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Retirements
Longtime TE Darrell Arter retired after 9 years with the organization. He had a long career, none so valuable as the 2022 season where he amassed 1,172 yards on 75 catches. He played in three championship games and won two Super Bowls.

Offensive Coordinator Brian Rouse retired after joining the team mid-season last year. The change produced a lot of positive results for the team at the back half of the season and into the post season.

Early Free Agency

The Arkansas Thrashers were fortunate to pick up some key players during this year's early free agency. While a number of needs existed for the team, none were so big as wide receiver and linebacker. Thankfully, both areas were addressed, and the team plans to add more depth through the draft as well. Here is a full listing of signees:

Antonio Chavez FS/SS Signed from Roswell - A potential starter for the next 5-6 years; smart, great coverage skills, top notch tackling; average speed and acceleration.

Henry Viens WR Signed from Las Vegas - Aging, but still productive; average speed, but excellent catching, B/R avoidance, and route running.

James Morrison OL Signed from Houston - Back up offensive line; above average strength and run blocking, pass blocking leaves a lot to be desired.

John Mills DT Signed from Kaulsdorf - Good speed and acceleration for a DT; above average pass rushing; decent run stopping power; a 3rd down specialist

Robert Jones LB Signed from Ice Cold - Above average speed, acceleration, and strength; great raw athlete; forced four fumbles last season; doesn't have great coverage skills and only modest tackling ability

Everett Garcia OL Signed from Seattle - Moves into the starting Left Guard with Arlie Wilson showing his age. Above average strength and blocking. Undersized.

Jeffrey Oliveros WR/PR Signed from Kansas City - average speed, but solid catching, BR avoidance, and route running. Can help in Punt Return situations as well.

David Lusher RB/FB Signed from Free Agency (released by Ice Cold) - Above average top end speed and strength; lacks burst; has a lot of untapped potential


Michael Martin KR/PR Signed from Free Agency - Brought in as a kick return specialist; not a guaranteed roster spot.

Francis Hockensmith RB/WR Re-signed by Arkansas - RB depth

John Nelson WR Re-signed by Arkansas - Speedy WR; plays outside; the deep threat

2026 Draft

Not too many splashes in this year's draft for the Thrashers. After trading away two first round picks two seasons ago, the team acquired a 2026 first round pick and 2027 third round pick from Indianapolis for Defensive Lineman Mason Saunders. In addition, Arkansas reached a deal with Atlanta to trade away next year's 5th, 6th, and 7th pick for another 5th round this season. It's a gamble that might pay off, but time will tell. Here's a recap of this year's rookie picks:

Eric "Blade" Brooks SS/FS, Texas A&M. 6'1" 209lbs.
With the 21st pick in this year's draft, Blade Brooks was selected to help solidify the secondary. With starting FS Michael Myers slowly deteriorating and seven-year vet, SS Michael Whitby, taking a big step back and being cut at the end of last season, the team needs to grow in a different direction. Brooks has elite speed and acceleration, and his potential puts him as an above average starter if he has a good camp. There is risk here, but Blade was too good to pass up given the need at the position.

Simon Phoenix LB, Portland State. 6'0" 239lbs.
Phoenix has the physical tools to be a quick, rangy linebacker. He didn't put up a lot of bench reps at the combine (18; the average was 25), and he's got good potential, but he is a raw prospect and needs a good camp in order to make an impact in his rookie year.

Sidney Deane LB/DE, Michigan. 6'1" 244lbs.
Sidney Deane was a two year starter at Michigan in a hybrid EDGE position. He's got great burst and is super strong but has struggled at times getting after the quarterback. The coaching staff is considering him to be at right defensive end and possible rotation at MLB for his run stopping ability.

Willie Mays Hayes TE, Boston College. 6'4" 242lbs.
With Darrell Arter's retirement, it was only a matter of time before the team invested in a new TE. The Thrashers run a lot of two man TE sets, so the depth is needed. Hayes will not set the world ablaze with his speed, but has shown his strength in the run blocking game, and flashed a lot of potential in his route running.

John Cutter DL, Texas A&M. 6'3" 283lbs.
Cutter was drafted to be depth on the defensive line and will probably be used to spell starters or ride the pine. He's got the frame to be nose tackle and he has above average strength, but he struggled in college when it came to rushing the middle and making strong tackles. The defensive lineman could be cut if he doesn't have a good camp as a cap casualty. He won't cost the team anything to part ways and doesn't fill an immediate need.

