St. Louis Battlehawks' Chris Garrett Named UFL Special Teams Player of the Year
The UFL announced its Special Teams Player of the Year award on Thursday. This award honors the unsung heroes on special teams, the player who makes plays such as key blocks to spring a kick returner, big tackles in kick coverage, or momentum-shifting blocked kicks.
The 2024 UFL Special Teams Player of the Year is Chris Garrett of the St. Louis Battlehawks. Garrett blocked two punts during the 2024 UFL season. His first came in St. Louis’ 45-12 win over the D.C. Defenders in Week 5, helping the Battlehawks to their largest margin of victory this season. The second of Garrett’s blocks came with under a minute remaining in the Battlehawks’ game vs. Birmingham in a game they trailed by four points at the time of his block, giving his offense one last chance to mount a comeback.
Garrett’s two blocked kicks matched or bested the totals for the other seven UFL teams. Only D.C. had more than one blocked kick. The Battlehawks blocked four kicks during the 2024 regular season, with half coming from Garrett.
In addition to his punt-blocking prowess, Garrett recorded 14 of his 26 total tackles on special teams. At one point during the Battlehawks’ Week 5 game with D.C., Garrett recorded tackles on four straight St. Louis kickoffs.
The 2024 United Football League playoffs begin this weekend. The USFL Conference Championship Game is slated for 3 p.m. ET Saturday (June 8) at Protective Stadium, where the Birmingham Stallions will host the Michigan Panthers. The XFL Conference Championship will kick off at 7 p.m. ET Sunday (June 9) at The Dome at America’s Center, with the St. Louis Battlehawks hosting the San Antonio Brahmas.
The 2024 UFL season will conclude with the United Football League Championship Game, presented by the U.S. Army, on June 16th, hosted at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis.
Tickets to the 2024 UFL Conference Championship games and the UFL Championship are available at theufl.com.
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ANTHONY MILLER