Less than one week before the start of the UFL 2025 regular season, D.C. Defenders head coach Reggie Barlow is vacating his position to accept the head coaching job at Tennessee State.
John Brice, from footballscoop.com, initially reported this past Thursday that Barlow had emerged as the top target to replace Eddie George at Tennessee State. The opening was created when George left TSU for Bowling Green.
League and team sources have confirmed Barlow’s departure. Defenders quarterbacks coach Shannon Harris will take over as interim head coach of D.C.
Ironically, Harris, a former Tennessee State assistant, was also a rumored candidate for the TSU head coaching position. Harris’s elevation means that the Defenders will maintain continuity with their coordinators, Fred Kaiss, on offense and former NFL head coach Gregg Williams on defense.
Barlow, The former XFL head coach of the year in 2023, has received several offers since leaving the college ranks; the Tennessee State job was too enticing for him to pass up despite his success in spring pro football.
The possibility of UFL coaches departing before the season starts has always been strong, especially now that all UFL coaches are paid seasonally, from the beginning of training camp until the season’s conclusion in June. The merged UFL’s ownership implemented this new practice in January 2024.
As a result, several UFL coaches have applied for have actively sought opportunities from NFL teams and college football programs in the last year.
After winning over a hundred games on the collegiate level, Reggie Barlow was drawn to the XFL by the opportunity to lead a professional football team. He is back to his roots after being a head coach for 14 years on the FCS level at his alma mater, Alabama State, and Virginia State. Still, he is leaving behind his now former pro team, which kicks off its season next Sunday at Audi Field against the defending three-time champion Birmingham Stallions.
1 Comment
by 4th&long
Mike,
Virgina St is not FCS its Division II, which made me wonder why the XFL hired him at the time. Of course he’s an ex-NFL player and Ala St was FCS. He hasn’t coached at the FCS level in 11 years so this is a rebound step for Barlow.
While Barlow is a likable guy he has no name recognition for the UFL what so ever. If fact its Greg Williams at DC that has that. On the UFL coaching scale he’s #8 recognition wise.
Stoops, Wade, Nolan, Holtz, Whisenhunt even Becht (time in NFL and outspoken) are all above. And even CJ was an FBS HC at Tulane and long time position coach in NFL.
From that perspective its no major loss.
However the timing of this is not good at all, a week before the season starts. Coming after the 2023 season would hurt a bit more but 4-6 in 2024 no one is that vested fan wise in Barlow. I do think the UFL made the right decision in keeping the OC/DC in place for continuity and upgrading Harris. Now if Harris follows Barlow to Tenn St that would suck. Perhaps that factored into UFL decision to promote Harris – in order to keep him and keep Ta’amu happy.
My own observations were that Barlow was maybe too low intensity and seemed to have issue at time motivating the Defenders. But he seemed to rebound well and they were ok in 2024. A strong season here could help Harris’s career.