Growing UFL-to-NFL pipeline sends dozens to training camps
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Cornerback DJ Miller is one of eight Columbus Aviators in NFL training camps this summer. Photo: Butch Dill/UFL/Getty Images
NFL training camps give aspiring players a chance to prove they belong in the big leagues — and the United Football League a chance to prove its players do, too.
Why it matters: The Aviators are football-hungry Columbus' first professional outdoor team in 30 years. The league's long-term success depends on proving it can develop NFL talent.
Driving the news: Football's return is inching nearer, and NFL teams are holding training camps across the country.
- At those camps are dozens of UFL players trying to work their way to (or back to) the NFL — a rising number that UFL senior VP for football operations David Dykeman calls "proof of concept."
By the numbers: Nearly 50 players on 2026 UFL rosters were in NFL training camps as of Thursday.
- That includes eight Aviators.
- At least 80 UFL and spring football alumni have NFL contracts, and 22 of 32 NFL teams have now signed a 2026 UFL player.
What they're saying: Those numbers are on pace to beat the mark of 102 players set at the end of the last NFL season, and Dykeman tells Axios the league's reputation has shifted.
- "I started with the XFL in 2022, and back then we were reaching out to agents and players — that pendulum has swung. This has become a real, viable path to the NFL."
Case in point: NFL coaches like Brian Schottenheimer, Dan Campbell and Sean Payton have similarly praised UFL's player development.
Yes, but: Does that make for a better product for fans? Dykeman thinks they appreciate the improving player pool — even if "we hope they're not back next year because they're in the NFL."
- "It's no different than going to a major college game and then seeing a player from Ohio State playing for [an NFL team]."
Zoom in: In their debut season in Columbus, the Aviators averaged 10,362 fans per game, about half of the Historic Crew Stadium capacity.
- That includes drawing 10,705 in their final game despite being the worst team in the league.
- "It's the right market — a place starving for football — and the right venue," Dykeman says. "When you have those, you have long-term success."
What's next: The eight-team league is still growing, with plans to reach 10 teams by 2028, 12 teams by 2030 and 16 teams by 2035.
- "Year-to-year [planning] — those days are over," Dykeman says. "This is long-term sustainability and growth."