The Dallas Renegades are close to kicking off their first game of the 2026 UFL season and the first in Toyota Stadium as they are set to play the Houston Gamblers.
This season, Rick Neuheisel takes over a talented Renegades team that looks to be the best roster they have assembled on paper. Expectations have never been higher after years of barely getting to .500 or finishing below that.
After practice on Wednesday, Neuheisel spoke with the media to discuss how the preparation has been for the Gamblers and his surprising decision about who would be the starting quarterback for Week 1.
Rick Neuheisel on Week 1 preparation for the Houston Gamblers
There are some teams preparing with no game tape to go off or have plenty of film they can watch, but the Renegades are kind of in between, where Gamblers head coach Kevin Sumlin did it with his Houston team back in the 2022 USFL season, and former Renegades defensive coordinator Marvin Sanders is on the other side doing the game job for the Gamblers. Neuheisel talked about how they are getting ready to play the Gamblers with a general idea of what's going to happen.
"We've got some ideas of what they're going to look like. Obviously, they're like us; they can do whatever they want and make any changes. So we have a lot of ideas as to what we're going to expect. But as is always the case, it's going to get here, and it's going to go so fast. You're going to look back and go, God, I wish I had this ready, and I wish I had that ready. But at the end of the day, it's going to be about execution. Who can, who can do what they practiced and do it to a level that your professionals can stay on the field and score points?"
Practice in the Dallas/Fort Worth area has been mixed, but some unusual heat is coming in, making it feel like summer. Neuheisel shared more about how the players have been doing throughout the week.
"I think we're in good shape. We had a couple of guys that kind of gimped off the field today. We'll keep our fingers crossed that that's not a lingering issue, but, uh, I think we're ready to go. It's kind of hot in the afternoons, and so you just now need to freshen them up and be ready to make sure the next 72 hours are about fresh legs."
Neuheisel is no stranger to head coaching, with decades of college-level experience and, most recently, leading the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football. A lot of his players, though, have different levels of experience, from years in the pros to never taking a snap in any professional league. His message was clear to the players going into Week 1.
"This is always about taking advantage of your opportunity. This is an opportunity league. But it's also an opportunity to enjoy the fruits of football, which are teamwork, you know, making your buddies that are going to be lifelong friends because each of you is committed to this enterprise, and making memories. So we get 10 weeks, it's going to go by in a flurry. Saturday will be here and be gone, and we'll be onto the next game. You got to enjoy it. These are precious, precious opportunities."
Rick Neuheisel on his QB decision for Week 1
Renegades fans were stunned to hear that Neuheisel decided to start Austin Reed over Luis Perez as the quarterback after three years of seeing Perez run out onto the field as the starter. Dallas's head coach shared his announcement with the media.
"Yeah, we're going to start with Austin Reed. He's earned the job. Luis (Perez) has been fantastic, as you would expect. I know what I have in Luis. I want to see what I have in Austin. And I would expect that both will play. And I think it'll be that way all season long because they're both such quality people, and this is an opportunity league. But I'm anxious to watch 16 go."
Reed is no stranger to professional football, as he has been in training camp with the Chicago Bears over the last two years. In his five preseason games, he has completed 69.7% of his passes for 230 yards and one touchdown.
While this will be his first start in the UFL and his first regular season game in professional football, Neuheisel seemed excited to see what his young quarterback would show on the field.
"He's (Reed) got a unique personality. You know, Luis, as you would expect, was disappointed because he's been The Spring King, right? And certainly we know that Luis can play this position and play it well. I want to see what Austin can I think there's some gifts there, some DNA that's ultra-competitive. And if he can channel that and keep his calm and be, you know, within himself, he's got some tools that I think he should be playing on Sundays."
Renegades fans will be interested to see what they have out of Reed, as he has a chance to show the NFL he should be back there. It's also a chance for Neuheisel to show Dallas fans that he made the right decision to go with Reed over Perez.
No one could have thought of this happening, but Neuheisel certainly created some headlines for Week 1 that made it more fascinating to watch when they played Houston.