The United Football League (UFL) season kicked off Friday evening, seeing a familiar name have a star-making performance in his professional debut.
Former Alcorn State running back Jarveon Howard was the star of the night, helping lead the St. Louis Battlehawks to a 31-6 win over the Houston Roughnecks.
He rushed for 115 yards on 13 attempts, including a 74-yard touchdown while also recording 18 yards on three receptions.
His 115 rushing yards set a St. Louis Battlehawks single-game record and his 74-yard touchdown set a UFL record (that has since been broken) for the longest run in regular season history.
As a team, the Battlehawks rushed for a UFL record 273 yards and gained 460 yards total (second-most in UFL history).
“I saw green I couldn’t give it up.”@XFLBattlehawks‘s @jarveon_howard on his historic 74-yard touchdown run ⬇️@Gatorade pic.twitter.com/EJGjoWlJKy
— United Football League (@TheUFL) March 29, 2025
Howard transferred to Alcorn State in 2022, having previously played three seasons at Syracuse. He spent two seasons with the Braves and was named to the All-SWAC team each season.
This includes the 2022 season, during which he was named SWAC Newcomer of the Year after leading the conference with 1,273 rushing yards.
Upon going undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft, Howard signed as an undrafted free agent with the Green Bay Packers.