Reggie Barlow Remains With New 'United Football League'; Limited Options For HBCU Players
HOUSTON – 2024 brings in the new year and new football league. The newly announced United Football League resulted from the XFL and UFL merger. Only eight football teams in two conferences, USFL and XFL, will compete in the UFL's inaugural season, which will kick off on March 30, 2024. Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson made the announcement on ESPN's College GameDay Built by The Home Depot.
The new conferences are as follows:
- USFL Conference: Memphis Showboats, San Antonio Brahmas, Michigan Panthers, St. Louis Battlehawks
- XFL Conference: Birmingham Stallions, Arlington Renegades, Houston Roughnecks, D.C. Defenders
The D.C. Defenders head coach, Reggie Barlow, is a former HBCU head coach at Alabama State and an alumnus of the Hornets. He will be joined by Skip Holtz (Stallions), Bob Stoops (Renegades), CJ Johnson (Roughnecks), John DeFilippo (Showboats), Wade Phillips (Brahmas), Mike Nolan (Panthers), and Anthony Becht (Battlehawks).
Curtis Johnson and Barlow are the two black head coaches in the league. Last season, Barlow guided the D.C. Defenders to the 2023 XFL Championship Game. Unfortunately, the team lost 35-26 to the Arlington Renegades, making his bid to become the first black head football coach from an HBCU to win a championship fall short.
Johnson was the Houston Gamblers head coach, but the new league rebranded the Gamblers into the Roughnecks. After Hines Ward's resignation last week, Wade Phillips moved to the San Antonio Brahmas from his former position as coach of the Roughnecks.
HBCU football players will have limited opportunities, with only eight teams compared to 16 combined teams of the XFL and USFL. The Spring leagues were great developmental training grounds for HBCU players with professional leagues, leading to several players being signed by NFL squads.
The UFL will have a 10-game regular season starting on Saturday, March 30, 2024, with a battle of the 2023 champions: Birmingham Stallions (USFL) vs Arlington Renegades (XFL). Players will report to training camp in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday, February 24, 2024.
Tickets for the upcoming season are on sale now. Season Ticket Members with money already in their account for 2024 will have the first opportunity to select their seats once a stadium location is announced. Visit www.theufl.com to learn more.
