UFL San Antonio Brahmas

Butler, Speaks and Lovett Named OurSports Central UFL Players of the Week

by Fran Stuchbury
Published on April 30, 2024 under United Football League (UFL)
San Antonio Brahmas


St. Louis Battlehawks wide receiver Hakeem Butler, Michigan Panthers defensive end Breeland Speaks and San Antonio Brahmas running back John Lovett were named the OurSports Central United Football League Offensive Player, Defensive Player and Unsung Hero of the Week, respectively, for the week five of the UFL season.

Butler caught six passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns in the Battlehawks' 45-12 victory over the D.C. Defenders, ending the Defenders' 10-game winning streak at Audi Field. Butler was targeted nine times.

Butler played college football at Iowa State and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round, 103rd overall, of the 2019 NFL Draft. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020 before being selected by the BattleHawks in the fifth round of the 2023 XFL Supplemental Draft. He made the All-XFL team that season.

Butler's 80-yard catch and run from A.J. McCarron put the game out of reach.

Honorable mention goes to Michigan Panthers running back Wes Hills carried 16 times for 82 yards and three touchdowns in the Panthers' 35-18 win over the Memphis Showboats, and to Birmingham Stallions quarterback Adrian Martinez who also used his legs, running for 138 yeards on just nine carries in a blowout win over Houston.

Defensively, Speaks finished with four total tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble in the Panthers' victory. Michigan's defense compiled seven sacks for the entire game.

Speaks played in college at Ole Miss and was drafted by Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft where he grabbed a Super Bowl LIV ring. This is Speaks' second season with the Panthers.

St. Louis Battlehawks linebacker Mike Rose earned honorable mention with eleven total tackles, one interception and one pass breakup.

John Lovett one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winner in the San Antonio Brahmas' 25-15 decision over the Arlington Renegades. For the game Lovett ran 13 times for 95 yards and two touchdowns and added three receptions for 13 yards.

Lovett played college football at Baylor from 2017 to 2020 and at Penn State in 2021. In 2023 he played for the XFL's Vegas Vipers before the Brahmas signed him on January 19th, 2024.

Lovett's score put the Brahmas ahead for good at 21-15.

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