Who are your UFL Head Coaches for 2025

[Vamanos_Brahmas]

We see a lot of griping about coaching and talking about changes.  Also consider that the UFL was floating about reducing coaches pay for next season.

With that in mind, here are the current head coaches.  Who do you think returns, doesn't return, or is let go?

Arlington - Bob Stoops
Birmingham Stallions - Skip Holtz
D.C. Defenders - Reggie Barlow
Houston Roughnecks - Curtis Johnson
Memphis Showboats - John DiFilippo
Michigan Panthers - Mike Nolan
San Antonio Brahmas - Wade Phillips
St. Louis BattleHawks - Anthony Becht

Note on Wade Phillips, he's on the second year of a two-year contract with the XFL.  I'm sure his salary was the highest in the XFL.  I hope he returns, but if they cut salary as they're talking about, I don't know if he will want to come back.

So, with all that, which coaches do you think jump at the chance for what the UFL is willing to pay?
 

[4th&long]

With that in mind, here are the current head coaches.  Who do you think returns, doesn't return, or is let go?

Arlington - Bob Stoops
Birmingham Stallions - Skip Holtz
D.C. Defenders - Reggie Barlow
Houston Roughnecks - Curtis Johnson
Memphis Showboats - John DiFilippo
Michigan Panthers - Mike Nolan
San Antonio Brahmas - Wade Phillips
St. Louis BattleHawks - Anthony Becht

 

This is a really good question.  Tough to answer with out knowing exactly what they are paying and planning but here goes

Arlington - Bob Stoops   (50/50 - he would like to stay per recent post game BUT salary may be factor)
Birmingham Stallions - Skip Holtz (80/20 - he stays as USFL probably paid less than XFL anyway)
D.C. Defenders - Reggie Barlow (70/30 - likely stays unless UFL decides a change is need, but likely not )
Houston Roughnecks - Curtis Johnson (65/35 - likely stays, but some changes will be made - his team never gave up )
Memphis Showboats - John DiFilippo  (5/95 - he's gone, UFL needs to reinvigorate Memphis or new city, either
Michigan Panthers - Mike Nolan (80/20 - stays unless they really go cheap, USFL likely is not over paying is UFL lower?)
San Antonio Brahmas - Wade Phillips (this yr May be swan song -  he's 76 not a fit 70's ether and that salary you mentioned)
St. Louis BattleHawks - Anthony Becht (75/25 - Is there a market for Becht?  if so he may leave on own or if pay drops; but I think he stays))

[GregParks]

The reduction in salary for next year throws a wrench into things because you just don't know who's okay rolling with that and who's not. 

Keep in mind, to my knowledge, neither the USFL nor XFL has ever publicly fired a head coach for performance reasons. We'll see if that continues. I'd say the most likely to go for that reason is CJ Johnson, but he was 5-5 just one year ago with the Gamblers so maybe that buys him another season.

Colleges should be banging down Skip Holtz's door to hire him, but the problem is all those jobs are filled at this point. Maybe something opens up in the fall after a coach gets canned? The timing of the league isn't great for coaches. Either they get hired by a college or pro team right before UFL training camp, leaving the team and league in the lurch, or they resign in the summer and hope something opens up for them in the next hiring cycle. I'm thinking of someone like Anthony Becht, who has aspirations to climb the ladder in the coaching ranks. 

Wade Phillips has looked older and more tired this season, not just on TV but in media calls as well. To be fair, he is 76, but he used to be one of those youthful geezers. At some point, age catches up to us all and the grind gets to be too much. 

[Vamanos_Brahmas]

Honestly, I think they try and keep the top four "names" that have been put to pasture by the NFL and NCAA collectively, If they still want to coach.  It's bad form to churn the entirety of the head coaches.

Who I'd expect they try to bring back are Bob Stoops, Skip Holtz, Wade Phillips, and Anthony Becht.  

It's hard to see them pull from college coaches considering that they're usually higher paid... Even a G5 head coach like Jeff Traylor (UTSA) gets paid millions.  

I can't find information for this season, but in each league's prior seasons, USFL coaches were paid between 50-100k and the XFL was paying in the low six figures... XFL coaches were told that salaries would decrease after that first contract, so I'd expect them to fall to the USFL figures.  

