The Houston Roughnecks released defensive back Ja’Von Hicks and placed tight end Woody Brandom on the injured reserve list on Wednesday according to the UFL Transactions page.
Ja’Von Hicks is six foot two and weighs 210 pounds. The 23-year-old from Cincinnati, Ohio, made 12 tackles (9 solo, 3 assists) in four games for the Houston Roughnecks in 2024. The Roughnecks signed Hicks as a free agent on January 20, 2024.
Before Houston, Hicks attended the Atlanta Falcons rookie minicamp and later signed with the Edmonton Elks and was placed on the practice squad in 2023.
Collegiately, Hicks played five seasons at Cincinnati (2018-22) with 197 tackles (107 solo, 90 assists), 4.5 tackles for loss, ten interceptions for 189 yards, one touchdown, 21 pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and seven fumble recoveries in 60 games for the Bearcats. He was named Second Team All-AAC in 2022.
Woody Brandom is six foot five and weighs 260 pounds. The 27-year-old from Corona, California, made one catch for 11 yards in four games for the Houston Roughnecks in 2024. The Roughnecks drafted Brandom in the 2024 UFL Dispersal Draft.
In 2023, Brandom made four catches for 50 yards in ten games, of which six were starts for the New Jersey Generals. The Generals drafted Brandom in the 34th round (271st pick) in the 2022 USFL Draft. In his first season, Brandom had 11 catches for 129 yards in ten games, of which nine were starts.
Collegiately, Brandom played one season at Montana State in 2016 as a defensive lineman with 14 tackles (6 solo, 8 assists), 3.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks in eight games for the Bobcats. Then, he transferred to Riverside Community College in 2017 with eight catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns in nine games for the Tigers.
After Riverside, Brandom transferred to Sam Houston State (2018-19) with 37 catches for 419 yards, and one touchdown in 23 games for the Bearkats. In his final season, Brandom had 24 catches for 314 yards and one touchdown in 12 games.
