With the UFL 2025 season just days away, in a surprising turn, DC Defenders head coach Reggie Barlow left the league to take a head coaching position with Tennessee State University. UFL President & CEO Russ Brandon and UFL Executive Vice President Daryl Johnston have named Defenders Quarterbacks Coach Shannon Harris as interim head coach. But now there is a twist.
As reported by Mike Organ of The Tennessean he will be binging a lot of his staff from the DC Defenders.
Barlow said he will bring most of his staff from the DC Defenders to TSU; most of George’s staff followed him to Bowling Green. Those coming with Barlow to Nashville include former TSU offensive coordinator Fred Kaiss, former TSU quarterback and offensive coordinator Shannon Harris, and former TSU offensive line coach Russ Ehrenfeld.
What is even more interested in Barlow leaving the UFL so close to the season, is he is going into a school that has its own financial problems.
TSU has undergone extensive staff cuts and layoffs while dealing with financial shortcomings and a drop in enrollment. The school is awaiting state approval to repurpose $154.5 million in state funds intended to help steer the school out of its current conundrum.
Barlow, 53, accepted the job fully aware of the school’s financial challenges.
From the optics of this, it looks like a job at a financial struggling Tennessee State University pays better than a UFL head coaching job. We assume all the coaches will be paid year round with full health benefits, something the UFL does not offer its coaches. The Tigers play in in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Did the UFL know this was going to happen? This was from the leagues official press release.
“Coach Harris has the respect of the coaches and players throughout the entire UFL, as well as every coach that he worked with for two decades at the collegiate level,” said Johnston. “When Coach Barlow informed us that he was becoming head coach at Tennessee State, we knew that Coach Harris would be the right person to step in and continue the culture that Reggie Barlow built with the Defenders.”
Barlow Taking His Coaching Staff
In a press conference yesterday, coach Barlow reiterated that he will be taking his DC Defenders staff after the 2025 UFL season saying
as soon as this deal is over with DC.
UPDATE: Tennessee State HC Reggie Barlow confirms any @XFLDefenders staff members joining TSU will be added “as soon as this deal is over with DC.”#UFL https://t.co/sT8QIQDobu pic.twitter.com/sJfHSTcEZ1
— Christian Paolantonio (@CPaolantonio_) March 26, 2025
The DC Defenders will have a new staff after the 2025 season. Will Defensive Coordinator Greg Williams return as head coach? Will Von Hutchens return as GM. It would be great to see DC go out big for the 2025 season and win it all.
But I can’t help but wonder, if the United Football League and its corporate owners worth billions of dollars, paid better, would he not have left.
2 Comments
by Ken Granito
This is good news for the coaches and I feel it was always expected that the league could lose these players and yes it would seem the coaching world, even Tenn State pays better than the UFL. I think the league knows that though. I think they are trying to do the best they can knowing they may have to tweak things along the way. I feel if they mostly build a good thing most people will want to stay, knowing that they will lose some people along the way.
I proposed seeing if Tim Spencer a very respected running back and coach is open to taking the gig in Memphis, but this might be a better fit in DC. Another option would be Kirby Wilson. IF he has it altogether he would be excellent to have as running back coach. He knows running backs better than most and everyone in the DC running back room would be open to what he can bring to the table. He may not be be ready for another HC gig, but I don’t know if he wants to go out like he did. He did a whole lot of good, before his HC experiment. If he is in the right mindset and environment, he might have a lot to share. He would need to remember he is the running backs coach, however.
by 4th&long
TSU is an FCS school, in financial trouble in a NIL world, good luck. Of course they pay all year, its an all year job. Barlow is grabbing these guys because no one else is available this late in 2025.
If money is the primary goal for a coach then a full year gig is a better ticket.
If they are trying to get into FBS or NFL I would argue UFL is a better job. TSU is below the radar in CFB. UFL games are all nationally televised in major networks.
If having a life outside of FB is a goal, you can attract the Wade’s and Stoops etc… This (Barlow) is what would happen with a Horton or AJ Smith that people say “deserve” a HC gig.
Its now reported that Greg Williams will be leaving for the glory of TSU, good luck. It appears the coaches are staying on to get their UFL check thru 6/1 assuming they miss the playoffs. That’s likely the best UFL can hope in order to stave off a meltdown in DC. Hopefully the Ken W absence is unrelated to Barlow or the league.
Barlow really is disrespecting the UFL when stating “as soon as this DC deal is done”; screw him. Losing a division 2 coach who gets a rebound to FCS and doesn’t have a good word for UFL, good riddens. He brought nothing to the table. I’m surprised GW is leaving – maybe he should have been made HC.
One positive: This shows the players that the league has a budget and would rather let go a coach then go broke. Take note UFPA idiots.