Fehérvár Enthroners build foundation despite tough 2025 campaign

The Fehérvár Enthroners finished their 2025 European League of Football season with a 1-11 record that didn’t fully reflect the progress made under new head coach Mark Ridgley. While the single victory came in a dramatic Week 13 upset over the Berlin Thunder, the Hungarian franchise showed noticeable improvement throughout the season that should provide optimism for their future in the league.

Quarterback carousel challenges offense
The Enthroners struggled to find consistency at football’s most important position, cycling through three different quarterbacks throughout the season. Brock Domann opened the season and threw for 985 yards and 9 touchdowns, while Brett Pullman joined the team after four games and added 835 yards and 4 scores. Homegrown talent Máté Hegedűs contributed 811 yards and 8 touchdowns, showing promise for the local development program. This instability under center made it difficult for the offense to establish rhythm, though they still managed to rank seventh in passing yards per game with 220.25.

Cole’s spectacular breakout season
The team’s improvement coincided with the midseason addition of receiver Jon Cole, who emerged as one of the league’s most dominant offensive weapons. In just nine games, Cole amassed an incredible 1,147 receiving yards while scoring 12 touchdowns and ranking as the ELF’s third-best receiver. His consistency stood out with six 100-yard games, and his dominant performance against Berlin—12 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown, plus a key fumble recovery—earned him the ELF‘s Comeback Player of the Year award and provided the explosive plays the offense desperately needed.

Clear areas for improvement
Despite the late-season progress, significant weaknesses remained throughout the roster. The Enthroners fielded the league’s second-worst rushing attack at just 69.1 yards per game and struggled in the red zone, ranking third-worst in efficiency. Their -12 turnover margin ranked among the league’s worst, consistently putting the defense in difficult situations. Defensively, they ranked sixth-worst against the pass (239.5 yards/game) and third-worst against the run (182.1 yards/game), while generating minimal pressure with just 17 sacks all season.

Building toward 2026
The challenge for Fehérvár becomes retaining impact players like Cole while addressing clear roster deficiencies. Improving both the offensive and defensive lines should be priority number one, along with establishing quarterback stability. The dramatic victory over Berlin proved this team can compete with anyone when executing properly—now they must build on that foundation to become more consistent contenders in whatever form the ELF takes next season.