This leads to prospective coaches being older coaches that were put to pasture as I said above, who are financially well off and still want to coach to teach players, and up and coming assistants who are looking to cut their teeth as a pro head coach and get their own experience down to audition for the limited number of coaches in the CFL and NFL.

That last bit doesn't sound too likely as both leagues are loath to hire new people, willing to take on retreads (no matter how bad they are).  That's what's so frustrating.  

[slammer66]

Cutting coaches pay won't work well.    Inflation is kicking everyone hard in the gut and these guys don't really have a home.   They spend the season in whatever hub city the league is using that year and although I'm sure many expenses are comped.   they all have homes and families to maintain somewhere and homes and families cost $$$.   Inflation doesn't hurt NFL players,  SEC head coaches,   many politicians,  CEO's.  They are above it all.  but no one in the UFL is above it all unless they came into the game wealthy  (stoops possibly)    I don't' think Skip came into this game from a bell Aire mansion.

But speaking of wealth.   Funny story.  I was in Green Bay WI for a packer game many years ago.  Brett Favre was at the height of his career.  He was easily the highest paid player on the team.   The day before the game we went to the stadium.  They had a gated fence and the players and coaches cars were all in there.  People would gather outside that gate and sometimes they would stop as they left and sign a few autographs.   Some assistant coaches  pulled out,  most of them drove normal cars.   then the players started leaving.   The vast majority were driving those Cadillac escalade SUV's that were all the rage at the time.  They were dolled up too with chrome and stuff.  Then Favre comes out,  in an old beat up pick up truck.  

Favre was brilliant the following day taking out the Seahawks.

[BattleHawks]

That must have been before he was caught stealing 5 million dollars from charity.

[XFL Crusader]

That must have been before he was caught stealing 5 million dollars from charity.

Welfare isn't charity. 

Take a positive view. That welfare money was spent on something useful for once. 

[XFL Crusader]

The reduction in salary for next year throws a wrench into things because you just don't know who's okay rolling with that and who's not. 

Keep in mind, to my knowledge, neither the USFL nor XFL has ever publicly fired a head coach for performance reasons. We'll see if that continues. I'd say the most likely to go for that reason is CJ Johnson, but he was 5-5 just one year ago with the Gamblers so maybe that buys him another season.

Colleges should be banging down Skip Holtz's door to hire him, but the problem is all those jobs are filled at this point. Maybe something opens up in the fall after a coach gets canned? The timing of the league isn't great for coaches. Either they get hired by a college or pro team right before UFL training camp, leaving the team and league in the lurch, or they resign in the summer and hope something opens up for them in the next hiring cycle. I'm thinking of someone like Anthony Becht, who has aspirations to climb the ladder in the coaching ranks. 

Wade Phillips has looked older and more tired this season, not just on TV but in media calls as well. To be fair, he is 76, but he used to be one of those youthful geezers. At some point, age catches up to us all and the grind gets to be too much. 

I doubt Holtz wants a return to college football. I think he enjoys coaching hungry players without dealing with NIL and the transfer portal. 

[GregParks]

Stoops spoke on his future today, per Anthony Miller: 

"Right now I am, but who knows what it's going to look like. Our contracts go through the end of June, and then after that, we'll see what it's looking like for the following year. I hope to, but you just never know what the whole structure is going to look like. If it works and fits my life, then yes, and if it doesn't, then maybe not. We'll see."

https://www.si.com/fannation/ufl/ufl-ne ... ufl-future


 

[4th&long]

Stoops spoke on his future today, per Anthony Miller: 

"Right now I am, but who knows what it's going to look like. Our contracts go through the end of June, and then after that, we'll see what it's looking like for the following year. I hope to, but you just never know what the whole structure is going to look like. If it works and fits my life, then yes, and if it doesn't, then maybe not. We'll see."

https://www.si.com/fannation/ufl/ufl-ne ... ufl-future





 

He said similar at the Post game or was next day.  But he's being consistent.  The league will need to make decisions.  I'm not convinced Stoops is getting the league the desire atttention.  If they bring him back, they'll likely want more pr type events from him

Like he said before - i think he likes it, sounds like all things being equal he wants back.