Block C Alums in the UFL
After completing Pro Day, the spotlight now shifts to where former Huskies will land in the NFL. However, that's just one path to a professional career in football. There's also the Canadian Football League, with several teams present at Pro Day, as well as the United Football League (UFL), which kicks off this weekend. While the Huskies who participated in Pro Day may not make their way to the UFL until next season, let's take a look at some of the notable alumni who will be suiting up for the league this year.
DB Obi Melifonwu (Memphis Showboats)
http://instagr.am/p/DFeVvPzM9p7
The former 2017 second round pick of the Raiders will suit up for the Showboats this year, after bouncing around the NFL before getting picked up by the Tampa Bay Bandits of the then USFL. He totaled 18 tackles for the Bandits in 2022, and was waived by the St Louis Battlehawks before the 2023 season began, not playing at all in 2024. At UConn, Melifonwu played in 48 games, earning 1st Team All-AAC honors in 2016, and finished his collegiate career with 351 tackles, 11 TFLs, and eight INTs. He rocketed up NFL draft boards after an 11’ 9” broad jump, the second best all-time Combine mark, behind fellow alum Byron Jones.
DB Jamar Summers (Arlington Renegades)
After leaving UConn, Summers signed an UDFA deal with the Steelers, but was cut before the regular season started in 2018. He was picked up quickly by the Birmingham Iron of the AAF, but that leage ceased operations in 2019. From there, Summers signed with the Miami Dolphins, but was waived before fall camp began. In 2020, Summers was drafted in the first round of the XFL Draft by the New York Guardians, and played in five games, starting three, totaling 16 tackles and an INT before the XFL stopped operations due to Covid. When the league resurfaced in 2023, Summers signed with the Las Vegas Vipers, where he played in four games, starting each one, and notching 14 tackles and an INT. He played for the Renegades in 2024, totaling seven tackles. Summers had 183 tackles and 12 INTs in his collegiate career, including an AAC leading eight in 2015.
OL James Tunstall (Memphis Showboats)
This one might be cheating a bit, but he was on the roster in 2017 and 2018 before transferring to Stony Brook then Cincinnati. He appeared in five games for the Huskies in 2018 after redshirting as a true freshman in 2017, then had an immediate role for Stony Brook, playing in 12 games, starting nine. He earned 2nd team All-American Sophomore honors from Hero Sports. After transferring to Cincinnati, Tunstall started the last 11 games of the season at left tackle and won an AAC title in 2021. He would start all 13 games in 2022, earning 2nd team All-AAC honors. Tunstall would sign an UDFA deal with the Dolphins, eventually being relegated to the practice squad. Tunstall started seven games for the Showboats in 2024, and should be in line to continue having a starting role in 2025.