Michigan Panthers | |||||||||||
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Basic info | |||||||||||
Established | November 22, 2021 | ||||||||||
Stadium | Ford Field Detroit, Michigan | ||||||||||
Colors | Royal plum, champagne silver, light blue | ||||||||||
Mascot | Pablo | ||||||||||
Website | www | ||||||||||
Personnel | |||||||||||
Owner(s) | Fox Corporation (50%), Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, RedBird Capital Partners (50%) | ||||||||||
General manager | Steve Kazor | ||||||||||
Head coach | Mike Nolan | ||||||||||
Team history | |||||||||||
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Home fields | |||||||||||
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League / conference affiliations | |||||||||||
United States Football League (2022–2023) United Football League (2024 –present)
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Championships | |||||||||||
League championships: 0 | |||||||||||
Conference championships: 1
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Division championships: 0 | |||||||||||
Playoff appearances (3) | |||||||||||
The Michigan Panthers are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Panthers 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 plays its home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit, which also hosts the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). [1]
The Michigan Panthers were one of eight teams that were officially announced as a USFL franchise on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on November 22, 2021. [2] On January 27, 2022, it was announced on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that former NFL head coach Jeff Fisher was named the head coach and general manager of the Panthers. [3]
The Panthers selected Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson with the first overall pick in the 2022 USFL draft. [4] In the first two games of 2022, the Panthers lost to the Houston Gamblers and New Jersey Generals. [5] [6] On May 1, 2022, the team won their first ever game with a 24–0 win at Protective Stadium against the Pittsburgh Maulers. [7] Losses resumed after that, the Panthers' only other win of the season was against the Maulers, a 33–21 with the winner assuming the rights to the first overall pick in the 2023 USFL draft. [8]
In October, 2022, the Panthers hired Steve Kazor as general manager. [9] After all eight USFL teams played their home games in Birmingham, Alabama, the Panthers moved to the state of Michigan in 2023, announcing Ford Field as their home stadium. [10] On February 3, 2023, the USFL announced that Fisher had been replaced as head coach by Mike Nolan, citing only "personal reasons." [11]
In September 2023, Axios reported that the XFL was in advanced talks with the USFL to merge the two leagues prior to the start of their 2024 seasons. [12] On September 28, 2023, the XFL and USFL announced their intent to merge with details surrounding the merger to be announced at a later date. [13] The merger would also require regulatory approval. [14] In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name "United Football League". [15] On November 30, 2023, Garcia announced via her Instagram page that the leagues had received regulatory approval for the merger and were finalizing plans for a "combined season" to begin March 30, 2024. [16] The merger was made official on December 31, 2023. [17]
With Ford Field charging a reported $500,000 per game, the Panthers paid the highest stadium rent of any team in the UFL. [18] This high fee and other conflicts led to worsening relations between the UFL and the stadium, including a delay in the renewal of the Panthers' lease for 2025 [19] and the preemptive decision not to host a playoff game at the stadium even if the Panthers had clinched home field advantage. [20] Rynearson Stadium, a college football stadium that last hosted professional football games in 1974 with the ill-fated Detroit Wheels and had hosted the Panthers' practices in 2023, was reportedly considered as an alternative but ruled out mainly because of league officials' dislike of the stadium's nontraditional gray turf. [21] These issues overwhelmed the strong gains that the Panthers had made both on and off the field in 2025 (the team was the only UFL team to see an increase in ticket sales that year [22] ) led to Michigan being included with the rest of the USFL Conference on a list of teams being considered for relocation following the 2025 season, a list that the UFL has not officially confirmed nor denied, calling it "unauthorized speculation." [18] Incoming co-owner Mike Repole addressed the situation on August 26, confirming that the stadium situation was untenable, but that he had found a potential venue for the team: AmeriFi Field, a soccer-specific stadium that does not yet exist and will not until 2027. [23] Executives at Eastern Michigan University stated they had never been contacted about the use of Rynearson and would be willing to host the Panthers in 2026 until AmeriFi Field is completed. [23]
Quarterbacks (QB) Running backs (RB)
Wide receivers (WR)
Tight ends (TE)
| Offensive linemen (OL)
Defensive linemen (DL)
| Linebackers (LB)
Defensive backs (DB)
| Reserve lists Roster updated August 19, 2025 49 active |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
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Season | Pos | Name | NFL team |
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2023 | CB | Josh Butler | Dallas Cowboys |
2023 | WR | D. J. Montgomery | Indianapolis Colts |
2024 | K | Jake Bates | Detroit Lions |
2025 | WR | Malik Turner | San Francisco 49ers |
2025 | CB | Keni-H Lovely | Jacksonville Jaguars |
