17 Former Utes, Cougars, Aggies Highlight Stallions’ Final Roster

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A total of 17 former stars from the Beehive State have officially made the team as the Salt Lake Stallions announced their final roster ahead of their inaugural season.

The team will begin play Feb. 10 against Arizona and play their first home against Birmingham on Feb. 16.

They will play their home games at Rice-Eccles Stadium and be coached by former Utah offensive coordinator Dennis Erickson.

“I’m very happy with the way our roster came together.” – General manager @RandyMueller_

Read 📰 https://t.co/w0kB5GM43R pic.twitter.com/b5fBB8vt13

— Salt Lake Stallions (@aafstallions) January 31, 2019

Here’s the list of former stars from Utah, BYU and Utah State who are slated to suit up for the Stallions:

Former Utes

Dres Anderson

A former deep threat wide receiver for the Utes, Anderson enjoyed several years in the NFL, mostly on the practice squad, for several teams. He had stints with the San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, Washington Redskins, Indianapolis Colts, and Dallas Cowboys.

Matt Asiata

A former star at Hunter High, Snow College and the University of Utah, Asiata played five seasons for Minnesota, where he was the primary backup to NFL star Adrian Peterson.

Kaelin Clay

Although Clay is infamous for dropping the ball just short of the end zone in Utah’s 2014 loss to Oregon, Clay has gone on to have a successful professional career. In 2015, he was signed to the Baltimore Ravens’ active roster from Detroit’s practice squad. A couple weeks later, he returned a punt for a touchdown while playing on Monday Night Football. He also enjoyed stints with the Buccaneers, Panthers, Bills and Giants.

The journey begins in 11 days.

LET’S GOOOOOO
🎫 https://t.co/E1XyFNY89s pic.twitter.com/0cZ5cyfdH2

— Salt Lake Stallions (@aafstallions) January 30, 2019

Anthony Denham

After a brief and limited career at Utah, where caught two touchdowns from 2011-13, Denham went undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft. He spent time on the practice squad for the Texans, Eagles and Cardinals.

Tenny Palepoi

A former star at Skyline, Snow and Utah, Palepoi played four seasons for the Chargers after going undrafted in 2014. He finished his NFL career with the Bills in 2018.

Gionni Paul

After transferring from the University of Miami and starring at linebacker for the Utes, Paul went undrafted and received an invite to training camp with the Cincinnati Bengals. He later went on to sign with the BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes of the CFL.

Jeremiah Poutasi

After leaving Utah following his junior year, Poutasi was drafted in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans, where he spent one season. He played in a couple game for the Jaguars, before ending his NFL career on the practice squad with the Rams and Broncos.

FULL ❄️ STEED ❄️ AHEAD pic.twitter.com/5NEr61MArV

— Salt Lake Stallions (@aafstallions) January 30, 2019

Sealver Siliga

After earning honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference honors for the Utes in 2009 and 2010, Siliga was undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft. After grinding away on practice squads for the 49ers, Broncos and Seahawks, Siliga earned a spot with the New England Patriots and started in Super Bowl XLIX, which the Patriots won.

Trevor Reilly

Reilly was named a first-team All-Pac 12 selection after a stellar 2013 season for the Utes. He was drafted in the seventh round by New York Jets in 2014 and spent two seasons there before moving on to play for the Patriots and Dolphins

Salesi Uhatafe

After earning second-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2017, the former Utah offensive lineman went undrafted in the NFL Draft.

Former Cougars

Tanner Balderree

The former BYU tight end had a minicamp invite with the Cleveland Browns after a successful career at BYU where he had 15 catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns.

Micah Hannemann

After his career at BYU ended, Hannemann was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent. After being waived by the Browns, he was briefly picked up by the Los Angeles Chargers.

We ready to ride.

Are you? pic.twitter.com/mhArYVYuzO

— Salt Lake Stallions (@aafstallions) January 29, 2019

Tuni Kanuch

Kanuch, not only starred at BYU, but also played his high school ball at Bingham High. He started every game at right guard for the Cougars in 2017.

Jordan Leslie

After playing with BYU in 2014 after transferring from UTEP, Leslie bounced around on practice squads on the Vikings, Jaguars, Falcons and Titans before being promoted to the active roster for the Browns. He made one catch in the 2017 season before being released later in the season. He finished his NFL career on the Broncos’ practice squad.

Handsome Tanielu

One of the Stallions’ first signings, Tanielu starred at Snow College before coming to BYU. Following his playing days for the Cougars, he had an NFL minicamp invite with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Former Aggies

Will Davis

Following his career at Utah State, where he earned first-team All-WAC honors in 2012, Davis was drafted by the Dolphins in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He was traded to the Ravens in 2015 and then signed by the 49ers in 2017.

Anthony Williams

After two seasons at Utah State, Williams signed a rookie deal with the New England Patriots in 2017.