By Dan Weber
NKyTribune sports reporter
With the Arena Football One debut of the Kentucky Barrels Sunday at Truist Arena (5 p.m.) against the Michigan Arsenal, here’s a look at the final Barrels’ roster, the season home schedule and a quick explanation of the rules of Arena One football.
In its second season, AF1 will feature this matchup of two brand new franchises here Sunday.
2026 Home Games (times subject to change):
• April 12 – Michigan Arsenal at 5 p.m.
• April 19 – Oceanside Bombers at 5 p.m.
• May 3 – Nashville Kats at 3 p.m.
• May 17 – Beaumont Renegades at 3 p.m.
• June 13 – Oregon Lightning at 7 p.m.
• June 27 – Albany Firebirds at 7v
Kentucky Barrels 2026 roster
(Number, name, college, arena/NFL (if applicable), hometown)
Quarterback:
• 7 Dalton Oliver Kentucky Wesleyan N/A Central City, KY
• 2 Shea Spencer Keiser U. N/A Vero Beach, Florida
Wide receiver:
• 17 Jalin Marshall, Ohio State, New York Jets, Middletown, OH
• 6 Darius Prince, Albany/Billings, Eagles, McKeesport, PA
• 3 Dezmon Epps, Idaho, N/A, Sacramento, CA
• 15 Jeremiah Taylor, Shepherd U., N/A, Upper Marlboro, MD
• 9 Shiloh Flanagan, Southwest Kansas, Storm, Sioux Falls, SD
FB/LB
• 35 Vince Dileo, Delaware Valley, N/A, Philadelphia, PA
• 18 Justin Foster, Clemson, N/A, Shelby, NC
Offensive line
• 50 Jamezz Kimbrough, Central Michigan, N/A, Homewood, IL
• 56 Terrence Ames Jr, Virgina U. of Lynchburg, N/A, Sicklerville, NJ
• 77 Melvin Hollins, Jackson State, N/A, Jackson, MS
• 66 Noah Buttiglierri, Delaware, N/A, Westminster, MD
• 71 Ryan Johnson Sr, Youngstown State, New England/Tampa Bay, Cleveland, OH
Defensive line
• 5 Zeke Rose, West Virgina, Baltimore, Clarksdale, MS
• 0 Joe Golden, Oregon State, N/A, Colorado Springs, CO
• 8 Sidney Houston Jr, Ball State, N/A, Cahokia, IL
• 11 Geemontae Peck, Davenport U./Cincinnati Taft HS, N/A, Cincinnati, OH
Defensive backs
• 1 Joe Powell, Cleveland Arena/Lehigh Valley/NY Giants, Buffalo Portsmouth, VA
• 13 Mike Lee, Kansas, N/A, New Orleans, LA
• 4 Cedric Thomas, Fayetteville State, N/A, Liberty Township, OH
• 10 Jalen Wilson, Kentucky Wesleyan, N/A, LaGrange, GA
Injury reserve
• Francis “Solo” Tusa, Friends U., N/A, Rancho Cucomonga, CA
• Eldridge Tre Dockery III, Kentucky State/North Carolina Central, N/A, Chicago, IL
• Jalen Phelps, Eastern Michigan, N/A, Powder Springs, GA
Head coach
• Cedric Walker
Quick history/rules for AF1 football
Arena Football Inventor Jim Foster created the concept at the time he was the promotions man for the NFL. He conceived arena football while watching an indoor soccer match at Madison Square Garden in 1981. While at the game, Foster wrote his idea on a 9 x 12 envelope, with sketches of the field and notes on game play.
Arena Football distinguishes its game with its own proprietary “rebound nets” in a game that began with “IRON MAN” football with players playing offense and defense for the entire game. The AF1 Premier Season in 2025 maintained the original DNA of Arena Football while maintaining player safety with offensive and defensive players in a game these rules.
Rebound nets
Each net section spans 30 feet wide and 32 feet high, with a nine-foot wide crossbar connecting the nets. Balls off the nets are live and in play. Most often, you will see the ball live off the nets on kickoffs, but they can be used to field missed field goals and pass plays as well. Catching the rebound allows players to kick-start the action.
The nine-foot crossbar is 15 feet off the ground and used for field goals, extra points, and the “deuce” (more on that later). Kicking is an integral part of the AF1 game with games won or lost on the kicker’s performance.
Walls
The high-density foam-padded walls are 48 inches high and called “dasher boards” as a key factor in the Arena game creating the boundary of the playing field. However, like the nets, a ball can be played off the wall as players fly into them, over them and onto the walls. Keep alert if you are sitting at field level.
A player is only considered “out of bounds” if hit into the wall. However, a player can make a catch by going over the wall, and so long as they make contact with the wall on their way out of play and maintain possession.
Scoring
For the 2025 AF1 Season, we will use the following scoring and values.
Touchdown: 6 Points
Point After Touchdown: 1-point kick, 2-point conversion from the two-yard line
Field Goal: 3-point kick (4 points for a drop kick)
Deuce: 2-point kick if the kickoff goes through the uprights
Safety: 2 points if the offensive player is tackled in their own endzone
Players on the field
Each team will have eight players on the field at a time. On offense, this consists of three receivers, one fullback, one quarterback and three offensive linemen. One offensive lineman may report as an eligible receiver each play and be designated as the tight end. All three receivers, the fullback, and the tight end, may be eligible receivers on any play.
Defensively, the eight players consist of three defensive backs, three defensive linemen, one Mac linebacker, and a Jack linebacker. The linemen must rush straight ahead and may not run stunts or twists at the line of scrimmage. On each play, the Mac linebacker will be the linebacker closest to the line of scrimmage and must line up opposite the tight end. The Jack linebacker covers the tight end and can move wall to wall in coverage. Neither linebacker may move beyond five yards downfield in coverage.
AF1 has decided not to mandate players play both ways. That does not mean that there will not be players who do play both ways. Some will, it’s just not mandated.
Motion man
There will be a man in motion on every offensive play. The High Motion Man can get a running start toward the line of scrimmage before the snap and as long as he doesn’t cross the line of scrimmage, he is onside. A running start puts pressure on the defense and lets the offense bring some speed to the field and makes for a challenging matchup for the defense.