Season | Pos | Name | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | DT | Robert Nkemdiche | Former Arizona Cardinals Defensive Tackle, 2016 1st Round Pick |
2023–present | DE | Breeland Speaks | Former Kansas City Chiefs Defensive End, 2018 2nd Round Pick |
Year | Player | Position | Selector |
---|---|---|---|
2025 | Bryce Perkins | QB | UFL |
Year | Player | Position | Selector |
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2023 | Frank Ginda | LB | USFL |
2024 | Breeland Speaks | DE | UFL |
Year | Player | Position | Selector |
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2025 | Kedrick Whitehead Jr. | S | UFL |
# | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
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GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
Michigan Panthers | ||||||||||
1 | Jeff Fisher | 2022 | 10 | 2 | 8 | .200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
2 | Mike Nolan | 2023–present | 30 | 17 | 13 | .586 | 3 | 1 | 2 | *UFL Coach of the Year (2024) |
# | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
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GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
Michigan Panthers | ||||||||||
1 | Eric Marty | 2022-2023 | 20 | 6 | 14 | .300 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
2 | Marcel Bellefeuille | 2024–present | 20 | 13 | 7 | .650 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
# | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
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GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
Michigan Panthers | ||||||||||
1 | Daniel Carrell | 2022 | 10 | 2 | 8 | .200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
2 | Steve Brown | 2023 | 10 | 4 | 6 | .400 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
2 | Collin Bauer | 2024–present | 20 | 13 | 7 | .650 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Leader | Player | Record | Years with Panthers |
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Passing Yards | Josh Love | 1,907 passing yards | 2022–2023 |
Passing Touchdowns | Josh Love | 15 passing touchdowns | 2022–2023 |
Rushing | Reggie Corbin | 955 rushing yards | 2022–2023 |
Rushing Touchdowns | Bryce Perkins | 7 rushing touchdowns | 2024-present |
Receiving Yards | Siaosi Mariner | 873 receiving yards | 2024–present |
Receiving Touchdowns | Cole Hikutini | 7 receiving touchdowns | 2023–present |
Receptions | Joe Walker | 66 receptions | 2022–2023 |
Tackles | Frank Ginda | 348 tackles | 2022–present |
Sacks | Breeland Speaks | 18.5 sacks | 2023–present |
Interceptions | Kai Nacua | 4 interceptions | 2023–present |
Coaching wins | Mike Nolan | 17 wins | 2023–present |
Regular season – As of June 9, 2025
Season(s) | Quarterback(s) | Notes | Ref |
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2022 | Shea Patterson (0–5) / Paxton Lynch (2–1) / Josh Love (0–2) | [24] | |
2023 | Josh Love (3–6) / E.J. Perry (1–0) | [25] | |
2024 | Danny Etling (3–1) / E.J. Perry (2–2) / Brian Lewerke (2–0) | [26] | |
2025 | Bryce Perkins (4–2) / Danny Etling (2–1) / Rocky Lombardi (0–1) | [27] | |
Postseason
Season(s) | Quarterback(s) | Notes | Ref |
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2023 | E.J. Perry (0–1) | [28] | |
2024 | Danny Etling (0–1) | [29] | |
2025 | Bryce Perkins (1–1) | ||
Most games as starting quarterback
Name | Period | GP | GS | W | L | Pct |
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Josh Love | 2022–2023 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 8 | .273 |
Danny Etling | 2024–2025 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 2 | .714 |
Bryce Perkins | 2024–2025 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | .667 |
E.J. Perry | 2023–2024 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 |
Shea Patterson | 2022 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 5 | .000 |
Paxton Lynch | 2022 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | .667 |
Brian Lewerke | 2024 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
Rocky Lombardi | 2025 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
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. | ||
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Finish | W | L | |||||||||
2022 | 2022 | USFL | North | 3rd | 2 | 8 | Jeff Fisher | .200 | |||
2023 | 2023 | USFL | North | 2nd # | 4 | 6 | Lost Division Finals (at Maulers) 27–31 (OT) | Frank Ginda (DPOY) Ethan Westbrooks (SMOY) | Mike Nolan | .567 | |
2024 | 2024 | UFL | USFL | 2nd # | 7 | 3 | Lost USFL Conference Championship (at Stallions) 18–31 | Mike Nolan (COTY) Breeland Speaks (DPOTY) | |||
2025 | 2025 | UFL | USFL | 2nd * | 6 | 4 | Won USFL Conference Championship (at Stallions) 44–29 Lost UFL Championship (Defenders) 34–58 | Bryce Perkins (MVP) | |||
Total | 19 | 21 | All-time regular season record (2022–2025) | .475 | |||||||
1 | 3 | All-time postseason record (2022–2025) | .250 | ||||||||
20 | 24 | All-time regular season and postseason record (2022–2025) | .455 |
The Michigan Panthers previously shared a rivalry with the New Jersey Generals. [30] This rivalry was called the Northern Duel. The Panthers finished with a 1–3 record against the New Jersey Generals in 2 seasons. After the 2023 season the rivalry was not renewed as the New Jersey Generals folded during the XFL–USFL merger of 2024.
Team | Record | Pct. |
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Arlington Renegades | 2–0 | 1.000 |
DC Defenders | 2–1 | .667 |
Memphis Showboats | 4–1 | .800 |
Houston Gamblers/Roughnecks | 4–2 | .667 |
St. Louis Battlehawks | 1–1 | .500 |
San Antonio Brahmas | 1–1 | .500 |
Philadelphia Stars | 2–2 | .500 |
Pittsburgh Maulers | 2–3 | .400 |
New Jersey Generals | 1–3 | .250 |
Tampa Bay Bandits | 0–1 | .000 |
New Orleans Breakers | 0–2 | .000 |
Birmingham Stallions | 1–7 | .125 |