Another team just on the cusp of the playoffs (7-5), the Thunder will try to improve and make their push into the playoffs

QB – Donovan Isom – standing at 6’5 Donovan is quite the presence. A recruit to Utah who eventually transferred to Texas Wesleyan, Donovan should bring some great leadership to the Thunder. He has played in Europe the past two years and has had some great seasons. Look for him to lead the charge.

RB – After losing the number two rusher in the league from last year (Jacques Crawford), the Thunder will have to rely on 21-year-old, Albert Wiesigstrauch, to lead the rushing attack. This will be an area to pay attention for them.

WR – They have one of the best wide out corps in the league according to Americanfootballinternational.com. They have Robin Wilzeck (local product) who scored a TD every third catch last year. Then they signed Max Zimmerman , another German with outstanding playmaking abilities. In the German league, he had almost 1000 yards last year. Then, their big signing was Aaron Jackson, who led the German league last year with 1,300 yards and had a try out with the Arizona Cardinals this year. Jackson played D-III football at St. Benedictine in America and has been killing it overseas since 2019. Look for this trio to be the difference makers.

O-Line – The team that had the second leading rusher last year will bring back a lot of their front line. Laurence Cornwall-Baptiste looks to lead the charge. They signed Felix Lepper, who played well for the Leipzig Kings last year as well. They’re thick with 4 guys over 300 pounds. Look for them to move that line forward.

D- Line – This is where they can cause fits for opposing teams. Kyle Kitchens at Defensive end led the entire league in sacks (16) and tackles for loss last year (33.5) and was the defensive player of the year for the second year in a row. He was the all-time sack leader at his D-II school in Georgia. An absolute disruptor for this team. The team also added Emil Hovde who played college ball in the States at Mercer University. He will play on the other side of the line and make opposing QB’s not know which way to turn.

Linebackers – Paul Seifert (local talent) and Ludwig Myren (Swedish) were 8th and 9th in tackles last year and will be coming back this year. Look for them to play a big part in the Thunder’s defense.

DB’s – led by Alex Spillum this is an interesting unit. Spillum was a two-time third team all-Sun Belt at Coastal Carolina and had summer reps with the Bucs and packers in the NFL before winning a German cup in Europe. He’s a great ball tracker and hard hitter at safety. The rest of the defensive backfield will be an older group looking to make a name for themselves but look for them to rally behind Spillum. Look for Arne Gehrt and Moritz Theile to make a name for themselves this year.

I think the Thunder are a playoff team this year. They have talent all over the field and adding another edge rusher makes it difficult for teams to decide who to block when passing the ball. They could really dominate on defense and have a solid offense.