ELF: 2024 Frankfurt Galaxy – A Roster Breakdown
By Michael Voitek
The Frankfurt Galaxy had a great regular season with a 10-2 record, but the season ended with a disappointing playoff run. The 2021 ELF Champions will look to return to glory in 2024 and have made some great additions to do so.
Let’s break down their roster.
They have 63 players on the roster, with four American import and six European imports.
Offense
Quarterback
The biggest offseason acquisition comes in the surprising signing of Luke Zahradka. Playing for the Milano Seamen, Zahradka lit up the ELF last year, finishing 3rd in passing yards and 4th in touchdowns. He will have plenty of talent to work with and fits perfectly with this team.
Running Back
A signing to really get The Standing Purple fired up is former NFL running back Sandro Platzgummer (New York Giants). Platzgummer joins Thomas Fischback forming a truly dynamic duo behind Zahradka.
Wide Receiver
The team may have lost a great receiver in Reece Horn, but they gain an absolute star in Markell Castle.
Castle had a whopping 97 catches, 1500 yards receiving, along with 17 touchdowns last year. Just an insane stat line. I foresee a lot of Zahradka to Castle connections this upcoming year.
They also have Kevin Kaya. Kaya played for the Grey Cup winning Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League and is a large target at 6’3 who can go up and pin-point the ball.
Offensive Line
On the offensive line the Galaxy will be led by returning starter Yannick Kiehl and former Division I starter and CFL player Steven Nielsen. Nielsen, who is from Denmark, is an absolute giant at 6’8 300 pounds and should help this powerhouse offense run efficiently.
Defense
Defensive line
Defensively up front, the team is led by Latvian DE Karlis Brauns, who had 8 sacks last year for the Galaxy.
A guy to watch out for is Jos Cremers. Cremers played football in America at Hobart College and will need to aid Karlis Brauns with the departure Sebastian Silva Gomez.
Linebacker
At Linebacker, the Galaxy have lost their top tackler in Wael Nasri, but signed former Barcelona Dragon Hugo Dyrendahl. Dyrendahl can be a top tackler in this league and at only 24 can become even better. Louis Achaintre is a player to look out for amongst these linebackers.
Defensive back
The defensive backfield will no doubt be led by two Americans in Jamalcolm Liggins and Divine Buckrham. Liggins had five interceptions last year for the Galaxy, while Buckrham added three for the Tirol Raiders.
In addition the Galaxy have brought in versatile Brandon Butler who played for the Prague Lions last year.
Wrapping up
The Galaxy are absolutely stacked on offense. I’m talking almost unstoppably stacked. My questions lie in the defense, where they got weaker at nearly every position. The loss of Tony Anderson, Wael Nasri, and Sebastian Silva Gomez are huge, but there’s a chance this offense will score enough points that teams won’t be able to keep up.
Offseason Grade: A-
