ARLINGTON, Texas (March 17, 2025) – United Football League teams trim their rosters from 64 players down to 50 later this week. But Memphis Showboats head coach Ken Whisenhunt said he hasn’t seen any impact of those looming cuts among the group his team currently has in camp.
“Everybody knows that the decision time is coming, but,our guys have really been working and I think they have such a good feeling about what they're doing and how we're approaching it, that that's never really become something that we've talked about,” Whisenhunt said during his weekly media session Monday afternoon.
Through nearly three weeks of training camp, Whisenhunt has been very happy with the roster he and Showboats General Manager Jim Monos have constructed. He said that makes his job even more difficult when it comes time to let players go.
“It's going to be hard when the cut day gets here, because you're going to have to tell some guys, ‘Sorry, you didn't make the team.’ That's the hardest part of this business for me, especially as the head coach, having to share that with them, especially when you built a bond with them over a short time and with how hard they've worked and what they've done for you,” Whisenhunt said.
But the Showboats’ first-year head coach sees the potential for a net positive for the team when the decisions about who to cut loose are that difficult.
“I think back to some of the more successful teams I've been with, when you’re having to make tough decisions on the cut down day, it means you've got a chance to have a pretty good team,” Whisenhunt said.
Quarterback Update
Whisenhunt spoke about the Showboats’ signal-callers Monday as well. Returning quarterback Troy Williams and E.J. Perry, who played for the Michigan Panthers last season, are competing for the starting job.
“Troy and E.J., we've been rotating the reps equally and we're trying to prepare them both,” Whisenhunt said. “We're going to need them both at some point during the season. The guys are both working hard. There's a very good chemistry between both of them. Even though they know it's a competition … they've been good. They've approached it like pros.”
The team also recently added Dresser Winn, who grew up just a couple hours from Memphis and played his college ball at UT-Martin, to the quarterback room.
“He's a young guy that we think has some talent,” Whisenhunt said of Winn. “But he was so far behind from the scheme part. He's learning as he goes.”
Up Next
The Showboats work out again Tuesday, before holding a joint practice/scrimmage with the Birmingham Stallions Wednesday. Thursday is a day off for the team, before one more practice this week on Friday. The team will have the weekend off prior to the commencement of game week.
Week 1 Home Game Around the Corner
The Showboats’ season-opening contest vs. the Michigan Panthers is slated for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff on March 30 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Tickets for the season-opener and all Memphis Showboats home games are currently available at uflshowboats.com/tickets. Fans can also reach a ticket specialist by calling 901-341-7008 or sending an email to tickets@uflshowboats.com.