photo by: AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jason Bean (12) rolls out out of the pocket looking to pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Cincinnati.

A new franchise in the United Football League has gone heavy on Lance Leipold-era Kansas football players in constructing its roster.

The Louisville Kings, who will kick off their inaugural season against the Birmingham Stallions on Friday at 8 p.m. at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky, feature three recent former Jayhawks: quarterback Jason Bean, offensive tackle Earl Bostick Jr. and defensive end Jereme Robinson.

This will be the first season of professional spring football for each of the three players.

Bean, the starting quarterback for KU who threw six touchdowns in its 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory, entered the pros as an undrafted free agent with the Indianapolis Colts in 2024. While a member of the Colts, he was selected by the UFL’s Memphis Showboats No. 1 overall in the league’s 2024 draft, but he remained in Indianapolis until he got cut at the conclusion of the 2025 preseason. The Showboats disbanded in the fall of 2025 and were replaced by the Kings, and Bean was assigned to their roster in January.

Bostick, a former tight end who played for three different KU coaching staffs and started at left tackle in 2021 and 2022, went to the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent following the conclusion of his career with the Jayhawks. He battled injury during his brief stint in Dallas and was waived in the spring of 2025. The Stallions reportedly picked him up last fall, but Louisville selected him in January’s draft.

Robinson was not a UFL draft pick but instead signed with Louisville at the start of March. KU’s former longtime starter at strong-side defensive end, an all-conference honorable mention in 2024, had an interesting introduction to the pros when he was signed and released by the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles over the course of his first few months in the NFL. Now he’ll take the spring route.

It’s worth noting that Louisville could have had a fourth Jayhawk, as it also drafted wide receiver Kwamie Lassiter II, who played for Memphis last year. He didn’t make the Kings’ final roster, but multiple articles from outlets that cover the UFL suggested Lassiter was dealing with a training-camp injury and could potentially rejoin the team down the line.

While not all of the nine former Jayhawks selected back in January made it to opening day — JB Brown (Columbus Aviators), Kyron Johnson (DC Defenders) and Lonnie Phelps (Houston Gamblers) were also released at various points this spring, while Mello Dotson went on Houston’s retired list earlier this month — several others will also be in play beyond Louisville.

Tight end Mason Fairchild is expected to return for a second season with the Defenders, while center Mike Novitsky, formerly of the Seattle Seahawks, is on the Dallas Renegades. The Renegades also feature defensive end Darrius Moragne, an earlier former Jayhawk who is a spring football veteran at this point, having played in UFL predecessors like The Spring League and the United States Football League.

Lawrence native Amani Bledsoe, a defensive end who attended Oklahoma, will play for the Stallions this season.