Stallions’ Holtz and Corral talk about Training Camp
MARCH 14, 2025 - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
By Jesse Kelley
Head Coach Skip Holtz and Quarterback Matt Corral met via Zoom on Thursday afternoon with the media to discuss the Stallions' training camp, the ongoing quarterback battle and the closed scrimmage with the Arlington Renegades. Holtz and Corral seemed highly optimistic about the team's progress over the past week and a half.
"We are about ten days into training camp," said Coach Skip Holtz. "We are beginning to get past the installation portion of camp where we are installing our offensive and defensive schemes, and our players are starting to get a good idea of where our team is. I like the progress that we are making; we love as coaches getting to see what these guys can do once they get a good grasp of what we are teaching them."
Holtz covered many topics that all UFL coaches are being asked about this time of year, especially regarding final roster cuts before the start of the regular season. The UFL requires that each team only has 50 players on the roster when the season comes around, making some crucial and tough decisions across the league coaches and GMs. "As we make final roster cuts, we know how tough these decisions are going to be," said Holtz. "We have some tough football players that are bought in and carry themselves at an extremely high level. We need to continue to find out which players will give us the best opportunities to win, and that will help us through it."
To get more specific about which cuts at particular positions will be the most difficult, Holtz mentioned how well the offensive line and linebacker units have been performing in training camp. "We got a lot of guys that are doing a lot of things well across the board," said Holtz. "Our scrimmage yesterday (Wednesday) didn't clean anything up as far as cuts go; it just made it harder because of how well our guys performed. I can say the same thing when looking at the wide receivers or the tight ends. We have a great nucleus of returning players and a new group of fresh faces. All of our linebackers have been playing extremely well, which will make it hard when we get down to final roster cuts."
Throughout the media availability, Holtz was adamant that his staff needed the right group of guys who would give the team the best chance to win on the field every week, regardless of any other external factors like notable collegiate or NFL experience. "We have to look at how we are going to have a 12-game season, and we need guys who are going to produce, stay healthy, and give us the best chance to win," said Holtz.
One of the more intriguing position battles for the Stallions and across the entire league is over who will play quarterback this season. "Last year, when we had two new faces in Adrian Martinez and Matt Corral coming in, I needed to see what these guys could do," said Holtz. Those guys prepared at such a high level; they were already ready to go when we had gotten to training camp last year because we had met over Zoom, they had been watching the film, and they were just ready to compete." One of the more notable offseason acquisitions was on January 23 when Alex McGough re-signed with the Stallions. The 2023 USFL MVP is highly familiar with Skip Holtz's offensive style, as he and Corral will continue their position battle throughout camp, as the pair receives the bulk of the reps in practice. Case Cookus was recently signed by Birmingham a few days ago, and Holtz credited his quick learning and adaptability to the offensive scheme. "It might be a little unfair to say that he is on the outside looking in because he has done an incredible job," said Holtz. "He has only been on our offense for three days, whereas these other guys have been there for over a year. Even in the three days he has been here, I think the game is slowing down for him, and he is doing a nice job."
Holtz concluded his media appearance by answering questions on his team's number one goal and what characteristics from team leaders needed to emerge to ensure that those goals were met. "There are probably four or five main goals of ours; I wanted to bring this team along as quickly as possible. We want to play fast; that's one thing about this league. You don't want to overcomplicate things where your players can't go into Game 1 at full speed." Leadership has always been something that Holtz's teams have prided themselves on, and this year's squad is no exception. "We must identify who the leaders will be on this football team. Any of the great football teams I have participated in have had exceptional leadership. We have to find the guys who are the most vocal, respected, and hardest workers. This will help every team member and the whole team reach its overall goal."
Quarterback Matt Corral began his media availability after Coach Holtz and quickly mentioned how competitive and skilled his position group was for this season. "It was either continuing to play in the UFL or deciding to end my football career, and I was not yet done playing. I want to give football another chance, and I will do whatever I can to continue to reach my goals and aspirations."
"Our quarterback room has been great," said Corral. New guys and new personalities have been cool to be around, just playing around like-minded people who want to reach the next level, knowing that we will only achieve those goals by working together." Corral started three games for the Stallions a season ago and was a massive piece to the Stallions' run to the UFL Championship Game, as he entered in relief for Adrian Martinez a season ago in the USFL Conference Championship Game against the Michigan Panthers. Corral completed 9-of-11 passes for 120 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The Ventura, California native looks to build upon that postseason momentum into this season. "All these guys in the quarterback room can sling it, and it's been a fun camp so far."