Break Glass in Case of Emergency: Who Each UFL Team May Turn to if an Interim Head Coach Is Needed
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It’s been a wild week in the UFL leading up to week one, with threats of a player strike looming and two head coaches stepping away from their teams. In D.C., Reggie Barlow took the Tennessee State head coaching job and will eventually take most of the Defenders staff with him. Quarterbacks Coach Shannon Harris was promoted to head coach for the season. Newly-hired Ken Whisenhunt won’t even get to coach a game for the Memphis Showboats: He left the team for personal reasons and it’s unclear when or even if he’ll return. Offensive Line Coach Jim Turner will lead the team in Whisenhunt’s absence.
Which brings us to the idea for this column: What would the other teams do if head coaches left with little warning, either to accept another job, for personal reasons, or something else? Who would be called upon to replace them? I went through each remaining team and suggested an obvious candidate and a dark horse candidate that could be considered by league management, which by the way, likely already has contingency plans ready to go for each team in case something like this happens.
Arlington Renegades
Obvious choice: Jay Hayes (Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach)
The brother of former St. Louis Battlehawk head coach Jonathan Hayes, Jay has tons of NFL coaching experience and has worked for a few years under Bob Stoops, another defensive coach. Hayes will call defensive plays for the Renegades this season, though he could hand over play-calling duties to Pass Game Coordinator Marvin Sanders, as the two will likely work closely on game planning each week. Because they virtually share defensive coordinator responsibilities, it would cause less disruption to that process than other play-callers would face when being elevated to interim head coach (which likely played a part in two position coaches being promoted in D.C. and Memphis rather than coordinators).
Dark horse: Jonathan Himebauch (Offensive Line Coach)
A longtime offensive line coach, Himebauch played in NFL Europe and the original XFL. So his alternative football ties run deep, something that could help him relate to the rest of the roster. He’s also been a high school head coach and was an assistant head coach in the CFL, both experiences that would help prepare him for this moment. He’s been at a number of college and pro stops with the ability to soak up knowledge from a wide range of head coaches, allowing him to meld together a number of philosophies in order to create his own as the leader of a team.
Birmingham Stallions
Obvious choice: Corey Chamblin (Defensive Coordinator)
Elevated to defensive coordinator from safeties coach when John Chavis stepped away from the team mid-season last year, Chamblin has been a head coach in the CFL. The former NFL defensive back was was even named CFL Coach of the Year in 2013. His time as head coach makes it more likely the transition would be smooth and the learning curve would be less steep. It would also increase the likelihood he’d be able to continue to call defensive plays in addition to running the team.
Dark horse: Mike Jones (Wide Receivers Coach)
With more than 20 years of coaching under his belt - and most importantly, a lieutenant of Skip Holtz with the Stallions since 2022 - Jones has made numerous stops in several leagues, including the original XFL, where he was Galen Hall’s receivers coach with the Orlando Rage. Jones has also been a coordinator at the Division I level of college football. He’d be able to keep the culture created by Holtz going forward, which has been a big part of the team’s success the last three years.
Houston Roughnecks
Obvious choice: Tom Cable (Run Game Coordinator)
This one is so obvious, many believe Cable was planted on the staff by the UFL to succeed Curtis Johnson if the Roughnecks got off to another rough start this season. The reality is, Cable and Johnson were college roommates, so their relationship dates back a long time. Cable is a former NFL head coach and respected offensive line guru whose gruff exterior would at least provide some entertainment value for viewers at home were he to step into the theoretical coaching void in Houston.
Dark horse: Brett Maxie (Special Teams/Defensive Backs Coach)
In order to gain the respect of other players on the team not under your purview as a position coach, it helps to lead one of the better position groups on the team. That’s not terribly easy to find in Houston. The defense was certainly better than the offense last year and kept them in many games until late. Maxie’s unit had accomplished players like Colby Richardson, Markel Roby, and Kiondre Thomas, the latter of whom earned an NFL contract with his play, thanks in part to Maxie’s coaching.
Michigan Panthers
Obvious choice: Marcel Bellefeuille (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach)
Another coach with a long track record north of the border, Bellefeuille’s resume includes leading a number of positions, as well as being head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 2008 to 2011. Taking on the head role would not be overwhelming for him. As would be the potential issue with many of the most obvious candidates, juggling play-calling and head coach responsibilities both during the week and in-game may be too much to ask on such short notice.
Dark horse: Collin Bauer (Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach)
Maybe “dark horse” isn’t the right word: In just a few short years, Bauer has made an impression in the coaching profession, forcing observers of the UFL to take notice. He has all the makings of a future head coach somewhere. Bauer has gotten strong results leading one of the best defenses in the league last year. His CV may be thin compared to others on this list, but if the UFL would want to test him out in a stressful environment to see how he responds, Bauer could be the choice.
San Antonio Brahmas
Obvious choice: A.J. Smith (Offensive Coordinator)
The offensive wunderkind responsible for helping keep alive the Air Raid offense, Smith is one of the more camera-friendly and outgoing assistants in the UFL. Like Bauer in Michigan, Smith is seen as a future head coach somewhere, in part because of how well he appears to relate to his players. Stepping into an emergency situation would give Smith a taste of what it’s like to wear the big headset - and give onlookers an idea to see if he’s ready for that on a permanent basis.
Dark horse: Payton Pardee (Wide Receivers/Special Teams Coach)
The grandson of former Houston Oilers head coach Jack Pardee, Payton, like Smith, is a young coach rising up the ranks in the profession. Pardee only finished college in 2018, after playing receiver for the Houston Cougars. That youth would help him relate to the players on the roster, many of whom would be around his age. Several former XFL management folks are in prominent positions in the UFL and they showed they weren’t afraid to hire younger, less experienced coaches when staffing the XFL for 2023. I have no reason to believe they’d balk at giving a quality coach like Pardee a shot despite his relative youth.
St. Louis Battlehawks
Obvious choice: Donnie Abraham (Defensive Coordinator)
Another up-and-coming coach, Abraham carries with him the bona fides as a player that garners one the ultimate respect from his players. A nine-year NFL veteran, Abraham was a Pro Bowler who picked off 38 passes in his career as a cornerback. Anthony Becht has spoken highly of Abraham and from watching him work in the press box, he has the even temperament needed to lead a team.
Dark horse: Kyle Caskey (Running Backs/Special Teams Coach)
A candidate to replace the NFL-bound Bruce Gradkowski as the team’s offensive coordinator, Caskey has a more extensive coaching background than many of the other assistants on Becht’s staff. He has been an NFL position coach and had success leading the Battlehawks’ running backs room (Jacob Saylors was the top rushing back in the league last year) and special teams unit (all three specialists received looks by NFL teams after the season) in 2024.