One of the league’s most prestigious franchises, the Hamburg Sea Devils, finished the season with a disappointing 2-10 record.

The Hamburg Sea Devils were runner ups in the ELF’s first two seasons, falling just short in the 2021 and 2022 championship games. In 2024, led by head coach Matt Johnson, the Sea Devils embarked on a North German tour, playing several home games across Hannover, Bremen, and Lübeck. 

Injuries and QB carousel hold back the offense

Offensively, the Hamburg Sea Devils finished the season in the bottom third of the league ranking and finished 12th in scoring. Quarterback Javarian Smith started the first five games of the season, throwing for 5 touchdowns and averaging 228 yards a game. He was however replaced in Week 7 by De’angelo Fulford. The change didn't yeld much success, as injuries to receiver Jarvis McClam and others held back the team's big play potential.

Some young stars did shine with the additional playing time, such as running back Lucas Harding Candido and receiver Jakob Neugebauer who was the League’s MVP of Week 4.

Defense struggles against talented Western Conference

Defensively, the team ranked second to last in points allowed as they weren’t able to stop some of the talented offenses in the stacked Western Conference. Injuries to imports Lee Pitts and Caleb Mills also hurt the team's chemistry in the secondary. 

One bright spot on the defense was Zaire Ugapo out of New Zealand who made 50 tackles, 4 sacks, and 9 tackles for a loss.

A new direction for 2025

Now the team looks to get back to the playoffs, signing Shuan Fatah as their head coach. Fatah has one of the best resumes of any coach in the ELF with NFL Europe experience and several championships at various levels. As well as being the German National team coach. 

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