by Howie Hanson AF1 Midseason Rock Star players, coaches, cheer teams and facilities: Coach of the Year: Cedric Walker, Kentucky League MVP: Sam Castonova of Albany. Nashville QB Tyler Kulka remains in the running. Best WR: Darius Prince, Kentucky. Second in the league in receiving yards (553), touchdown receptions (12) and receiving yards per game (92.2) Best RB: Shannon…
Month: May 2026
AF1 Fan Zone: Power Rankings – Week 7
Top Four Stay Locked In While Beaumont and Michigan Capitalize on a Chaotic Week Seven weeks into the season, one thing has become undeniable: the AF1’s top tier is remarkably stable. For another consecutive week, the top four teams in the rankings remain unchanged, with the Albany Firebirds, Kentucky Barrels, Nashville Kats, and Minnesota Monsters…
The Numbers Game: Week 8 Preview
Michigan takes some PTO, Washington v. Oregon 3, and some other stuff by Alana Klein What to watch for this week: Controversial hot take of the week If Albany wins, they will have at worst a winning percentage of .583 while Washington, Oregon, and Michigan will have at best the same winning percentage. Basically, this…
AF1 Mid-Season Roundtable
Relive our special AF1 midseason roundtable as some of the top voices in the AF1 community came together to break down everything from the first half of the season and look ahead to what’s next. Scott and Tim from Fan Zone Live! were joined by Adam and Randy from The World of Football and Joshua…
AF1 Weekend Preview: Separation Season Begins
by Howie Hanson The Arena Football One regular season enters another important weekend Saturday with three games carrying playoff implications and added urgency as teams begin separating themselves in the standings. Last week’s results continued reshaping the AF1 race. The Nashville Kats blitzed the Minnesota Monsters 58-28 Friday night at Amsoil Arena, while the Kentucky…
The Numbers Game: Head-to-Head Tiebreakers Coming Fast & Furious
by Alana Klein Three out of the four games this weekend settled head-to-head tiebreakers, helping to determine the #1 seed and the other of which could end up deciding who keeps playing deeper into July. With the season at its midpoint and teams beginning to see opponents for a 2nd or 3rd (or 4th!) time, the head-to-heads…
AF1 Fan Zone: Power Rankings – Week 6
Washington Explodes Up the Board, Albany Makes History, and the League’s Middle Tier Gets Shaken Again Week 6 may not have changed the top four, but it completely reshaped the conversation underneath them. The biggest story of the week belongs to the Washington Wolfpack, who surged four spots after their second straight victory. A dominant…
Welcome to the Numbers Game: Alana Klein Joins AF1 Fan Zone
Hey everyone! It looks like I’m going to be contributing here a little bit, so a little bit about myself and where I’m from… I’m an Albany Firebirds fan who has been a season ticket holder for the past few seasons. I’ve lived in the Albany area for my entire life and a majority of…
Fan Zone Live! with Jared DeGroff, AF1 VP of Marketing and Communications
This week on Fan Zone Live!, we were joined by Jared DeGroff, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the AF1, to talk all things arena football from a league-level perspective. We’ll dive into what’s working behind the scenes this season, how the AF1 is building its brand and growing the game, and what fans…
How Sam Castronova Became Arena Football’s Defining Quarterback
by Howie Hanson Sam Castronova is the best quarterback in Arena Football One. Nobody in the modern arena game combines his production, efficiency, championships, league awards and sustained winning across multiple leagues. The numbers only strengthen the argument. Through his first two regular-season games with Albany this season, Castronova has completed 44 of 65 passes for…