Inside The UFA: Atlanta Adds Big Arm, Salt Lake's Roster Shakeup


March 5, 2025
By Ian Toner

The Hustle, still hungry to reach a first Championship Weekend in franchise history, weren’t done after signing 2024 goals leader Alec Wilson Holliday and all-time leading goal scorer Cam Brock. Atlanta has inked talents new and old, from Atlanta and afar, to bolster its 2025 roster.

Sean Connole, Salt Lake’s all-time yardage leader, will be living in Alabama for two months this summer and competing with the Hustle, coach Tuba Benson-Jaja said.

“He was interested in the opportunity to play in a different system,” Benson-Jaja said. “He made the trip [to tryouts] and looked great with our handler core. He is a good culture fit, hard worker, positive attitude and easy going [...] On the field, he fits the need for a handler with a big arm.”

It’s hard to not see comparisons between what recently retired handler Bobby Ley brought to Atlanta’s attack and what Connole could do for the Hustle.

Another Salt Lake veteran, Elijah Jaime, initially was not going to play in 2025, but “after being at closed tryouts, I think our culture pulled him back in,” Benson-Jaja said.

Jaime competed for Atlanta from 2019 to 2022, scoring 40 or more goals and throwing five or fewer turnovers each season. While traveling to represent Salt Lake in 2023 and 2024, he kept his turnover totals low and totaled 43 goals across the two seasons.

“He is actually coming on as a practice player who is committed to fighting into the lineup,” Benson-Jaja said. “We know what we get with Jaime but do look for his continued growth. He is a savvy cutter with a knack for scoring goals.”

Coleman Tappero, who played one turnover-free game for Atlanta in 2019, and Kenni Taylor, who played two games with New York in 2024 after suiting up for the Hustle from 2021 to 2023, are also back on Atlanta’s roster for 2025.

“Coleman is crafty with the disc and tenacious on defense,” Benson-Jaja said. “He brings massive value to our franchise. Kenni is back with a vengeance and chip on his shoulder.”

Veteran defenders JP Burns and Tanner Robinson are returning, as well, Benson-Jaja confirmed.

And Benson-Jaja is excited about signing Team USA U24 selection Michael Poe, whom Ultiworld recognized as a runner up for its 2024 College DI Men’s Breakout Player of the Year Award after his 2023-2024 campaign with Alabama-Huntsville.

“He was probably the best player who was completely new to our system at tryouts,” Benson-Jaja said. “He earned multiple defensive blocks at key moments, was solid with the disc and has nice hops. He showed us two solid days and is a great pick up for us to work into the roster this year and also for the future of the franchise [...] some U24 obligations this year limit his availability but he is worth it and I am excited about the growth he will have in our system.”

Though I can’t confirm the final destination at this point, it does appear likely that 2024 Callahan winner Aidan Downey won’t return to the Hustle in 2025. Expect more reporting on his 2025 UFA plans in the April edition of "Inside the UFA".

Salt Lake Sheds Returners

In addition to Connole and Jaime departing Salt Lake for Atlanta and Simon Dastrup committing to Chicago, Shred coach Bryce Merrill has confirmed Ben Field, Salt Lake’s second-leading goal scorer and receiving yardage gainer in 2024, will not play for the Shred in 2025 and Grant Lindsley has yet to sign a contract for the upcoming season. Furthermore, multiple players are still dealing with knee injuries that will keep them out for all or part of the 2025 season, including Devon Terry, Ben Hoffman, Jonny Hoffman, and Joe Merrill (who told Evan Lepler he plans to help coach the Shred this year).

“It’s been an interesting offseason because we are not returning 30 percent of our points played between players departing and injuries,” Bryce Merrill said in a February 27 interview.

While Bryce Merrill said Field is taking a break from ultimate frisbee, he’s optimistic that Lindsley, a World Games veteran still in the running to represent Team USA in China in August, will contribute to the Shred in some way in 2025.

“I imagine he’ll suit up for us in some capacity, and he hasn’t expressed anything to the contrary,” Bryce Merrill said.

It’d be easy for these changes to discourage Shred leadership, but Bryce Merrill and company are excited about the opportunity for returners and rookies to take on bigger roles in 2025. Bryce Merrill sees three groups of contributors emerging:

The bullets above don’t encompass the entire roster (don’t worry: Bryce Merrill confirmed Jordan Kerr, Jacob Miller and others are back), but the 2025 Shred group appears to have the same feisty, run and gun nature that the 2022 Shred roster rode to a West Division Championship Game appearance in its inaugural season.

