Dubuque Native Gets Another Shot to Realize Football Dreams

After spending the 2025 season out of football, Dubuque, IA native Jack Plummer has found a new home in a brand new league, and is a driving force behind its out-of-the-gate success.

Plummer is now the quarterback for the Orlando Storm, one of three expansion teams in the United Football League (UFL), whose season just got underway three weeks ago. Plummer has helped lead the brand new franchise to a 3-0 start, and he's been one of the best quarterbacks by any statistical measure through the first month of the season.

How a Brief Stint in the NFL Led Jack Plummer to His New UFL Home:

Following the 2024 NFL Draft, Jack Plummer signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers. He proved enough during training camp and a few preseason games to remain on Carolina's practice squad the entire year, behind the likes of Bryce Young and Andy Dalton.

That said, it's a challenge for undrafted quarterbacks to stay on any NFL roster. Plummer was cut by the Panthers ahead of the 2025 season, and spent the entire season in free agency. In January 2026, Plummer was allocated to the Orlando Storm as part of the 2026 UFL Draft, where he would go on to win the starting job.

Jack Plummer's Nomadic College Career:

Jack Plummer had a pretty nonlinear college career. His first opportunity at Purdue lasted three years (2019 - 2021) until he was benched in favor of Aidan O'Connell. From there, Plummer transferred to California for the 2022 season, where he led the team to a 4-8 record.

After Cal, he transferred again, this time to Louisville, where he led the Cardinals to a 10-2 record and a subsequent trip to the 2023 ACC Championship Game against the Florida State Seminoles.

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With the Storm, Plummer has completed a whopping 70% of his passes for 672 yards, married with six touchdowns and one interception for a terrific passer rating of 116.6. There are still seven games to go, but Plummer has helped solidify Orlando as one of the best teams in the UFL.

Read more about Jack Plummer on the UFL's website.