Michigan Panthers Secure Three Players, Including 2022 Leading Receiver
Training camp is underway for the UFL, but that didn’t stop the Michigan Panthers from making moves. The team signed three players to UFL contracts Sunday, including wide receiver Lance Lenior, outside linebacker De’Gabriel Floyd and defensive end Mika Tafua.
Lenior is a welcome return for Michigan after putting up big numbers in 2022 for the team in the USFL. He caught 52 passes for 484 yards and two scores as the leading receiver on the team. Last season, he was made nine catches for 99 yards in four games for the Orlando Guardians in the XFL.
Before his spring football career, Lenior spent 2017 through 2022 in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys were his longest-tenured team (2017-2019), and he also had stints with the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams.
The United Football League has agreed to terms with the following players: pic.twitter.com/3R9uqz5J2R
— UFL Communications Department (@UFL_PR) February 25, 2024
At Western Illinois, Lenior broke school records for receptions (273), receiving yards (3,796) and touchdowns (31). He was named to the All-MFVC Team in four straight seasons, including first-team selections in 2014 and 2016.
Floyd started his college career at Texas, where he played for one year before announcing his retirement due to medical reasons. He returned in 2022 with Alabama A&M, making 10 tackles, then transferred to East Los Angeles Community College in 2023 and posted 37 tackles, four pass deflections and one interception in nine games. He was originally committed to play at Charlotte for the 2024 year.
Tafua was last in the NFL in 2022 with the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. At Utah, he compiled 133 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, nine pass deflections, three forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and one touchdown in 44 games, earning a First Team All-Pac 12 selection in 2021.
Michigan opens the season at home on March 30 against the St. Louis Battlehawks.
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Anthony Miller has been covering professional spring football since 2019 including XFL, USFL, and CFL. He was a local news reporter in Texas before transitioning to sports. Other sites he writes for includes College Football Network and NTZ Network.