The St. Louis Battlehawks have trimmed their roster to the league mandated 50 players and are now focused on next week’s season opener against Houston. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
With the final preseason roster cuts for the upcoming United Football League season scheduled for this week, the St. Louis Battlehawks trimmed their roster down to 50 players on Thursday.
St. Louis announced it had cut 14 players, including several surprise cuts, to get ready for the season opener, which is scheduled for next Friday, March 28, against the Houston Roughnecks.
The Battlehawks released six offensive players and eight defensive players on the final day of training camp. Those players included:
WR Andy Isabella
WR Jelani Baker
WR James Bostic
TE Kemari Averett
OL Eric Magwood
OL Teton Saltes
DL Albert Huggins
DL Curtis Brooks
EDGE Kemoko Turay
LB John Petrishen
DB D’Angelo Mandell
DB Keylon Kennedy
S Avery Young
S Dravon Askew-Henry
The most surprising cut was no doubt wide receiver Andy Isabella, who was a standout player in college at the University of Massachusetts, where he was an All-American and a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the top wide receiver in college football that year. Isabella was also a second round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2019.
He played four seasons in Arizona before playing a year with the Baltimore Ravens and another with the Buffalo Bills. He was on Pittsburgh’s practice squad last year, before signing with the Battlehawks in January.
Many thought the 5-foot-8, 188-pounder had a great shot at being a starter for St. Louis. But the club shocked many by cutting him from its roster on Thursday.
Wideouts Jelani Baker and James Bostic were also surprise cuts, particularly Baker, who was one of St. Louis’ college draft picks last fall. He was a two-time all-conference player at Limestone University, who scored 19 touchdowns in college and proved himself a big time threat as a kick returner as well.
All three players — Isabella, Baker, and Bostic — will likely be signed by other UFL teams.
The St. Louis Battlehawks had the third-best defense and were second in forced turnovers last season. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
On the defensive side, the biggest surprise cut was edge rusher Kemoko Turay. Another former NFL second round pick — with the Indianapolis Colts in 2018 — who seemed likely to start for the Battlehawks, but couldn’t overcome injury problems during training camp.
A pair of other top notch defensive line players were let go in Curtis Brooks and Albert Huggins. Brooks was a former NFL draft pick, who missed all of 2024 due to injuries, while Huggins was a player who started games for the Atlanta Falcons in 2023 and was on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad last season.
The secondary is where it gets interesting. Dravon Askew-Henry, who was a major contributor as a safety a year ago, has been let go. Askew-Henry had an impressive campaign in 2024 with 33 tackles and 4 PBU’s, but now is left without a home. Keylon Kennedy is a cut that won’t turn too many heads, with his limited role defensively a year ago.
Finally, Avery Young and D’Angelo Mandell were two offseason additions that simply weren’t able to make it in a room overflowing with talent. The Battlehawks brought back many of their starting DBs from 2024, alongside re-signing Nate Meadors and Lukas Denis — two standouts from 2023.
“We’ve made great progress over the last two seasons and to take that next step, we really wanted to raise the level of competition in training camp,” Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht said. “We feel like we did that throughout the roster. Our staff had some tough decisions to make, but we are very excited about the collection of talent our team has moving forward and can’t wait to kick off the season.”
St. Louis’ focus will now turn to next Friday’s season opener in Houston. That highly anticipated matchup is scheduled to kickoff at 7 p.m., and will be televised nationally on FOX.
2025 ST. LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 28, 2025 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Houston Roughnecks | TDECU Stadium |  |
| April 6, 2025 (Sunday) | 5:30 p.m. | Home | San Antonio Brahmas | The Dome at America’s Center |  |
| April 13, 2025 (Sunday) | 2 p.m. | Home | DC Defenders | The Dome at America’s Center |  |
| April 19, 2025 (Saturday) | 11 a.m. | Away | Arlington Renegades | Choctaw Stadium | |
| April 26, 2025 (Saturday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Michigan Panthers | The Dome at America’s Center |  |
| May 2, 2025 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Home | Arlington Renegades | The Dome at America’s Center | |
| May 11, 2025 (Sunday) | 2 p.m. | Away | Memphis Showboats | Liberty Stadium | |
| May 17, 2025 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Home | Birmingham Stallions | The Dome at America’s Center | |
| May 23, 2025 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Home | San Antonio Brahmas | The Dome at America’s Center | |
| May 30, 2025 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Away | DC Defenders | Audi Field | |