After two abysmal seasons in the first two years of the European League of Football, the Surge bounced back and shocked everyone by making it to the championship game in 2023 under new head coach Jordan Neuman.
Neuman signed a long-term extension with the team after the successful season.
Here is a look at coach Neuman’s roster in 2024.
Offense
Quarterback
Returning at quarterback is Reilly Hennessey, a player with a lot of experience in Europe and a lot of experience under Jordan Neuman. He missed some games last season due to injury, but he was effective under center when healthy. Hennessey really shined in the playoffs, where he threw for 1,097 yards and 11 touchdowns in 3 games against strong defenses. The Surge will be in good hands at the most important position in 2024.
Running Back
Photo: Antoine Buche
At running back, the Surge bring back Nicolas Khandar, a veteran Frenchman who joined the team during last season and became their top running back in the playoffs.
They also still have Kai Hunter, who led the team in rushing yards during the regular season with 352.
Wide Receiver
Darrell Stewart Jr. Photo: @zwenjazwenja
Stuttgart re-signed American receiver Darrell Stewart Jr., who became one of the top receivers in the league after joining the team during last season. In three playoff games, he had a whopping 545 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Also returning are homegrown Louis Geyer and Austrian Yannick Mayr, who both were highly productive receivers last season. The trio of Stewart Jr., Geyer, and Mayr each recorded over 1,000 receiving yards over the regular season and playoffs last season. They have a good case to be considered the top receiving corps in the league.
Offensive Line
The Surge have a sturdy unit up front, led by Alessandro Vergani, an Italian veteran, Sven Fishcer, formerly of the Frankfurt Galaxy, and Luca Jokiel, who was a second-team all star last season.
Defense
Defensive Line
The Surge made a nice offseason signing in Chris Mulumba, a Finnish-born former NCAA Division I player with the Colorado Buffaloes. He spent the last three seasons in the CFL with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. They have also brought in former Hamburg Sea Devil Simeon Okonta-Wariso.
Otherwise, the team’s top returning defensive lineman is Maximilian Dommermuth.
Linebacker
Sasan Jelvani
Stuttgart has multiple talented homegrown linebackers including brothers Sasan and Majan Jelvani and Luis Bach. Sasan Jelvani finished tied for third in the league in sacks last season with 10.5.
They also signed former NFL/CFL fullback now converted to linebacker, Chris Ezeala.
Defensive Back
The Surge have both of their defensive American imports playing in the secondary. Mitch Fettig returns after making 56 tackles and four interceptions last year, and former Auburn Tiger Christian Tutt might immediately become one of the league’s best safeties.
Nick Wenzelberger and Chad Walron, a new signing out of the UK, should also be impact players.
Wrapping Up
The Surge were an elite team last season and did a great job in retaining their key pieces. They should be back in the hunt for an ELF championship this season.