The Houston Roughnecks signed wide receiver T.J. Vasher IV, offensive linemen Noah Atagi and Samuel Jackson, defensive lineman Cedric Wilcots II, linebacker Donovan Manuel, and defensive backs Chester Kimbrough and Tra Fluellen on Thursday according to the X account UFL Analyst. The UFL did not officially make these announcements.
T.J. Vasher IV is six foot five and weighs 210 pounds. The 26-year-old from Wichita Falls, Texas, signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He made two catches for 20 yards in two preseason games for the Cowboys in 2022.
Next, the San Antonio Brahmas drafted Vasher in the ninth round (67th pick) of the 2022 XFL Draft. In 2023, Vasher IV made 16 catches for 173 yards, and two touchdowns in nine games for the San Antonio Brahmas. He was released by the Brahmas on April 8, 2024.
Then, Vasher IV signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on May 8, 2024. He played two preseason games making two catches on four targets for 22 yards. The Ticats released him on June 1, 2024. The Houston Roughnecks signed Vasher IV on July 25, 2024.
Collegiately, Vasher IV played five seasons at Texas Tech (2016-20) making 146 catches for 1,983 yards, 21 touchdowns, eight tackles (7 solo, 1 assist), and one forced fumble in 42 games for the Red Raiders.
Noah Atagi is six foot six and weighs 325 pounds. The 26-year-old from South Ogden, Utah, attended the Chicago Bears rookie minicamp in 2024.
Collegiately, Atagi played six seasons at Weber State (2018-23) playing left tackle 56 games for the Wildcats making one catch for 5 yards, one touchdown, and one tackle (1 solo). He was named a two-time All-American, and a four-time First Team All-Big Sky Conference. He is one of four players to be named First Team four times in Weber State history.
Samuel Jackson is six foot five and weighs 330 pounds. The 25-year-old from Bradenton, Florida, signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent on May 12, 2023. He played three preseason games before the Jaguars released him on August 29, 2023.
Next, he signed with the Ottawa Redblacks on February 1, 2024. He played two preseason games for the Redblacks. Ottawa released him on June 1, 2024.
Collegiately, Jackson played six seasons at the University of Central Florida (2017-22) playing 63 games for the Knights. In 2022, the Knights’ offense had 6,331 total yards, 3,364 yards in passing, 2,967 yards in rushing, and 53 touchdowns. Jackson was named First Team All-AAC by Pro Football Focus and Second Team All-AAC by a vote of league coaches in 2022.
Cedric Wilcots II is six foot three and weighs 249 pounds. The 27-year-old from Dallas, Texas, signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on December 23, 2020. He did not play for the Blue Bombers in 2021. In 2022, Wilcots II made two tackles in ten games before Winnipeg traded him to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on October 4, 2022.
In Hamilton, Wilcots II made two tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble for the Ticats in 2022. He finished the 2022 season with four tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble in 14 games.
In 2023, he played one game while spending the rest of the season on the Ticats practice squad. Wilcots II re-signed with the Ticats on December 19, 2023. Wilcots II played two preseason games making two tackles. The Ticats released him on June 1, 2024. The Houston Roughnecks signed Wilcots II on July 26, 2024.
Collegiately, Wilcots II played four seasons at New Mexico State (2016-19) with 109 tackles (49 solo, 60 assists), 29 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks, four pass breakups, four forced fumbles, and one block on special teams. Wilcots II was a First-Team All-Sun Belt Conference in 2017.
Donovan Manuel is six foot one and weighs 230 pounds. A native of Ellenwood, Georgia, Manuel signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent on May 10, 2024. The Vikings released him on May 16, 2024. The Houston Roughnecks drafted Manuel in the fourth round (26th pick) in the 2024 UFL College Draft.
Collegiately, Manuel played four seasons at East Tennessee State (2018-21) making 232 tackles (118 solo, 114 assists), 17 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, three interceptions for 25 yards, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in 34 games for the Pirates. He was named three-time All-American and two-time First Team All-SoCon.
Then, Manuel transferred to Florida International University (2022-23) making 218 tackles (116 solo, 102 assists), 24 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, six pass breakups, five forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 24 games for the Panthers. He was named an All-C-USA Honorable Mention in 2022.
Chester Kimbrough is six foot and weighs 185 pounds. A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Kimbrough went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Collegiately, Kimbrough played two seasons at Florida (2018-19) making 15 tackles (10 solo, 5 assists) and three pass breakups in 17 games for the Gators. Then, Kimbrough transferred to Michigan State (2021-23) making 85 tackles (55 solo, 30 assists), 6.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, one interception for 62 yards, 10 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in 32 games for the Spartans.
Tra Fluellen is six foot two and weighs 210 pounds. The 23-year-old from Gilmer, Texas, went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. Then, the Houston Roughnecks drafted Fluellen in the second round (10th pick) of the 2024 UFL College Draft. The Roughnecks signed Fluellen on July 25, 2024.
Collegiately, Fluellen played two seasons at Houston Baptist University (2019-20) making 126 tackles (72 solo, 54 assists), 2.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions for 66 yards, 12 pass breakups, one forced fumble, and three fumble recoveries in 16 games for the Huskies.
He was named First Team HERO Sports Freshman All-America in 2019 after making 101 tackles (55 solo, 46 assists), 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions for 28 yards, 8 pass breakups, one forced fumble, and three fumble recoveries.
Then, Fluellen transferred to Middle Tennessee State University (2021-23) making 197 tackles (113 solo, 84 assists), 7.5 tackles for loss, one sack, five interceptions for 79 yards, one touchdown, 16 pass breakups, one punt return for 18 yards, and one touchdown in 36 games for the Blue Raiders.
In 2023, Fluellen made 64 tackles (41 solo, 23 assists), 2.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions for 47 yards, and six pass breakups in 10 games. He was named a two-time All-C-USA Honorable Mention.
