LB O'Reilly thriving with Battlehawks after long layoff

As the NFL Draft reaches its waning rounds this weekend, the realization to many former college football players that the dream of playing in the league is out of reach.

Some will sign as undrafted free agents in long-shot hopes of making an NFL team’s roster in September. But with studies showing that less than 2% of college players make it to the NFL, those players are more likely to leave with the jerseys on their backs.

One of the chief aims of spring football leagues like the UFL currently is to give players who fell through the cracks a chance to shine on national television and get noticed by NFL teams looking to bolster their roster in time for training camp.

“I think this what this league is about,” St. Louis Battlehawks defensive coordinator Donnie Abraham said earlier this season. “It’s about developing players. 

Callahan O’Reilly is one of those players who are taking advantage of the opportunity. The linebacker has made an impact with the Battlehawks’ revamped defense so far this season. His 12 tackles during St. Louis’ Week 3 road win at San Antonio were more than any game he had in college.

Four weeks into the season, O’Reilly is third on the Battlehawks in tackles with 20.

“It’s been nice to get back on the football field,” O’Reilly said. “The other linebackers have been very welcoming into the room and it’s been fun to play with them.”

O’Reilly finished his collegiate career in the FCS ranks at Montana State in 2022 with First Team All-Big Sky and Third Team All-America honors. He amassed 277 total tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, six interceptions, four forced fumbles, and 11 pass deflections for the Bobcats.

O’Reilly went through the 2023 NFL Draft without his name being called. He was invited to a minicamp by the Chicago Bears but was shortly released.

Unlike this year, the XFL ended its season before the NFL Draft. He got his opportunity to land in the XFL (before the merger) after standing out in an XFL pro-day and later being drafted by the Battlehawks last summer.

Even then, that meant a year and a half away from the gridiron for O’Reilly.

“For me, it was tough because I don’t like to sit around, not really do anything, waiting on phone calls,” O’Reilly said. “I was trying to get picked up by an NFL team after my senior year and then nothing came of it.

“So I moved to Nashville with my brother for five months, crashed in his room, threw a twin mattress in there, served at a local restaurant to pay for my training and pay for my rent,” he continued. “Trained as hard as I could to get ready for the season. Now I’m back to playing ball which is what the goal has been the whole time.”

O’Reilly is not alone. The Battlehawks locker room, much like most if not all in the UFL, is filled with players who treat football as a labor of love and are hungry to chase a future in the NFL. Fellow linebacker Willie Harvey previously played for the Cleveland Browns before the establishment of the Battlehawks. Mike Rose was a camp invitee with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022 and the Miami Dolphins in 2023. Similarly so with Carson Wells with the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots.

“It’s awesome to be around these guys because everyone loves football,” O’Reilly said. “We all want to be at the highest level but this is where we’re at right now. We all love the game, we keep playing and taking advantage of the opportunities given to us. To be around guys with the same mindset and same situation, it’s fun and it’s been great.”

The Battlehawks take on the DC Defenders on Sunday, April 28, at noon in Washington. Both teams are known for having the best atmospheres in the UFL for different reasons.

The Battlehawks, who play in the former home of the St.Louis Rams, attract more fans than any other team in the league, sometimes more than two teams combined on a given week. The Defenders, who play in the small stadium of the local MLS team, have an active crowd who invented the “beer snake” tradition.

“It’s awesome that our team gets to play in St. Louis,” O’Reilly said. “People come out to support you and make the game more fun and energetic. When you’re on the road you just have to love the game and embrace it with your guys and bring your own energy and still have fun out there. Even though you don’t have the packed crowd that St. Louis brings, you still gotta go out there and bring your own fun, bring your own energy and just play ball.”