The Louisville Kings released defensive end John Pius on Saturday according to the UFL Transactions page.
John Pius is six foot two and weighs 230 pounds. A native of Arlington, Virginia, Pius attended the Cleveland Browns rookie minicamp in 2025. The Louisville Kings signed Pius on February 9, 2026.
Collegiately, Pius spent four seasons at William & Mary (2020-23) with 171 tackles (86 solos, 85 assists), 40.5 tackles for loss, 24.5 sacks, three pass breakups, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in 38 games for the Tribe.
In 2022, he was named First Team All-CAA, CAA Defensive Player of the Year, All-American Sophomore Team by HERO Sports, and First Team All-American by the Associated Press, the AFCA, Stats Perform, Athlon, Walter Camp and Phil Steele Magazine after finishing the season with a career-high 72 tackles (43 solos, 29 assists), 19 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, and three pass breakups in 13 games. He finished second in voting for the Buck Buchanan Award, which honors the national defensive player of the year in the FCS.
In 2023, Pius was named First Team All-CAA, VaSID First Team All-State, Second Team All-American by Stats Perform, and First Team All-American by FCS Football Central and Phil Steele after finishing the season with 53 tackles (19 solos, 34 assists), 16 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in 11 games.
Then, he transferred to Wisconsin in 2024 with 21 tackles (11 solos, 10 assists), 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in 12 games for the Badgers.
