UFL Co-Owner Mike Repole turns kickers camp into cash competition
UFL co-owner Mike Repole brought a dose of excitement and cold hard cash to the league’s specialist camp in Arlington last week, hosting an impromptu long-distance kicking contest that foreshadowed the dramatic potential of the league’s new four-point field goal.
Putting his money where his mouth is
The competition was straightforward but high-pressure: eight kickers, each representing a UFL team, competing in a last-man-standing challenge. Repole raised the stakes dramatically by pulling $500 from his pocket on the spot—$200 for the winner and $300 for a group dinner for all the specialists. Before the kicks began, he reminded the group that while they compete on gamedays, the UFL is a family, a league that has already launched several kickers like Brandon Aubrey and Jake Bates into the NFL spotlight.
From 50 to 70 yards
The contest started at 50 yards, with six of the eight kickers advancing. Then came the main event: attempts from 60 yards, the new distance that will award four points during the UFL season. Repole played the role of hype man, shouting out dramatic late-game scenarios to simulate pressure. All six kickers calmly drilled the 60-yarders, forcing Repole to push the line back to 65 yards for a winner-take-all attempt.
McCrane wins the day
The only kicker to convert from 65 yards was DC Defenders’ veteran Matt McCrane, who coolly split the uprights to claim the cash prize. The long bomb was nothing new for McCrane, who hit a 58-yarder against the Arlington Renegades just last season. After his win, the entire group lined up for a fun, nearly impossible attempt from 70 yards out. No one made it, including a joking attempt from Repole himself, who shanked his try and laughed it off with the group.
A sign of things to come
The event served as a thrilling preview for UFL fans. If the calm, collected performance from the league’s specialists is any indication, 60-yard four-point field goals may soon become a routine—and game-changing—part of the spring football landscape.
Source: UFL.com