Colorado’s Core Continuing To Evolve

Rodney Adams rightfully drew all the attention last week, becoming the first NFL veteran to sign with a UFA franchise. Colorado’s been announcing other contracts for months, but the biggest Summit signing this column had yet to dig into was former Spider Keenan Laurence, who tallied 20 or more assists, 20 or more goals and eight or more blocks in each of his last three seasons.

Laurence has relocated to Colorado “to start a new chapter, change things up a bit.” He lived in Colorado for 10 months when the UFA season got cancelled in 2020, and during that time, he “got hooked on the lifestyle and knew I had to make it back one day. That day is here and I’m settling in for the long run.”

“Sometimes I struggle to grasp just how much I was a part of and the Spiders were a part of me,” the former Oakland captain, who represented the black and yellow from 2019 to 2023, said on March 2. “I grew through the plethora of highs and lows into the balanced young adult I am today. It was always so much more than playing. We were building a team and organization for the community, the fans and the next generation. I’m immensely proud of all the years I spent with the Spiders and eternally grateful to everyone that hopped in the boat along the way. Eight legs and one heart for life.”

“This is an immensely talented, incredibly dedicated and expertly led team,” Laurence added. “We’re going to reach the summit. Stay tuned.”

Coach Tim Kefalas will have to try to guide his team to that summit without longtime faces of the franchise and Colorado men’s ultimate scene, including:

  • Mathieu Agee, T-2nd in Summit history in blocks (26) and fifth in goals (43)

  • Alex Tatum, T-2nd in Summit history in blocks (26) and eighth in goals (37)

  • Nick Snuszka, T-5th in Summit history in blocks (23)

  • Conor Tabor, who averaged the 3rd-most throwing yards per game among 2024 Summit players (276.75)

  • Chance Cochran, who finished +10 through 8 games in 2024

“All of those guys are just choosing to focus their energy elsewhere,” Kefalas said on February 28, noting he could talk at length about each player and what he has meant to the Summit both on and off the field.

Kefalas recounted many happy memories with those players that were foundational to the Summit’s joy, including a night on the road with the team in 2022 when everyone watched Agee on SportsCenter’s Top Ten together.

Beyond adding Laurence, Adams and young phenom Tobias Brooks, Kefalas mentioned the team’s excitement about signing:

  • Zach Slayton, who contributed to Austin’s 2023 Championship Weekend appearance

  • Sam VanDusen, who played seven seasons with Pittsburgh, including a 51-assist campaign in 2018 (his only season playing more offensive points than defensive points)

  • Vermont alum and 2023 Team USA U24 gold medalist Johnny Sickles, who’s been working his way back from an ACL injury

  • 2024 Team USA U20 gold medalist Elliot Hawkins

  • Hunter May, a 6’5” athlete Kefalas said “had the most layout blocks at tryouts”

  • Andrew Muller, who appeared in six games for the Sol in 2024

Coast To Coast

  • You cannot replace an Anders Juengst, but Carolina appears to have made progress in acquiring the Triangle area’s top talent for 2025. Notably, the Flyers have signed three-time college champion and 2023 Team USA U24 gold medalist Rutledge Smith. “I think that the Flyers are a great group that has set itself up for success, and I am looking forward to joining the team, connecting with my teammates, and working hard to compete for a championship,” Smith, who played one game for the Flyers in July 2023, said on February 28. “For me, this year is all about having a growth mindset. I am looking forward to the opportunity to work on different facets of my game and continue to develop as a player and as an athlete [...] I think it goes without saying that Carolina is a team with a history of success and winning seasons, and each year the team holds itself to a high standard. The expectations for this season are no different. The team is hungry and motivated this year, and we expect to be competitive in our division, in the league, and make it back to Championship Weekend.”

    • According to Flyers owner Mike DeNardis, conversations with Team USA World Games tryout Ben Dameron are continuing, and if he joined the Flyers in 2025, he could be a late addition after the USA Ultimate college season concludes.

  • San Diego has continued to post important signings, acquiring stars that suited up with division rivals in recent years, like World Games champion Khalif El-Salaam and Marcel Osborne. Beyond the announced additions, coach Jonathan “Goose” Helton said it “looks like” veteran defender Jeff Silverman, who won a title with the Spiders in 2014 and played four seasons with the Growlers between 2017 and 2023, will be returning to San Diego.