The St. Louis Battlehawks signed defensive back Nico Bolden and released defensive back Channing Stribling on Monday according to the UFL Transactions page.
Nico Bolden is six foot three and weighs 208 yards. The 25-year-old from St. Paul, Minnesota, was drafted by the St. Louis Battlehawks in the 2023 XFL Rookie Draft. He was released by the Battlehawks on March 22, 2024.
Before St. Louis, Bolden signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent on May 12, 2023, but was released four days later.
Collegiately, Bolden played three seasons at New Mexico (2018-20) with 47 tackles (31 solo, 16 assists), two tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles in 25 games for the Lobos. Then, Bolden transferred to Kent State (2021-22) with 188 tackles (111 solo, 77 assists), 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions for 28 yards, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 23 games for the Golden Flashes. He helped them win the 2021 MAC East Division.
Channing Stribling is six foot two and weighs 191 pounds. The 29-year-old from Matthews, North Carolina, signed with the St. Louis Battlehawks on March 17, 2024. He made six tackles (5 solo, 1 assist) in three games.
Before St. Louis, Stribling signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He also had stints with the Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Chargers. In 2020, he played five games for the Seattle Dragons (XFL) with 14 tackles, one interception, and three pass blocks before the league suspended operations due to the pandemic.
In 2021, he signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with six tackles in four games. Then, the Philadelphia Stars drafted him in the eighth round (58th pick) in the 2022 USFL Draft. In 2022, Stribling made 16 tackles (14 solo, 2 assists), two tackles for loss, one sack, seven interceptions for 121 yards, and 11 pass breakups in seven games.
In the 2022 USFL playoffs, Stribling made seven tackles (4 solo, 3 assists) in two games leading the Stars to the USFL Championship against the Birmingham Stallions. After the season, Stribling also attended the Washington Commanders training camp and was drafted by the St. Louis Battlehawks (XFL) in 2022 but elected to return to Philadelphia for the 2023 season.
In 2023, Stribling made 13 tackles (10 solo, 3 assists), one interception, one fumble recovery, and four pass breakups in eight games for the Philadelphia Stars. The Stars were not included in the USFL and XFL merger that formed the United Football League (UFL) and Stribling was drafted by the Birmingham Stallions in the 2024 UFL Dispersal Draft but was released on March 10, 2024.
Collegiately, Stribling played four seasons at Michigan (2013-16) with 67 tackles (54 solo, 13 assists), four tackles for loss, one sack, six interceptions for 91 yards, one touchdown, 22 pass breakups, and one forced fumble in 47 games for the Wolverines.
