St. Louis Battlehawks have the quarterbacks to compete in 2025

The St. Louis Battlehawks have narrowed down their search for AJ McCarron's replacement to three quarterbacks, Chevan Cordeiro, Max Duggan, and Manny Wilkins.

“Three guys that we feel really good about moving into this process,” Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht said.

The trio signed on Dec. 20 and will be competing for the starting role throughout training camp but the theme of Becht's Zoom conference is the team is better for their additions.

“The quarterback must win in the pocket and when needed to extend and when needed to run, there’s got to be something there,” Becht said. “All these guys have that, which is great. I think the biggest thing is picking up our system as fast as possible. The one thing I love about our system, it’s very unique. It’s an NFL style, West Coast hybrid, so when you’re talking about the best offenses in the NFL, we do that.”

Wilkins is the lone returner of the group. He has been a backup quarterback for the Battlehawks for two seasons and made two starts in 2024 in McCarron's absence. Wilkins threw for 305 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions, while also rushing for 141 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries.

“You see some really good things out of Manny,” Becht said. “He’s special with his legs, he’s got good arm talent, the locker room loves him, again, he’s a guy that wants to be coached. The thing with Manny, he’s gonna have that advantage knowing the system but can he take the next steps? Can he do it the way we want him to do it every single play? Is he preparing himself this offseason to show up and look the part? If he does, he’ll have an advantage.”

Max Duggan is likely the favorite to win the job. Among the three, Duggan has the better collegiate resume, which includes leading TCU to the national championship game in 2022 and being a runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. Through four years with the Horned Frogs, he threw for 9618 yards with 73 touchdowns and an additional 1856 yards and 28 scores on the ground.

“Incredible intangibles from top to bottom,” Becht said. “He’s a warrior when he plays a football game. He runs as hard as a running back when he has to run and he’s got a great, great deep ball.”

Chevan Cordeiro rounds out the group with the resume of being one of the most prolific passers in the Mountain West Conference. Cordeiro started at Hawaii and finished at San Jose State, leaving with the conference record in touchdowns responsible (113), total yardage (13,811), and completions (971).

“The guy’s talented, he made a lot of great plays,” Becht stated. “Just a humble human being…he takes a lot of pride in what he does and is just hungry for the opportunity to come in.”

The 2025 UFL season kicks off on March 28. This is an extra special season for the Battlehawks as they will host six home games instead of the traditional five.