2023 XFL Special Teams Player of the Year Darrius Shepherd has re-signed to play for the St. Louis Battlehawks when the 2024 UFL season begins in March. (Photo: Thomas Grove)

Cedric Williams
Senior Editor

The first day of United Football League free agency began with a bang and a high-flying zoom for the St. Louis Battlehawks, as the club announced via its X (formerly known as Twitter) account that the team had re-signed speedy wide receiver and return specialist Darrius Shepherd for the upcoming season.

Shepherd, who grew up in Kansas City, also has NFL experience, having played for seven teams since 2019 — most notably the Green Bay Packers in 2019 and 2020.

But he is most known, especially among Battlehawks fans, for his terrific 2023 XFL season with the club, where he was second on the team in receptions (48), receiving yards (519), and receiving touchdowns (six).

Shepherd was also named the XFL Special Teams Player of the Year, after leading the league with 907 return yards and a 24.5 yards per return average. He was also an All-XFL Team selection for both offense and special teams.

During this past NFL season, Shepherd played for the Los Angeles Chargers and was a member of that club’s practice squad.

In college, Shepherd was a member of North Dakota State’s three FCS championship clubs in 2015, 2017, and 2018) and he was named the FCS championship game Most Outstanding Player in 2019.

Bringing Shepherd back to the club means the Battlehawks will have a significant chance at fielding the UFL’s best receiving corps. St. Louis already had top receiver Hakeem Butler coming back and added former Seattle Sea Dragons star Jahcour Pearson during the first Dispersal Draft.

With Shepherd now added too, the Battlehawks might have the toughest to guard set of receivers in the entire league.

Training camp for the UFL season will begin in February, with all teams eyeing their season openers on March 30.

Image courtesy: X