Inside The UFA: Atlanta's Newest Receiver, Vegas Announces First Signings, Tidbits


February 4, 2025
By Ian Toner

As far as we know, Alec Wilson Holliday’s signing was the first engagement to involve a UFA player negotiating with prospective teams with the help of an agent—former Empire coach and UFA champion Charlie Hoppes.

Of course, Atlanta’s leadership is happiest to have brought 2024’s goals leader and the league’s all-time leading goal scorer (Cameron Brock) to fill the offensive holes left by the retirements of Bobby Ley and Hustle legend Matt Smith.

“I am expecting to slot into Atlanta's already dynamic offense,” Wilson Holliday said. “I don't think I will be scoring 60 goals again, but best believe I will still try! Let’s just say [coach] Tuba [Benson-Jaja] is excited to unleash the new AWH on the league [...] I am expecting to win with this 2025 Hustle team. They are a group that has been knocking on the door of Champ Weekend since I've been in the league, and I'm looking to help them cross that threshold.”

Still, it’s fascinating to imagine what this development could mean for the future of UFA free agency, player negotiations and more.

“When I launched Charlie Hoppes Ultimate Coaching & Consulting (CHUCC), I intentionally kept the suggested services broad,” Hoppes told me last week. “I knew I would be working with players, coaches and teams, supporting them as they develop and strengthen for the 2025 versions of themselves. But I opened it up to more than that by kind of saying, ‘Are you someone at all involved with ultimate? Do you have any problem or project relating to ultimate? Call me!’ So I was certainly hoping to have some creative, out-of-the-box things to work on with folks. But even with all that said, I was shocked and delighted when Alec called. I've been a sports fan my whole life, and since most of my favorite teams have been very bad, the hot stove season was often the most hopeful and exciting part of the year for me. So I immediately agreed to be his agent, and then spent the next few days learning about what a sports agent should be for their client. It has been a thrilling project to work on with Alec, and I know we are both thrilled with the outcome.”

“I had no prior relationship with Charlie, I knew of him and his time coaching the Empire, but beyond that there was no real connection,” Wilson Holliday said. “I saw he started an ultimate consulting business, and I just reached out to see how he could help me, and boy did he deliver! It started off as just weekly check-ins once I had talked to teams and I would update him on my thoughts. Then once I was overwhelmed and forgetting conversations I had, Charlie stepped in and would basically talk for me. He connected me with new GMs and coaches of potential landing spots, and made sure I was prepared for my meetings and calls with the teams. He had a higher insight on the play style of teams around the league, as really the only film I study is teams within the south division, it was harder for me to envision myself on another team outside the south. 10/10 would recommend Charlie as any player agent looking for a new team.”

“For most of the past two decades, I've been on the other side of recruiting,” Hoppes explained. “Identifying players who are good fits on the field and with the existing personalities, and then working to convince them why the team I'm coaching is a great fit for them. That experience certainly helped me as I worked with Alec.”

“I had discussions with 10 teams around the league,” Wilson Holliday added. “Of those 10, I got into serious negotiations with Atlanta, Austin, Colorado and Salt Lake–any of which I think would have been a great landing spot on and off the field.”

Bighorns Building With UFA Veterans

In the days before their first official tryout, James Shorey and the Vegas franchise made two major announcements: they’d signed UFA finalist and big man Joel Clutton, and veteran Matt Bode would be the first coach in Bighorns history.

“I liked the ideas about trying to build something up and grow the community in Vegas,” Clutton explained. “It’s definitely going to be a challenge and a lot of experimenting. We are definitely looking more towards growth than immediate results. Frisbee has been a really good community for me and I’m excited to try and give some mentorship to some of the players down here. The team is probably going to make me switch into some roles I haven’t had on previous teams so I’m looking forward to that as well. A few buddies have joked around saying it must be a sign to keep playing since I keep moving to places that get expansion teams. Should be fun to be back on the field.”

Bode competed in six UFA seasons with five different franchises, and he captured a U-23 gold medal with the U.S. men’s team just before his pro career began.

“I caught wind that a team was forming, and since Tim DeByl and I have a poker background together, I mentioned I could be of help,” said Bode, who lives in Eastern Washington but has been playing poker full time since 2020 and spends time on the Strip regularly. “I’m approaching this with a very realistic mindset. We’re starting from the ground up and will need to build the program step by step. Resets, a system, training, you name it. With solid coaching and a focus on the basics and fundamentals, I’m confident we can compete with anyone in time.”

With Clutton atop the depth chart and Bode at the helm, Shorey has experienced foundational pieces in place. The challenge ahead of them will be fleshing out the roster with (and developing) complementary talent that can compete with the rest of the West.

Coast To Coast

  • The New York Empire have signed former Sol star Oliver Fay and former Phoenix O-liner Dmitry Suvorov. 
    • “To me, they’re [New York] still the best team in the league,” Fay said on February 2. “They invest the most into their players and franchise and I want to be a part of that investment [...] I feel fine leaving the Sol [...] I feel as though the franchise took a step down and I want to move on to better things [...] I want to be one of the top block-getters on the D line and be able to make plays at the end of quarter situations.” 
      • “[Ben] Jagt and Antoine [Davis] reached out and recommended connecting with Oliver, so I sent him a text and we hopped on a call,” Empire General Manager Matt Stevens said. “It was an easy chat as we both were interested in the same outcome and envisioned the same role: a versatile defender who averages around a block per game and is an impact player on the counter attack. We played Oliver in the 2023 semifinal, so we already knew he could ball. Interestingly, the conversation from our returners was how great of a teammate and person Oliver is. Oliver’s positive and energetic attitude was apparent on our call and we are looking forward to the impact he has on and off the field.”
    • Suvorov joins the Empire after four seasons with Philadelphia. He led the team in goals in 2024 with 26 and his 97.69 percent completion rate was best among Phoenix offense regulars.
      • “Even with his selfless play style, Dmitry nearly doubled his completions, plus/minus and hockey assists last year on around the same number of points as 2023,” Stevens said. “Dmitry coaches with multiple teams and has a high ultimate IQ. Combine all this and you get a player who should fit into the roster nicely wherever he is slotted.”​​
  • World Games champion Khalif El-Salaam has relocated to San Diego and attended Growlers tryouts in January, but he has not committed to any franchise for 2025 as of press time. “It’s the local tryout,” he said to me via text. “Gotta pop my head in. No formal comments.”
  • According to Troy Holland, nothing is set in stone for his 2025 UFA plans. “I’ve had casual conversations with some of the Seattle folks (some of which are Cascades players) just to establish some relationships in the city, but there hasn’t been any serious talks about plans,” Holland said.
  • Some Summit updates from Head Coach Tim Kefalas