Chris Rowland (born December 19, 1997) is an American football wide receiver for the Orlando Storm of the United Football League (UFL). Rowland played college football for the Tennessee State Tigers. After college, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Rowland also played for the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Stars.
Early life Rowland attended Ravenwood High School for high school. Rowland mostly played in the running back position at Ravenwood. After graduating in 2016, Rowland opted to play for Tennessee State.
College career In the 2019 college football season, Rowland was the only player in Division I to record a touchdown via a kick return, punt return, reception, and rush. He also broke the HBCU record for most receptions in a single season, a record which was previously set by Jerry Rice. For his efforts, he was named first-team all-conference as both a receiver and kick returner and received the Deacon Jones Trophy as the best player at an HBCU.
Statistics Season Team Games Receiving Rushing Kick returns Punt returns GP GS Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD Ret Yds Avg TD Ret Yds Avg TD 2016 Tennessee State 11 3 16 236 14.7 0 14 57 4.1 0 42 992 23.6 0 13 111 8.5 0 2017 Tennessee State 10 3 17 178 10.5 1 19 113 5.9 0 16 312 19.5 0 5 84 16.8 0 2018 Tennessee State 8 8 57 727 12.8 5 3 17 5.7 0 1 37 37.0 0 14 182 13.0 1 2019 Tennessee State 12 12 104 1,437 13.8 8 19 132 6.9 1 15 375 25.0 1 14 166 11.9 1 Career 41 26 194 2,578 13.3 14 55 319 5.8 1 74 1,716 23.2 1 46 543 11.8 1
Professional career
Atlanta Falcons Rowland signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL draft on April 27, 2020. He was waived by Atlanta during final roster cuts on September 5, and was re–signed to the team's practice squad the next day. Rowland was elevated to the active roster on December 26 and January 2, 2021, for the team's Weeks 16 and 17 games against the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Falcons on January 4.
On August 31, 2021, Rowland was waived by the Falcons as a part of final roster cuts.
Tennessee Titans On November 10, 2021, Rowland was signed to the Tennessee Titans' practice squad. He was released by the Titans on November 23.
Philadelphia Stars On March 10, 2022, Rowland was drafted by the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League. He was transferred to the team's inactive roster on April 22, with a shoulder injury. Rowland was transferred to the active roster on April 30.
Rowland was placed on injured reserve by the team on May 8, 2023. He re-signed with the team on October 1. Following the merger of the USFL with the XFL, the Stars folded.
DC Defenders On January 15, 2024, Rowland was selected by the DC Defenders in the second round of the Super Draft portion of the 2024 UFL dispersal draft. He was named to the All-UFL team on June 5. Rowland re-signed with the Defenders on October 7.
On June 2, 2025, Rowland was named to the All-UFL team as a receiver and return specialist.
Orlando Storm On January 13, 2026, Rowland was selected by the Orlando Storm in the 2026 UFL draft.
Career statistics NFL regular season Year League Team Games Receiving Rushing Return yards Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2020 NFL ATL 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 53 26.5 43 0 0 0 Career 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 53 26.5 43 0 0 0
USFL/UFL career statistics Legend League champion Led the league Bold Career high Regular season Year Team League Games Receiving Rushing Kick returns Punt returns GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD 2022 PHI USFL 9 2 21 215 10.2 22 1 3 25 8.3 17 0 4 114 28.5 43 0 — — — — — 2023 PHI 3 1 9 83 9.2 24 1 4 20 5.0 17 0 13 322 24.8 46 0 — — — — — 2024 DC UFL 10 3 20 262 13.1 46 3 4 29 7.3 13 0 45 1,223 27.2 84 1 12 142 11.8 45 0 2025 DC 10 8 42 522 12.4 65T 3 5 40 8.0 18 0 18 393 21.8 38 0 11 114 10.4 17 0 2026ORL1075353010.062T57557.92801337729.06601213211.0190 Career 42 21 145 1,612 11.1 65 13 23 169 7.3 28 0 93 2,429 26.1 84 1 35 388 11.1 45 0
USFL/UFL postseason Year Team League Games Receiving Rushing Kick returns Punt returns GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD 2022 PHI USFL 2 0 5 98 19.6 43 1 5 35 7.0 19 0 2 59 29.5 32 0 — — — — — 2025 DC UFL 2 2 10 87 8.7 32 0 6 53 8.8 19 1 — — — — — — — — — — Career 4 2 15 185 12.3 43 1 11 88 8.0 19 1 2 59 29.5 32 0 0 0 0 0 0
References
External links Tennessee State Tigers bio