Former Tigers Balling Out in UFL
By: Gavin Oliver May 6, 2026

A couple of former Clemson wideouts are balling out in the United Football League.

Justyn Ross and Cornell Powell both continued to make big plays for their respective UFL squads this past weekend.

Ross led the Birmingham Stallions’ receiving corps with seven catches for 135 yards and a touchdown on nine targets in their 20-17 win over the Orlando Storm on Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

Ross extended Birmingham’s lead to 13-0 with an 11-yard touchdown grab at the 4:18 mark of the first quarter. He recorded 52 yards after catch in the contest, which saw him haul in a 31-yard catch and run for his longest reception of the day.

Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross during pregame of the National Championship Game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on January 13, 2020. (Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider)

Meanwhile, Powell posted three catches for 44 yards and a touchdown on five targets for the DC Defenders in their 24-6 victory over the Dallas Renegades on Saturday at Audi Field in Washington, DC.

Powell put the Defenders up 20-0 with 9:07 left in the second quarter thanks to an impressive 12-yard, one-handed touchdown snag:

Powell’s Defenders improved to 5-1 on the season, while Ross’s Stallions upped their record to 2-4.

Ross has tallied 20 receptions for 312 yards and two touchdowns in five games this season, averaging 62.4 receiving yards per game and 15.6 yards per catch. Powell has registered 19 receptions for 249 yards and his one touchdown over five games, averaging 13.1 yards per catch and 49.8 receiving yards per game.

Ross finished his Clemson career (2018-21) having recorded 158 catches for 2,379 yards with 20 touchdowns across 39 career games (24 starts). The former five-star prospect from Phenix City, Ala., concluded his time at Clemson ranked tied for fifth in school history in career receiving touchdowns, 10th in career receiving yards and 11th in career receptions. In 2021, Ross recorded team highs in receptions (46) and receiving yards (514) while making an inspiring comeback from a career-threatening spinal condition and was named as one of two recipients of the ACC’s Brian Piccolo Award, which is presented annually to the conference’s most courageous player(s).

Powell emerged as a fifth-year senior at Clemson and had a career year in 2020, when he was a third-team All-ACC selection after recording career highs in receptions (53), receiving yards (882), receiving touchdowns (seven), snaps (630) and starts (12). After entering 2020 with 40 career receptions for 329 yards and three touchdowns, he finished his Tiger career with 93 receptions for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdown catches over 54 career games (12 starts) from 2016-20.