	-	-
2	Chris Wilson	2023	10	5	5	.500	-	-	-
Houston Roughnecks
—	Chris Wilson	2024–present	20	6	14	.300	-	-	-

Records

All-time Gamblers/Roughnecks leaders
Leader	Player	Record	Years with Gamblers/Roughnecks
Passing Yards	Kenji Bahar	2,250 passing yards	2022–2024
Passing Touchdowns	Clayton Thorson Kenji Bahar	10 passing touchdowns	2022 2022–2024
Rushing Yards	Mark Thompson	1,341 rushing yards	2022–2024
Rushing Touchdowns	Mark Thompson	21 rushing touchdowns	2022–2024
Receiving Yards	Justin Hall	1,622 receiving yards	2023–present
Receiving Touchdowns	Justin Hall	10 receiving touchdowns	2023–present
Receptions	Justin Hall	165 receptions	2023–present
Tackles	Jeremiah Tyler	150 tackles	2023–present
Sacks	Chris Odom	17.5 sacks	2022, 2024
Interceptions	William Likely	4 interceptions	2022
Coaching wins	Curtis Johnson	11 wins	2023–present

Starting Quarterbacks

Main article: Lists of starting quarterbacks in the UFL

Regular season – As of June 2, 2025

Season(s)	Quarterback(s)	Notes	Ref
Houston Gamblers
2022	Clayton Thorson (1–6) / Kenji Bahar (2–1)		[17]
2023	Kenji Bahar (4–5) / Terry Wilson (1–0)		[18]
Houston Roughnecks
2024	Reid Sinnett (1–4) / Jarrett Guarantano (0–3) / Nolan Henderson (0–2)		[19]
2025	Anthony Brown (1–2) / Nolan Henderson (0–1) / Jalan McClendon (4–2)		[20]

Most games as starting quarterback

Name	Period	GP	GS	W	L	Pct
Houston Gamblers
Kenji Bahar	2022–2023	16	12	6	6	.500
Clayton Thorson	2022	7	7	1	6	.143
Terry Wilson	2022–2023	7	1	1	0	1.000
Houston Roughnecks
Jalan McClendon	2025	7	6	4	2	.667
Reid Sinnett	2024	10	5	1	4	.200
Anthony Brown	2025	3	3	1	2	.333
Nolan Henderson	2024–2025	10	3	0	3	.000
Jarrett Guarantano	2024	5	3	0	3	.000

Statistics and records

Season-by-season record

UFL champions† (2024–present)

USFL champions§ (2022–2023)

Conference champions*

Division champions^

Wild Card berth#

Season	Team	League	Conference	Division	Regular season			Postseason results	Awards	Head coaches	Pct.
					Finish	W	L
2022	2022	USFL		South	4th	3	7		Chris Odom (DPOY)	Kevin Sumlin	.300
2023	2023	USFL		South	3rd	5	5		Mark Thompson (OPOY)	Curtis Johnson	.500
2024	2024	UFL	USFL		4th	1	9				.100
2025	2025	UFL	USFL		3rd	5	5				.500
Total						14	26	All-time regular season record (2022–2025)			.350
						0	0	All-time postseason record (2022–2025)			–
						14	26	All-time regular season and postseason record (2022–2025)			.350

Rivalries

Double Down Derby

The Houston Roughnecks have shared a rivalry with the Birmingham Stallions since 2022. ^[21] This rivalry was called the Double Down Derby. As of 2024 the Roughnecks hold a 2–4 record against Birmingham.

Memphis Showboats

The Houston Roughnecks shared Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee with the Memphis Showboats during the 2023 season. In 2024, the two teams played against each other in the season finale for the number one overall pick in the 2025 UFL draft. The winner would get the number one pick, ^[22] the Showboats won the game 19–12 and earned the 2025 number one pick. ^[23] Currently the Roughnecks have a 1–3 record against the Showboats.

Franchise matchup history

Team	Record	Pct.
Arlington Renegades	1–0	1.000
New Jersey Generals	1–1	.500
Philadelphia Stars	1–1	.500
Pittsburgh Maulers	1–1	.500
Birmingham Stallions	2–4	.333
Memphis Showboats	1–3	.250
Michigan Panthers	1–3	.250
New Orleans Breakers	1–3	.250
DC Defenders	0–1	.000
St. Louis Battlehawks	0–1	.000
San Antonio Brahmas	0–1	.000
Tampa Bay Bandits	0–2	.000

• Defunct teams in light gray.

References

1. "Houston Roughnecks' uniforms, helmet". XFL.com (Press release). December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
2. Hauser, Jeff (September 17, 2024). "Houston's Football stadium will undergo name change in 2025". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved September 18, 2024.
3. "USFL unveils team cities, nicknames and logos for 2022 debut". FOX Sports. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
4. Stephan Rachuk (January 6, 2022). "USFL Officially Reveals the First Four Head Coaches on The Herd". Pro Football Newsroom. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
5. Gaydos, Ryan (January 6, 2022). "4 USFL teams reveal their head coaches for upcoming season". Fox News. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
6. Stephan Rachuk (June 19, 2022). "Houston Gamblers Conclude USFL Season with Defensive Win Over New Orleans Breakers". www.usflnewroom.com. USFL Newsroom. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
7. "USFL hires new general managers for two teams". foxsports.com. Fox Media LLC and Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. October 18, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
8. ""We're Home" – Professional Football Returns To Memphis With Iconic USFL Showboats". www.memphistn.gov. City of Memphis. November 15, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
9. Sam Young (February 16, 2023). "USFL's Houston Gamblers hire Curtis Johnson as head coach". houstonchronicle.com. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
10. UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE REVEALS TEAM MARKETS AND HEAD COACHES FOR 2024 SEASON. Press release. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
11. Rachuk, Stephan (July 25, 2023). "XFL Issues Statement on Houston Roughnecks Future at TDECU Stadium". Pro Football Newsroom. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
12. Zuvanich, Adam (February 2, 2024). "Houston Roughnecks of United Football League to play home games at Rice Stadium". Houston Public Media. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
13. Miller, Anthony (September 13, 2024). "Houston Roughnecks to Return to TDECU Stadium for 2025 Season". UFL. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
14. Badenhausen, Kurt (July 31, 2025). "Billionaire Mike Repole Invests in UFL With Plan for Columbus Team". Sportico.com. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
15. Florio, Mike (July 23, 2025). "UFL issues non-denial denial on relocation of Birmingham, Michigan, Houston, Memphis". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
16. Franklin, Austin (August 22, 2025). "Birmingham Stallions staying in Magic City for 2026 season". WIAT . Retrieved August 22, 2025.
17. "2022 Houston Gamblers Stats". footballdb.com. June 4, 2025.
18. "2023 Houston Gamblers Stats". footballdb.com. June 4, 2025.
19. "2024 Houston Roughnecks Stats". footballdb.com. June 4, 2025.
20. "2025 Houston Roughnecks Stats". footballdb.com. June 4, 2025.
21. "USFL's divisional rivalries unveiled for every team". FOX Sports. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
22. "UFL Combats Tanking with Winner-Take-All Game for Top Draft Pick". UFL. May 29, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
23. "Roughnecks vs. Showboats highlights: Memphis gets No. 1 pick in 2025 UFL Draft with 19–12 win". FOX Sports. Retrieved January 19, 2025.

External links

• Official website