The 2023 season was the Philadelphia Stars' second season in the United States Football League (USFL), their second season under head coach Bart Andrus and their first under general manager Michael Woods. With their fourth loss of the season against the Birmingham Stallions in Week 8, they failed to improve on their previous season where they went 6–4 in the regular season. They failed to again qualify for the playoffs and avenge their narrow loss to the Stallions 33–30 in the 2022 USFL Championship Game.
| 2023 Philadelphia Stars season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | National Spring Football League Enterprises Co, LLC, (Fox Sports) |
| General manager | Michael Woods |
| Head coach | Bart Andrus |
| Home field | Ford Field Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (Week 2) |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–6 |
| League place | 3rd in North Division |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Offseason
editStadium plans
editShortly before the completion of the 2022 season, the USFL announced plans to move into two or four hubs for teams to play in.[1] In November, the USFL was reportedly exploring options of having a hub in Metro Detroit, with possible locations being the Eastern Michigan Eagles' Rynearson Stadium and the Detroit Lions' Ford Field.[2]
It was announced that the Stars would be playing their games in the Detroit, Michigan hub at Ford Field. They will share this hub with their North Division rival, the Michigan Panthers.[3]
Draft
editThe Stars clinched the 7th pick in the 2023 USFL draft and hold the 7th pick in every round.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Alfred Edwards | Offensive tackle | Utah State | |
| 2 | 13 | Anderson Hardy | Offensive tackle | Appalachian State | |
| 3 | 21 | Issac Moore | Offensive tackle | Temple | |
| 4 | 29 | Truman Jones | Defensive end | Harvard | |
| 5 | 37 | Earl Bostick Jr. | Offensive tackle | Kansas | |
| 6 | 46 | Jose Ramirez | Defensive end | Eastern Michigan | |
| 7 | 54 | Demontrey Jacobs | Offensive tackle | South Florida | |
| 8 | 62 | Trey Botts | Defensive lineman | CSU | |
| 9 | 70 | Destin Mack | Cornerback | The Citadel | |
| 10 | 78 | Dre Terry | Linebacker | Alabama A&M |
Personnel
editThe Stars, like all other teams, have a 38-man active roster with a 7-man practice squad.[4]
Roster
editQuarterbacks (QB)
Running backs (RB)
Wide receivers (WR)
Tight ends (TE)
|
Offensive linemen (OL)
Defensive linemen (DL)
|
Linebackers (LB)
Defensive backs (DB)
|
Reserve
Rookies in italics
50 active, 12 reserve |
Staff
edit|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
|
Schedule
editRegular Season
edit| Week | Date | Time (ET) | Opponent | Result | Record | TV | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 15 | 4:30 p.m. | at Memphis Showboats | W 27–23 | 1–0 | Fox | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | April 23 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. Michigan Panthers | L 10–24 | 1–1 | FS1 | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | April 30 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh Maulers | L 13–21 | 1–2 | NBC | Ford Field | Recap |
| 4 | May 6 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. Houston Gamblers | L 16–41 | 1–3 | Fox | Ford Field | Recap |
| 5 | May 14 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. New Jersey Generals | W 24–21 | 2–3 | NBC | Ford Field | Recap |
| 6 | May 21 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. New Orleans Breakers | W 16–10 | 3–3 | FS1 | Ford Field | Recap |
| 7 | May 27 | 9:00 p.m. | at Pittsburgh Maulers | W 37–31 | 4–3 | FS1 | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | June 3 | 3:00 p.m. | at Birmingham Stallions | L 24–27 | 4–4 | NBC | Protective Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | June 11 | 7:00 p.m. | at New Jersey Generals | L 33–37 | 4–5 | Fox | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | June 18 | 7:00 p.m. | at Michigan Panthers | L 20–23 | 4–6 | Fox | Ford Field | Recap |
Bold indicates divisional opponent.
Standings
edit| North Division | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | W | L | PCT | GB | DIV | PF | PA | STK | |||
| 1 | (y) Pittsburgh Maulers | 4 | 6 | .400 | - | 4–2 | 177 | 178 | W2 | ||
| 2 | (x) Michigan Panthers | 4 | 6 | .400 | - | 3–3 | 171 | 215 | W1 | ||
| 3 | (e) Philadelphia Stars | 4 | 6 | .400 | - | 2–4 | 220 | 258 | L3 | ||
| 4 | (e) New Jersey Generals | 3 | 7 | .300 | 1 | 3–3 | 187 | 212 | L1 | ||
| (x)–clinched playoff berth; (y)–clinched division; (e)–eliminated from playoff contention | |||||||||||
Game summaries
editWeek 1: at Memphis Showboats
edit| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stars | 7 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
| Showboats | 7 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 23 |
at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium
- Date: April 15
- Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST
- Referee: Bryan Banks
- TV announcers (FOX): Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Mark Sanchez (analyst), and Devin Gardner (sideline reporter)
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
References
edit- ^ "USFL will return for second season, will play in multiple hub cities with no expansion in 2023". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
- ^ "USFL explores Metro Detroit hub for 2023; Eastern Michigan has been contacted". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
- ^ Larsen, James (2023-01-23). "Ford Field Reportedly Set To Host USFL Northern Hub In 2023". USFL Newsroom. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
- ^ "USFL to have a "player selection meeting" on February 22–23". ProFootballTalk. 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2023-02-07.