Getty/AAF.com Birmingham Iron running back Trent Richardson
The Alliance of American Football has provided an avenue for fans to essentially watch the sport they love all year round. With the new league in its inaugural season, the action runs through the end of April (including the postseason) and features a 10-week regular season. There are eight teams with rosters including a mixture of former NFL players, college stars, and others who impressed and earned a roster spot.
While a lot can change over the span of a season and many players will improve, we’re going to take a look at some of the top talent in the league as well as the former NFL names you may know. For starters, it’s worth noting that there are some well-known coaches spread across the league, so we’ll begin there and go through the rosters to follow.
AAF Coaches
- Steve Spurrier: Head coach of Orlando Apollos
- Mike Singletary: Head coach of Memphis Express
- Mike Martz: Head coach of San Diego Fleet
- Dennis Erickson: Head coach of Salt Lake Stallions
- Rick Neuheisel: Head coach of Arizona Hotshots
- Mike Riley: Head coach of San Antonio Commanders
- Hugh Freeze: Offensive coordinator of Arizona Hotshots
- Jim Grobe: Defensive coordinator of San Antonio Commanders
Steve Spurrier is certainly the most notable name, but the coaches on this list have all built solid resumes. The “head ball coach” was previously the coach of the Duke Blue Devils, Florida Gators, Washington Redskins, and South Carolina Gamecocks. Mike Martz coached the St. Louis Rams and the ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ which was led by quarterback Kurt Warner.
Along with those two are multiple other big names in former Chicago Bears linebacker and San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary. Dennis Erickson coached a number of teams including the Miami Hurricanes, Seattle Seahawks, 49ers and Arizona State Sun Devils.
Quarterbacks
*Most notable former team listed for each player
| Player | Current AAF Team | Former NFL/College Team |
| Christian Hackenberg | Memphis Express | Penn State Nittany Lions & New York Jets |
| Zach Mettenberger | San Diego Fleet | LSU Tigers & Tennessee Titans |
| Aaron Murray | Atlanta Legends | Georgia Bulldogs |
| Trevor Knight | Arizona Hotshots | Oklahoma Sooners |
| Garrett Gilbert | Orlando Apollos | SMU |
| John Wolford | Arizona Hotshots | Wake Forest Demon Deacons |
| Logan Woodside | San Antonio Commanders | Toledo Rockets |
| Blake Sims | Birmingham Iron | Alabama Crimson Tide |
| Mike Bercovici | San Diego Fleet | Arizona State Sun Devils |
| Marquise Williams | San Antonio Commanders | North Carolina Tar Heels |
| Dustin Vaughan | San Antonio Commanders | Dallas Cowboys |
| Matt Simms | Atlanta Legends | Tennessee Volunteers |
While Christian Hackenberg and Zach Mettenberger are arguably the two biggest names, they’re on the same team. Even beyond that, the Arizona Hotshots started John Wolford over Trevor Knight to begin the year and he looked great through two weeks. Garrett Gilbert, who also spent time with the Carolina Panthers also impressed early in the AAF season.
Joining Mettenberger and Knight on the bench to begin the AAF’s inaugural season were names such as Aaron Murray, Blake Sims, Marquise Williams, and Dustin Vaughan.
Running Backs
| Player | Current AAF Team | Former NFL/College Team |
| Trent Richardson | Birmingham Iron | Alabama Crimson Tide & Cleveland Browns |
| Denard Robinson | Atlanta Legends | Michigan Wolverines & Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Zac Stacy | Memphis Express | St. Louis Rams |
| Branden Oliver | Salt Lake Stallions | San Diego Chargers |
| Kenneth Farrow | San Antonio Commanders | Los Angeles Chargers |
| Matt Asiata | Salt Lake Stallions | Minnesota Vikings |
| Akeem Hunt | Orlando Apollos | Houston Texans |
| Aaron Green | San Antonio Commanders | TCU Horned Frogs |
| Jhurell Pressley | Arizona Hotshots | New Mexico Lobos |
| Tarean Folston | Atlanta Legends | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
| David Cobb | San Antonio Commanders | Minnesota Golen Gophers |
Trent Richardson is the headliner, but Zac Stacy, Branden Oliver, Kenneth Farrow, Akeem Hunt, and Jhurell Pressley are among players who impressed through the early stages of the season. Through two weeks, Richardson has 99 rushing yards and three touchdowns but is averaging just 2.4 yards per carry.
Stacy recorded the league’s first-ever 100-plus yard rushing game during Week 2 of the season while Farrow had 111 yards and two touchdowns through two weeks.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
| Player | Current AAF Team | Former NFL/College Team |
| Josh Huff | Arizona Hotshots | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Charles Johnson | Orlando Apollos | Minnesota Vikings |
| Quinton Patton | Birmingham Iron | San Francisco 49ers |
| Rashad Ross | Arizona Hotshots | Arizona State Sun Devils |
| Greg Ward Jr. | San Antonio Commanders | Houston Cougars |
| Bug Howard | Atlanta Legends | North Carolina Tar Heels |
| Kenny Bell | Salt Lake Stallions | Nebraska Cornhuskers |
| Kaelin Clay | Salt Lake Stallions | Utah Utes |
| L’Damian Washington | Birmingham Iron | Missouri Tigers |
| Jalin Marshall | Orlando Apollos | Ohio State Buckeyes |
| Justin Thomas | Atlanta Legends | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets |
| James Quick | Atlanta Legends | Louisville Cardinals |
| Nelson Spruce | San Diego Fleet | Colorado Buffalos |
| De’Marcus Ayers | San Antonio Commanders | Houston Cougars |
| Gavin Escobar | San Diego Fleet | Dallas Cowboys |
| Marcus Baugh | San Diego Fleet | Ohio State Buckeyes |
There are a number of talented wideouts in the league, but Charles Johnson and Rashad Ross have made their presence felt early. Through two games, Johnson racked up 252 yards on 11 receptions with one touchdown while Apollos teammate Jalin Marshall has six catches for 135 yards and two scores.
As for Ross, he was arguably the biggest Week 1 winner, and through two games has scored three touchdowns while tallying 170 yards on nine catches. In the opener, Wolford and Ross connected for two scores for Arizona and the wideout totaled 103 yards.
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