NTX UNLIMITED 8 MAN CONTACT SEASON PREVIEW

Seven Teams. One Championship. A New Era Begins.

The wait is over.

Tomorrow, NTX Unlimited officially kicks off its newest 8 Man Contact season, and with seven teams entering the battle, there is no shortage of storylines heading into Week 1.

There are defending champions looking to cement their place at the top. Former playoff teams looking for redemption. Newcomers hoping to shock the league. And one free agent squad trying to prove that last season's Cinderella run was no fluke.

The question heading into the season is simple.

Who is ready to make a run?!

Three teams enter the season with championship expectations. Three more are stepping into 8 Man Contact for the first time. And one familiar roster is hoping its recent success carries over into a completely different style of football.

Here is the official NTX Unlimited 8 Man Contact season preview.

THE HEAVY FAVORITES

PROSPECTS

The defending champions are back, and they may be even better.

Prospects enter this season with something every team wants and nobody can take away from them: a championship.

After winning the 8 Man Contact championship last season, Prospects are back with a loaded roster and their sights firmly set on another trophy. This would be their second championship since joining NTX Unlimited.

Leading the charge once again is quarterback Brandon Closner, who will have an embarrassment of talent surrounding him.

Corey Webb. Marquis Hedge. Tavoris Smith. Marty Williams. And plenty more.

From top to bottom, this roster appears to have very few holes.

Their offense has weapons at every level. Their defense has the personnel to make life difficult for opposing quarterbacks. Their depth gives them options that most teams simply do not have.

That is what makes Prospects so dangerous.

There is no obvious weakness to attack.

Now comes the difficult part.

Can they handle being the team everyone wants to knock off?

Can they avoid the complacency that sometimes comes with defending a championship?

And perhaps the biggest question of them all...

Can Prospects run the table?

The talent is there, the experience is there.

The championship pedigree is CERTAINLY there! 

Now they have to prove it all over again and go for their THIRD NTX Unlimited 8 Man title! Something that has only been done twice in its history. (Knights, Raiders).

THE REJECTS

From semifinalists in 5 Man to legitimate championship contenders in 8 Man.

The Rejects are making the jump from 5 Man after a semifinal appearance, and if their new roster performs the way it looks on paper, they could quickly become one of the biggest problems in the league.

Quarterback Fred McDonald leads the charge, and this version of The Rejects looks built specifically to take advantage of 8 Man football.

Their offensive line should be one of the biggest strengths on the roster, giving McDonald the time and protection needed to operate.

On the other side of the ball, their defensive backs could have plenty of opportunities to make plays.

Then there is Dee Ward, a player The Rejects will likely depend on heavily throughout the season, coming over from TMTR looking to make an even bigger name for himself and establish his dominance on both sides of the ball. 

And just when you thought the roster was already dangerous, they added the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, L'Derric Leonard, also from TMTR.

Ryan Franklin.

Davion Ferguson.

Tre Taylor.

Dirk Steiger.

Isaiah Stewart.

The names continue to pile up.

The Rejects have the personnel to put together a serious run, and if everything comes together, it would not be surprising to see them sitting right beside Prospects as one of the favorites to win the championship.

The biggest question is whether the pieces can come together quickly.

If they do, watch out.

CHOSEN

Vengeance is on the menu.

Chosen entered the last 8 Man playoffs as the number one seed.

They left after the first round.

That loss is likely still fresh in the minds of Alex Aguilera and company, and now they have an entire season to make sure history does not repeat itself.

Aguilera returns to lead the team, while reigning Offensive Player of the Year Baxter Kirven enters the season looking to remind everyone exactly why he won the award in the first place.

Chosen also added several new pieces, including Noah Bickley, Kevin Dickens Jr., Fish and more.

The talent is there.

The motivation is there.

And unlike some teams entering this season, Chosen already knows what it feels like to be on the biggest stage. They most recently won our 5 Man Open Championship together with a short staff! 

The question is whether they can finish the job this time, in 8 man! 

A number one seed means nothing if you cannot win when the playoffs begin.

Chosen learned that lesson the hard way.

Now they are coming back for revenge.

NEW TO 8 MAN CONTACT

COMPLEXITY

A new challenge. A new style. A new opportunity.

Complexity is coming over from both 5 Man Open and 5 Man Rec, making this their first experience with 8 Man Contact football.

Expectations may be low, respectfully, but that does not mean expectations are nonexistent.

This season is about learning.

It is about understanding the differences between 5 Man and 8 Man football. It is about learning from the teams that have already experienced success in this format. And most importantly, it is about continuing to develop as a football team.

Sometimes the best thing a new team can do is simply survive the learning curve.

If Complexity can do that, they could become a very different team by the time the playoffs arrive.

TEAM TAKEOVER

The newcomers nobody knows much about may be the ones nobody knows how to stop.

Team Takeover is entering its first NTX Unlimited season after playing in other leagues. Historically, coming into NTX from another league has not always translated into immediate success.

But that history belongs to other teams.

Team Takeover gets the opportunity to write its own story. One of the biggest advantages they may have is something every coach wants heading into a new season.

Uncertainty.

Not many of their players are heavily known around the NTX Unlimited scene, which means opposing teams may not have much film, history, or information to use when preparing for them.

Sometimes being unknown is an advantage.

You cannot gameplan for what you do not know.

If Team Takeover can establish its identity early, they could make plenty of noise before the rest of the league figures them out.

NTX ATHLETES

The free agents are back, and they have something to prove.

NTX Athletes is built from players who have found success on other rosters but simply did not have their teams return this season.

Now those players have been thrown together with one common goal.

Make a run!

Putting together a roster is easy, turning that roster into a team is another. That will be the biggest challenge for NTX Athletes!

They have individual talent. They have experience. They have players who know what it takes to win, now they have to figure out how all of those pieces fit together.

And they have a little history working against them.

Last season's 8 Man Free Agent team made it all the way to the semifinals. Those are some big shoes to fill.

Can NTX Athletes match that run?

Or can they go even further?

THE FAMILIAR FACES

TMTR

Cam Whiteside is bringing the momentum.

If there is one player entering this season with plenty of confidence, it is Cam Whiteside.

After putting together an MVP caliber performance in 5 Man Rec, Whiteside is making the transition to 8 Man with one goal in mind.

Keep the momentum rolling.

But Whiteside is not trying to do it alone.

His biggest opportunity this season may be putting the players around him in positions to succeed!

Louis Alexander, who was a Defensive Player of the Year nominee in 5 Man Rec and is looking to carry that defensive momentum into the new season, perhaps the most interesting addition is one that does not even feel like an addition.

Ric Davila is coming out of retirement.

The veteran lineman is returning to help provide strength up front and give TMTR another physical presence in the trenches.

Jose Decruise.

Dillon Johnson.

Sed Copeland.

Clay Hudson.

Cris Sheets.

Jonathan Moyanah.

And more.

TMTR has plenty of familiar faces, plenty of experience, and plenty of players looking to exceed expectations once again.

The question is whether their 5 Man success can translate to the 8 Man game.

If it does, TMTR could become one of the biggest surprises of the season.

The NTX Unlimited 8 Man Contact season starts tomorrow.