Check back after training camp to see how the rookies progressed!

2026 Training Camp (The Thrasherdome Tribulations)

"The curse continues as another early round player busts for the Thrashers." -- Reporter Newsman, Thrasher Beat Reporter

Booms
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Busts
Eric "Blade" Brooks (-8) took a step back from perennial starter to short term stopgap until next season. His speed and acceleration are the traits that will carry him that much. His coverage skills are lacking and could never just step up to the pro level game.

Meh
Simon Phoenix (+3) showed improvement in his first training camp, but can you call it a Boom when a player goes from a default 64 to 67? He'll still be asked to contribute in zone LB packages and in certain 3-4 looks...out of necessity.

Sidney Deane (+0) just didn't do much to earn a roster spot, but may serve as depth as an edge rusher.

Willie Mays Hayes (+0) didn't have to do much to make the roster, given the need, but will be a career back up in this offense. His blocking and pass catching leave a lot to be desired, but true to form, he demonstrated his route running and raw strength throughout camp.

John Cutter (+0) didn't make much noise either, and can only serve as a backup defensive line. The need isn't strong here, and when roster cuts need to happen, he might be first to get his walking papers.

Quarterly Report

After opening the season on a 4 game road trip and going 2-2, the Thrashers get a 3-game home stretch. The team has worked on some play designs that have yielded mixed results thus far, but Arkansas got to show out against Houston in Week 4.

Injuries have already mounted on the team as well. Stalwart RB Clarence Sorensen opened the season with a knee injury and now has a broken ulna requiring a cast. On top of that, the RB has only amassed 70 all purpose yards this season. Critics see this as the beginning of the end of Sorensen's historic AFC reign. Both starting RG Wallace and RT Regalado will miss a couple of weeks, and the defensive line has been a revolving door of injuries. 8 of the 10 rostered d-linemen carry an injury designation heading into Week 5.

Not all is lost though. League-wide, the Thrashers are 5th in passing yards, 2nd in sacks per game (2.8), and 9th in in Interceptions (1.3). CB Rocky Balboa has generated 13 knockdowns already. Newly signed RB David Lusher has been a nice acquire and should be with the team for years. He's already generated over 300 all-purpose yards in Sorensen's absence.

Next week, Arkansas takes on the 2-2 Colts.

Quarterly Report

The Thrashers improved to 6-2 by Week 8 with a hometown win over the Las Vegas Wraiths last night and have now outscored opponents 171-43 in the previous five contests. Third year QB John Spartan has taken over this team in the absence of the injured RB Clarence Sorensen. Spartan has thrown for 17 TD (2nd) over 2200 yards (4th) with a QB Rating of 95.65 (5th). In addition, newly acquired RB David Lusher continues to impress averaging 4.7 yards per carry, and the defense ranks 1st in the league with 2.6 sacks per game and 3rd in interceptions.

However, not all is sunshine and roses for Arkansas. As mentioned previously, Clarence Sorensen has been nothing short of a disappointment, nursing a plethora of injuries and terrible gameplay when healthy (176 scrimmage yards, 1 fumble, 0 TDs over 2 games). The offensive line has been hard hit with injury bug as well, and in Week 8, starting left guard Everett Garcia was placed on IR with a broken leg. The defense has had a number of injuries as well, but has managed to be productive.

In any case, the following two games will be no walk in the park. First, the Thrashers will travel to the Frozen Tundra and then host the Tea Party the following week. Both opponents are 7-1 and will stand to be the most challenging ones of the entire season. Check back after Week 12 for the next report.

The Thrashers have the second best win record in the AFC (9-3), one game behind division rivals, Boston Teabag Party, and the news is generally positive for the franchise three-quarters of the way through the regular season.

After winning in Wisconsin and at home to Boston, the Real Kayfabe served up a slice of humble pie to Arkansas, forcing John Spartan to throw three interceptions in a very uncharacteristic showing. It was a close game, but one that the players are looking for a revenge match on December 6.

However, the offense continues to roll as John Spartan is on schedule to exceed his yardage total from last year and could realistically hit the 4500 yards / 30 TD threshold while keeping his interceptions below 15. RB David Lusher has all but taken over for Clarence Sorensen this season, but Sorensen has been a minor factor in the last three weeks putting up his first 100 scrimmage yard game of the season. Lusher has already accumulated 1000 scrimmage yards through 12 weeks. Charles Webber and John Nelson have been bright spots in the receiving game and both could get near the 1000 yard mark and currently have 5 TDs each along with teammate, Winston Wolfe.

