Sports Analytics Students Shape UFL Guidelines and Tactics With Their Insights
In a groundbreaking partnership, the David B. Falk College of Sport at Syracuse University worked with the United Football League (UFL) during the 2025 season. Five students from the college were hired to work on various projects, marking the first time an American college or university collaborated with the premier spring football league.
The students, under the guidance of UFL officials including Operations Manager Bryan Kilmeade, Senior Vice President of Technology Scott Harniman, and Vice President of Football Technology Brad Campbell, worked on a range of projects. Their tasks included developing a point after touchdown conversion (PAT) decision chart, exploring onside kick alternatives, and optimising game timing.
One of the standout projects was the creation of a metric called "QB Decision Score" by students Austin Ambler and Danny Baris. This innovative metric aimed to quantify quarterback decision-making based on predicted Expected Points Added (EPA) of each receiver on a play. The UFL officials were particularly impressed with the quick development of this model, which was originally anticipated to take the entire season.
The students' work, including the use of the Sportable tracking device and their presentations, caught the attention of film producer and UFL co-owner Dany Garcia. Their real-world experience working on projects that were actually used and implemented by the league will undoubtedly prove beneficial in their future professional careers.
The partnership between the Falk College of Sport and the UFL extended beyond the football field. Students were available to travel to St. Louis for the UFL's championship weekend in mid-June, where they staffed the Fan Fest Sportable booth and the Tech Suite.
Rodney Paul, Chair of the Department of Sport Analytics at the Falk College, and Francesco Riverso, Director of Corporate Partnerships and External Engagement, played crucial roles in facilitating this partnership. Paul and Riverso were also professors and advisors to Bryan Kilmeade, a former UFL Operations Manager and Syracuse University alum, who was a sport management major in Falk College when the sport analytics program started in 2017.
The UFL's sport analytics students may find their work being adopted by the NFL, as the leagues often discuss rules innovation, technology, and player development. In fact, the students in the Football Analytics Club at Falk College provided data regarding kickoffs, which led to a new kickoff rule that was first used in the XFL and later adopted by the NFL before the 2024 season.
Russ Brandon, UFL President and CEO, is a member of the Falk College of Sport Advisory Board, further strengthening the connections between the two organisations.
Throughout the 2025 UFL season, the students enhanced their technical skills and abilities by learning new techniques to accomplish the projects for the league. Many of their data analysis models were elevated to the teams and their coaches, making a significant impact on the league.
For more information about the partnership between the Falk College of Sport and the UFL, visit the Falk website.
- The data-and-cloud-computing technology was utilized by the students from the David B. Falk College of Sport at Syracuse University during their collaboration with the United Football League (UFL) in the 2025 season, as they developed a point after touchdown conversion (PAT) decision chart and created a metric called "QB Decision Score."
- American football, specifically the sport of football in the UFL, intertwined with technology as the students worked on various projects, such as exploring onside kick alternatives, optimizing game timing, and incorporating the use of the Sportable tracking device.
- The students' work in data and cloud computing for the UFL, including the development of innovative metrics like the "QB Decision Score," may have an influential impact on other American football leagues, such as the NFL, as leagues often discuss rules innovation, technology, and player development.
