As a first-time head coach, Louisville Kings’ Chris Redman began securing his team’s championship run long before the players ever took their first snap. Handpicking his coaching staff, he built a coalition of his Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl teammates, setting the stage for the Kings’ success. Jamie Sharper, Chris McAllister, Tony Banks, and Brad Jackson were his Ravens teammates. Together, they overcame adversity and reached the summit of professional football.
Redman knew with their help, he could fulfill his dream of bringing a championship trophy home to Louisville. Having won a Super Bowl together in 2001, the coaching staff knew what it took to build technique in players and have them play to a level of expertise. Working in concert, they could translate their unique experience and knowledge to bring out the very best in talented young players.
Interviewed by the Lounge Podcast days before the United Bowl, Redman spoke of the advantage of coaching with his former teammates,
”We are having a ball, man. It feels like I'm back in the locker room again. Once you play and bleed and sweat with somebody, you trust them. They're doing an incredible job.”
Jamie Sharper Was The Perfect Choice As Louisville Kings' Defensive Coordinator
Although the Kings endured a rocky 0-3 start with the offense struggling early on, it was evident from the beginning that the Kings’ defense was something special. Under Sharper’s guidance as D.C., the Kings’ defense kept the first three games competitive, providing the Louisville offense the time it needed to figure things out.
Jamie Sharper’s Background
Although he was an experienced spring football coach, Sharper had never been a defensive coordinator before. His most recent role was as the linebackers / special teams coach for the 2025 UFL Championship D.C. Defenders. Before that season, he’d coached the 2023 XFL D.C. Defenders, helping lead the team to the Championship game, where they lost to the Arlington Renegades by a score of 35-26.
Even though he lacked experience in the role, Redman knew he wanted Sharper as his DC. He’d been an NFL linebacker for nine seasons, and together with his previous coaching expertise, Redman was confident that Sharper had the knowledge and ability to relate to the young players.
Setting the Tone and Expectations For The Louisville Kings
Sharper credits Redman with putting a great staff together and rallying the troops for an incredible run after starting the season off 0-3. Referring to himself, Redman, Jackson, and McAllister, he acknowledged that one of the key elements for the team’s success was a coaching staff built on a foundation of “championship DNA.” Noting how Redmond kept a positive attitude even when the team started the season with three consecutive losses, Sharper explained how that set the tone and expectations for the 2026 season.
"Redmond talked about how we had the talent to get to the championship game and win this whole thing. He kept a positive attitude when we were losing,0-1, 0-2, 0-3. And that positive attitude stayed with everybody the whole season.”
When the head coach saw how much talent was on the team and believed that if the players could just come together and gel, the championship was within reach, it made a big difference.
Sharper’s Impact On The Louisville Defense
In the meantime, while Redmond focused on the bigger picture and the long-term objective, Sharper encouraged the defense to tune out the noise and focus only on the next game by beating the guys directly in front of them.
“On the defensive side, we just said, ‘Man, we just concentrate on one game at a time. Let’s go one and 0, one and 0, period.”
That became the defense's mantra: focus on winning the next game. Sharper’s philosophy as a coach centered on technique, physicality, and an aggressive playing style. The emphasis was on players learning the proper technique and fine-tuning the small elements so they could execute consistently. Game disruption and takeaways were key elements of his coaching style. Forcing big defensive plays could change the course of the game, he repeatedly instructed. As a result, the Kings finished the 2026 season with a league-leading 17 takeaways, including 13 interceptions. In a breakout game against the Dallas Renegades, Louisville came away with four interceptions by three different players.
He and Redman also kept an open mind regarding moving players around to different positions based on their skill set. Honing in on the unique skills of certain players, players were allowed to play in an alternate position.
At 5’10” and 190 lb., Corey Mayfield Jr. was a bit small for the typical NFL cornerback. Despite a productive senior campaign at Texas-San Antonio, where he was named 2022 All-Conference USA First Team with 60 tackles, four TFLs, 2.0 sacks, three interceptions, 12 pass breakups, and a forced fumble, he was listed as a free safety or strong safety at the time of the 2022 NFL Draft.
However, the Kings gave Mayfield the starting cornerback assignment, and All-UFL Team honors followed. Playing in nine games in the regular season, he became the UFL’s lead cornerback with 22.0 tackles, four interceptions, six PBUs, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
A Wealth of NFL-Ready Defensive Talent
Of course, it helped that the Kings were loaded with a wealth of defensive talent. These talented individuals combined to make up what was arguably the UFL's top defensive unit.
OLB Cam Gill finished the season with 10 sacks, the most by any spring football player. He added an 11th sack in the postseason and led the league in TFLs this season with 12 for 70 yards. Throughout the season, Jaheim Thomas led the team in tackles and was one of the league leaders with 82 tackles. Other players, including DT Travis Bell, DE Jaylon Allen, CB Cam Dantzler, Eric Garror, and FS Keaton Ellis, were consistently among the best players in the league.
When asked about the likelihood of seeing some of these players next season, Shaper was emphatic; the overriding goal for Redman, Sharper, and the rest of the Louisville coaching staff was to see their best players wind up with NFL opportunities.
“We have guys who’ve made a lot of plays for us. We want to get them to the league. We don’t want to see them back next year.”
Instead, they wanted to ensure these players have the techniques down, believe in their own abilities, and can make the plays on any field. We'll find out later this summer how well those skills translate to the ability to make NFL rosters.