The 2026 season was one of change for the St. Louis Battlehawks. They ushered in a new head coach in Ricky Proehl as well as a new coaching staff and traded for spring football legend Luis Perez midway through the season. A 6-4 record was enough to push them into the playoffs for the third year in a row before being ousted by the eventual league champion Louisville Kings.
After just one season, Proehl will have to turn around and rebuild his coaching staff nearly from scratch. Offensive coordinator A.J. Smith is now the quarterbacks coach at the University of Colorado. Defensive coordinator Corey Chamblin is a senior offensive analyst at Arizona State. Proehl confirmed to me at the UFL Showcase in Orlando on Sunday that neither Smith nor Chamblin will return, and new coordinators with new schemes will be brought aboard for 2027.
"Blessed to have Corey and A.J. They were tremendous for me," said Proehl. "I'm putting together a new staff and understanding what our philosophy is going to be offensively...and defensively moving forward. Now it's a different skillset defensively, we're changing some things up." Proehl did not mention the names of his new coordinators though it does seem like he has made those hires.
One spot that may not change is at quarterback: Despite currently being in the CFL, Proehl did say he expects Luis Perez back next season. It's not a slam dunk, however. "I know he's got a unique situation in Canada," Proehl said. "But I'm actually preparing (as if) he's not coming back just in case because that's been some sticky stuff in Canada, they can't get out of contracts and stuff like that." The Battlehawks ended the season with Perez, Brandon Silvers and Harrison Frost as its quarterback room. Like Perez, Frost is currently playing in the CFL. (Note: Perez was released by the Toronto Argonauts on November 1, making him a free agent).
That means quarterback is still on the table as a position Proehl and his Battlehawks staff will look at during the upcoming UFL Draft, to be held on Wednesday, November 18. In addition to quarterback, Proehl's focus will be on the trenches. "To me, it all goes back to the front," he said. "Offensive and defensive linemen. You can't have enough of those guys. And that's where it all starts. I don't care how good your skill players are, how good your quarterback is, if you don't have those guys up front that can protect the quarterback or put pressure on the quarterback, you're not going to have success."
Losing Smith and Chamblin not only matters on the field, but also in the draft room. Proehl mentioned how critical those two were in helping him identify players during last year's draft. Despite their departures, Proehl seems to have a clear understanding of where he wants to add to his team during the draft next week.
"...O-Line, D-Line and quarterback are the positions we're going to address."