The defense, however, has been the story of the team this year. DE Max Dicken has gained 6 sacks this season after starting off injured, Michael Cherrito has 5, and the rest of team already has more sacks than the entirety of last season. Mix in some decent secondary play from Rocky Balboa (29 Knockdowns, 2 Int), Vincent Vega (71 tackles, 2 Int), Elliot Spencer (11 Knockdowns, 4 Int), and John Rambo (67 tackles, 8 knockdowns, 2 Int [1 for a TD]), and you've got a defensive unit that ranks 1st in sacks, 4th in Interceptions, and 6th in turnover margin.

Although the winter season is upon us, the rest of the forecast looks pretty downright balmy for the Thrashers aside from the Real Kayfabe as no other team has above a .500 record. Check back at the end of the regular season for the next report.

Quarterly Report

The Thrashers bullied through the last four games of the season, outscoring opponents 221-31. They secured the top seed in the AFC by sliding past division rivals, Tea Bag Party, by one additional game.

Offensively, John Spartan was awarded league MVP with his best stat line of his young career: 4,572 yards, 35 TD, 13 INT, 100.82 Rating. Clarence Sorensen had his sole 100 yard rushing game against Roswell in Week 13 and somehow failed to score a single touchdown in the regular season (a first...and possibly only for him). However, RB David Lusher led the team in rushing, narrowly missing his first 1000 yard season by five yards. There was no thousand yard receiver this season, but TEs Webber and Wolfe (affectionately known as WW2 because of the havoc they create on defensive players) accumulated 1,600 yards between them and 12 TDs.

Defensively, the Thrashers recorded 31 sacks (1st), 19 INT (9th), and 12 Forced Fumbles for the 8th best turnover margin in the league this season. Max Dicken, who opened the season injured, pulled through and managed to gain a team-high 7 sacks and although there was much debate if Dicken would be re-signed, Owner Timothy Thompson awarded his man a healthy 5 year contract hopefully to keep the team's all time sack leader a Thrasher his whole career.

Post Season

Even though the Thrashers locked up the first seed and got the bye, they immediately came back to face off against the Boston Tea Bag Party for the third time this season. The Thrashers came to play, however, and shut them down defensively the entire first half. Although the TBP rallied toward the end, it was Clarence Sorensen who helped put the game away with his first rushing TD in 364 days (you read that right).

Then, Denver came to town for the AFC title game, and things got off to a shaky start. Out of the gate, Spartan threw an interception, but on the next series, Denver fumbled and the Thrashers recovered the ball with good field position and scored their first of five touchdowns. Spatan had an outrageous statline: 26/34 for 347 yards, 4 TDs versus 1 INT. 138.41 QB Rating. Sorensen amassed over 120 scrimmage yards and 2 TDs (4 TDs total in post). The defense also forced a safety and three sacks as well.

Now, the time has come for the Thrashers test their mettle once again in the league championship, against an old foe, the New York Football Giants. This will be the 6th Super Bowl appearance for the Thrashers in 10 seasons, and no matter what, the Thrashers are just happy to be here.

The Thrashers went out to the desert in Arizona and met the Giants in a rematch of Super Bowl 2020. Going into the contest, Coach Mitch Castillo knew that if the team had a chance (especially as 10 point underdogs), the team would have to take away the downfield passing of QB Richard Williams and WR Christopher Taylor. Particularly, the FL Hitches and other 212 formations were yielding approximately 25 yards per play over the last 6 games, so the linebackers and secondary played a lot of zone and flat coverage, adding heavy coverage against the outside receivers. The strategy paid off by forcing three linebacker interceptions, which ultimately would be enough to keep New York in check.

Offensively, John Spartan was just effective enough to keep the ball moving, while MVP honors were bestowed on WR John Nelson who quietly had his best year this season. Nelson scored on two different post routes during the game and amassed 70 yards on 4 catches. However, Clarence Sorensen added another Super Bowl MVP-worthy performance himself with 142 scrimmage yards, 6.0 yards per carry, and the longest catch of the game at 42 yards. It was with his final play, with 88 seconds to go on 3rd and 8, that Sorensen scampered for 11 yards to seal the game.

The Thrashers have now appeared in six championships in 10 seasons (2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2026) and won three (2020, 2024, 2026). Here are the players who have participated in all 6 league championship games: RB Clarence Sorensen, WR Robert Guitierrez, C Edward Davis, DE Max Dicken, and DE Rocky Johnson.