Firebirds Friday- Another New Face

OCT 23, 2026 · Alex Pause

It’s Friday! Welcome back to Firebird Friday, and this week Albany has brought in another player for this upcoming season. Free agency keeps moving forward as other teams around the league are also filling out their rosters for an exciting upcoming 2027 season for the AF1.

The New Addition

This week the Albany Firebirds announced the signing of defensive back Noah Hambrick. Hambrick, a DII product from East Stroudsburg in Pennsylvania, is the first defensive back that the team has brought in this offseason. In his time at East Stroudsburg, Hambrick put up solid numbers over the four seasons he played there. In his third year, he posted 67 tackles with three tackles for loss and a sack. He also added an impressive nine pass breakups through the season. In his senior season, the team captain added another 48 tackles and three pass breakups and a fumble forced and recovered.

After this, Hambrick took his talents to the Salina Liberty of the NAL. Last season was a strong season for him in Salina, where he posted 37 tackles, eight pass breakups, and three interceptions in 10 regular season games. He also added another 18 tackles with a forced fumble in the three playoff games that he played. His big standout game for the Liberty was against the Sioux City Bandits on May 23rd where he had two interceptions. Hambrick adds experience in arena football to the secondary, which should give him a leg up on people that are not used to playing this style of football.

The Team

Hambrick now becomes the third defensive player that the team has signed this offseason. He is the first defensive back, joining Khris Walton and Mohamed Diallo on the defensive line. This is a great start in the secondary, as Hambrick will bring experience and leadership to a team looking to go back to the championship.

On offense, the team has a solid foundation with quarterback Joshua Kulka and his four wide receivers in Agiye Hall, Tyrese Chambers, Cam Alves, and new addition Timothy Conerly. The team has some big shoes to fill on the offensive line, especially after Colby Byrd announced his retirement.

Albany is in a good position right now, having eight players on the roster and several important positions filled for the team. It is still early in free agency so watch out for any announcements in the coming weeks to see who will be wearing the orange and black in Albany next season.