The United Football League announced the coaching staffs of its eight teams on Wednesday, revealing a list of veteran head coaches and those newer to the profession.
Bob Stoops, who led Oklahoma to a national championship, will coach the Arlington Renegades, and former NFL head coaches Wade Phillips and Mike Nolan will helm the San Antonio Brahmas and Michigan Panthers, respectively.
“We have assembled an excellent roster of head coaches, coaching staffs, and player personnel executives to lead our athletes,” said Russ Brandon, the CEO and president of the spring league in a statement. “We want our players to continue to chase their dreams and provide them every opportunity to unlock their potential both on and off the field. By providing our athletes with high-level experienced professionals in every area of their football experience (coaching, athletic training, performance science, player development), we hope to assist these talented young men in achieving their goals.”
The UFL was born out of a marriage between the XFL and USFL and begins play March 30.
Stoops is returning to the spring leagues, having led the Renegades to the XFL title in 2023. Phillips coached the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL last season, and Nolan is returning to the Panthers.
Also back is Skip Holtz with the Birmingham Stallions, who won back-to-back USFL titles with the team in 2022-23. Reggie Barlow returns to the D.C. Defenders, where he was the XFL coach of the year last season. And Anthony Becht, who led the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL, remains with the team.
C.J. Johnson, who coached the USFL’s Houston Gamblers last season, stays in the city as head coach of the Roughnecks. John DeFilippo, the coach of the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers, will lead the Memphis Showboats.
“The depth of knowledge and experience these coaches bring to the table is incredible and speaks to the high caliber of talent the UFL set out to assemble for the 2024 season,” said Daryl Johnston, head of football operations. “The impact they will have on our players will go beyond X’s and O’s.”
Among the assistant coaches in the league are Gregg Williams, the former head coach of the Buffalo Bills, who will lead the defense of the D.C. Defenders; former Syracuse and UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni, the linebackers coach in Memphis; 2000 NFL All-Pro La’Roi Glover, the defensive line coach in St. Louis; and ex-NFL quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, the offensive coordinator with the BattleHawks.
–Field Level Media
