The Houston Roughnecks released defensive lineman Jake Hlava as part of the first wave of cuts in the United Football League on Sunday. The Roughnecks (then the Gamblers) signed Hlava as a free agent on December 16, 2023.
Jake Hlava is six foot three and weighs 251 pounds. The 27-year-old from Batavia, Illinois, made one tackle in one preseason game for the Ottawa Redblacks in 2023. Before Ottawa, Hlava attended the Toronto Argonauts training camp in 2022.
Collegiately, Hlava played three seasons at Northern Illinois (2015-17) playing four games for the Huskies with no stats recorded. Then, Hlava transferred to Grand Valley State (2018-21) with 91 tackles (40 solo, 50 assists), 26.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 34 games for the Lakers. Hlava was a two-time Academic All-GLIAC performer.
