Trio of former Tennessee football teammates win professional championship

It may be the NFL and college football’s off-season, but there’s still been some high-level football being played.

The UFL league wrapped up its 2025 season on Saturday night, seeing the DC Defenders beat the Michigan Panthers 58-34 to claim the title.

Included on the championship winning team were a trio of former Tennessee football standouts.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Defensive back Bryce Thompson, defensive lineman Kyle Phillips and punter Paxton Brooks were all on the Defenders’ roster.

In the title game, Thompson finished with two tackles. Phillips did not record any stats. Brooks didn’t have much action with his team never settling to punt.

For Thompson, this is his first year with DC. This regular season, he produced 30 tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack in nine games. He also broke up three passes.

He played with the Vols from 2018-20. His freshman year, he earned a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team. His junior year, he produced 36 tackles, two tackles for loss and two interceptions. He also returned a punt for a touchdown.

After that 2020 campaign that featured just 10 games, Thompson was invited to the NFL Draft Combine. He went undrafted, but was with the New Orleans Saints from 2021-22.

He was a four-star recruit out of high school and the No. 222 overall player in the 2018 class.

This is Phillips’ first year with the Defenders and in the league. In the regular season, he produced 20 tackles, five tackles for loss and a sack in 10 games.

Phillips played at Tennessee from 2015-18. In this time, he worked his way into becoming a permanent captain in his final season. He played for both Jeremy Pruitt and Butch Jones in this time.

As a senior in 2018, he notched 56 tackles, eight tackles for loss, five sacks and a pick-six. He would go undrafted following the season, but spent time with the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints.

He was a five-star recruit out of Nashville and the No. 32 overall player in the 2015 class.

This is Brooks’ second year with the franchise. He is the punter and kick-off specialist for the Defenders.

This year, he averaged 42.2 yards per punt and downed 11 kicks inside the 20 over the course of 10 games.

Brooks was at Tennessee from 2018-22. He was on roster through the entire Pruitt era and the first two years of Josh Heupel. This meant that Thompson, Phillips and Brooks were all on the 2018 team.

He came on as the primary punter midway through the 2019 season. He served in this role through the rest of his career. He was also a kick-off specialist.

After his career, he earned an NFL Combine invite.