Our own XFL insider Mike Mitchell has been digging deep over the last several months to find out what is going on behind the scenes with the XFL. Terrell Buckley and Reggie Barlow‘s names were on the XFL head coaching rumor mill and eventually came out to be true, though not official from the league yet.
Now Mike has revealed other rumored XFL head coaching candidates, including the potential return of two former XFL coaches.
Bob Stoops
In February of 2019, Stoops came out of retirement and was named head coach/general manager of the Dallas Renegades. The team went 2 and 3 before the league was shut down. He was the big splash the new league needed for football fans to take notice of the return of the XFL. Stoops was a coaching legend at the University of Oklahoma. He retired from the Sooners in 2017.
Wade Phillips
Phillips was head coach of the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, and Dallas Cowboys. He is also thought to be one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL. He was DC with seven different NFL franchises through his long coaching career.
Rod Woodson
Woodson played 17 seasons at safety and cornerback in the NFL, mostly with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He won a Super with the Baltimore Ravens in 2001 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in 2009. He coached with the Raiders for several years, and this would be his first time as a head coach.
Hines Ward
Ward is another former Pittsburgh Steelers who could join the XFL’s coaching rankings. He played all 14 seasons at wide receiver with the Black and Gold and is the team’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yardage, and touchdown receptions. He has some coaching experience with the Steelers, Jets, and in college with the Florida Atlantic Owls. This would also be his first time as head coach.
Anthony Becht
The former TE played for the New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals, and Kansas City Chiefs. He was the tight ends coach of the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football in 2019. He would be the third XFL coach with no head coaching experience.
Other names rumored;
Jon Kitna
The former QB for the Seattle Seahawks also played with the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, and Dallas Cowboys. He is currently the head coach at Burleson High School in Texas. He was part of the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff and coached at other High Schools in Washington, Texas, and Arizona.
Marc Trestman
Trestman would be the second former XFL coach to return. He was the Tampa Bay Vipers head coach. The Vipers went 1 and 4 before the league shut down.
Trestman coached for Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and won consecutive Grey Cup as head coach of the Montreal Alouettes in 2009 and 2010. He was also named CFL Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2017. His only stint as head coach in the NFL was with the Chicago Bears for two seasons in 2013 and 2014.
This means former XFL head coaches like June Jones of the Houston Roughnecks, St Louis BattleHawks favorite Johnathan Hayes, and LA Wildcats Winston Moss are looking like they will not return.
Mitchell has stated that he has heard these names from several sources, but these could change until the pen hits the paper.
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St Louis Battlehawks
Battlehawks WR Gary Jennings Signs with Birmingham Stallions
4th&long
April 7, 2022 at 10:26 pm
MP/MM,
This is a much need boost after the new logo Thud and unexciting first 2 HC’s. We’ll see which come true and which ones don’t. Of course the XFL could just be tryng to create buzz ahead of USFL launch – I’m sure they are. Either way some solid names on that list.
Woo Man
April 9, 2022 at 6:44 am
I feel it’s a mistake to say goodbye to NYC. The NY area has so many places.The USFL Generals are in NJ, the XFL could’ve had a team in Long Island, Brooklyn, or Manhattan.Heck, even a team in CT would be considered to be from the Tri-State area and wouldve received a lot of love from fans in NY and NJ!! If Anthony Becht does indeed turn out to be a coach, I’ll automatically root for his team based on the NY Jets connection. Right now the league is starting to feel very much like a regional league with heavy emphasis on the South.