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The Michigan Panthers will open up their inaugural 2022 USFL schedule on April 17 against the Houston Gamblers. And the team will be led at quarterback by either a former Michigan man or a first-round selection from the 2016 NFL Draft.
Shea Patterson and Paxton Lynch are those two QBs. Patterson, the first overall pick in this year’s USFL Draft, ranks among the top 10 in Michigan history in passing yards even though he played in Ann Arbor for only two seasons. He threw 45 touchdowns across those two years. Lynch was a prolific player at Memphis, with 65 total TDs and only 13 interceptions over his final two seasons. He was the third QB taken in the 2016 draft, behind Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, who were the top two overall picks. However, he was cut by the Broncos after two seasons and hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game since 2017.
Those two will be throwing to wideouts such as the speedy Jeff Badet, who split his college career between Kentucky and Oklahoma, and Lance Lenoir, who became the most productive in Western Illinois history by the time his career ended in 2016. He spent most of the following three years on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad.
On the other side of the ball, the Panthers have a nice pairing along the defensive line with JaQuan Bailey and Cavon Walker. Bailey was a 2021 All-American and a first-team All-Big 12 player at Iowa State while Walker led the XFL with 4.5 sacks in five games before the league suspended operations in 2020.
Here is the rest of the Michigan Panthers’ roster:
Michigan Panthers Roster
| OFFENSE | No. | POS | AGE | HT | WT | COLLEGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OFFENSE | No. | POS | AGE | HT | WT | COLLEGE |
| Cameron Scarlett | 15 | RB | 25 | 6'0" | 220 lbs | Stanford |
| Christian Teuhema | 75 | OL | 25 | 6'5" | 315 lbs | Southeastern Louisiana |
| Connor Davis | 88 | TE | 27 | 6'8" | 260 lbs | Stony Brook |
| Cordel Iwuagwu | 54 | OL | 25 | 6'3" | 309 lbs | TCU |
| Daishawn Dixon | 79 | OL | 24 | 6'4" | 331 lbs | San Diego State |
| Devin Ross | 18 | WR | 26 | 5'9" | 181 lbs | Colorado |
| Jeff Badet | 13 | WR | 27 | 5'11" | 183 lbs | Oklahoma |
| Joe Walker | 8 | WR | 26 | 6'1" | 201 lbs | Delaware |
| Joey Magnifico | 86 | TE | - | 6'4" | 245 lbs | Memphis |
| Joshua Dunlop | 64 | T | 25 | 6'7" | 315 lbs | UTSA |
| Keith Williams | 77 | OL | 34 | 6'7" | 290 lbs | Nebraska |
| La'Michael Pettway | 11 | TE | 25 | 6'2" | 219 lbs | Iowa State |
| Lance Lenoir Jr. | 7 | WR | 27 | 6'0" | 207 lbs | Western Illinois |
| Marcus Baugh | 85 | TE | 27 | 6'4" | 240 lbs | Ohio State |
| Marquel Harrell | 0 | G | 24 | 6'3" | 295 lbs | Auburn |
| Paxton Lynch | 12 | QB | 28 | 6'7" | 245 lbs | Memphis |
| Quincy Adeboyejo | 0 | WR | 26 | 6'3" | 185 lbs | Ole Miss |
| Ray Bolden | 9 | WR | 26 | 5'9" | 165 lbs | Stony Brook |
| Reggie Corbin | 3 | RB | 26 | 5'9" | 205 lbs | Illinois |
| Sean Pollard | 76 | OL | 24 | 6'5" | 322 lbs | Clemson |
| Shea Patterson | 2 | QB | 25 | 6'1" | 210 lbs | Michigan |
| Stevie Scott III | 25 | RB | 21 | 6'1" | 225 lbs | Indiana |
| Tejan Koroma | 56 | OL | 25 | 6'1" | 290 lbs | BYU |
| Teton Saltes | 50 | OL | 23 | 6'5" | 300 lbs | New Mexico |
| DEFENSE | POS | AGE | HT | WT | COLLEGE | |
| Adewale Adeoye | 55 | DE | - | 6'4" | 270 lbs | Utah State |
| Alexander Vainikolo | 4 | LB | - | 5'11" | 246 lbs | New Mexico |
| Cavon Walker | 99 | DE | 27 | 6'2" | 275 lbs | Maryland |
| Chase DeMoor | 97 | DE | 25 | 6'5" | 250 lbs | Central Washington |
| Dominique Martin | 21 | CB | 28 | 5'10" | 180 lbs | Tarleton State |
| Frank Ginda | 10 | LB | 24 | 6'0" | 236 lbs | San Jose State |
| Jalin Burrell | 23 | CB | 25 | 5'11" | 200 lbs | New Mexico |
| Jameson Houston | 1 | CB | 25 | 5'11" | 200 lbs | Baylor |
| Jaquan Bailey | 94 | DT | 24 | 6'1" | 281 lbs | Iowa State |
| Joseph Putu | 14 | CB | - | 6'2" | 195 lbs | Florida |
| Justin Hughes | 32 | LB | 26 | 6'1" | 229 lbs | Kansas State |
| Kieron Williams | 20 | S | 27 | 6'1" | 195 lbs | Nebraska |
| Kyshonn Tyson | 92 | DT | - | 6'4" | 280 lbs | Grand Valley State |
| Orion Stewart | 6 | S | 28 | 6'0" | 205 lbs | Baylor |
| Sean Williams | 24 | S | - | 6'1" | 215 lbs | Navy |
| T.J. Carter | 96 | DT | 23 | 6'3" | 279 lbs | Kentucky |
| Taiwan Jones | 0 | LB | 28 | 6'3" | 249 lbs | Michigan State |
| Terry Myrick | 44 | LB | - | 5'11" | 225 lbs | Eastern Michigan |
| Tino Ellis | 5 | CB | 24 | 6'1" | 194 lbs | Maryland |
| Walter Palmore | 70 | DT | 25 | 6'4" | 320 lbs | Missouri |
| Warren Saba | 22 | S | - | 5'9" | 193 lbs | East Carolina |
| SPECIAL TEAMS | POS | AGE | HT | WT | COLLEGE | |
| Michael Carrizosa | 17 | P | 26 | 5'9" | 225 lbs | San Jose State |
| Shane Griffin | 52 | LS | - | 6'4" | 253 lbs | West Chester |