There is a much different energy coming out of the Dallas Renegades training camp than there has been over the years, and that's mostly because they have a new head coach leading the franchise for the first time, with Rich Neuheisel at the helm.
Neuheisel takes over for Bob Stoops, who has been the Renegades' head coach since the XFL rebooted in 2019. Stoops won an XFL league title back in 2023, but never led Dallas to a winning record and just one postseason appearance.
In a multitude of ways, there is some pressure on Neuheisel to get the Renegades not only to improve on last year's 5-5 season, but also to win another league championship. From how he conducts himself in practice with the team, Renegades fans wouldn't even be able to tell.
Rick Neuheisel discusses how the Renegades have looked so far
It's only been a week, so it's hard to see what a team will look like, but there is a lot of optimism about how the Renegades will play this season. Neuheisel took time to speak with the media after Wednesday's practice, which was open to reporters, and he shared his initial thoughts on how the first week of training camp has gone.
I am ecstatic about the way the guys have been working over the first few days. I expected it, which is a hard thing to say when you haven't met anybody, but hardly any of them for the first time. But I know what these spring leagues are about in terms of, I want to do this. I love football. I want one more chance to get to the brass ring of the NFL. And so it has been exactly as I expected. But the attitudes and the personalities are meshing terrifically.
About a third of the Renegades' roster is made up of guys who played on the team last season, with many of the holdovers, including the star players, in Luis Perez, Donald Payne, Deontay Burnett, Myles Dorn, Willie Taylor, Taco Charlton, and so many more. Having those familiar faces around has not only been good for the team but also for Renegades fans, who can connect with them.
How the QBs have looked in Rick Neuheisel's eyes
Neuheisel is a former quarterback himself, so being able to work with this QB room, with three on the roster, is important. Everyone knows about Perez as the fans have given him the nickname "Spring King", but the team also has Luke Lehnen back in his second year on the roster and former Chicago Bears quarterback Austin Reed making his spring football debut.
UFL NewsHub asked Neuheisel to assess the quarterback room and how he feels they have performed so far. The Renegades head coach has been encouraged by what he has seen so far.
So Luis is ahead, right? From a standpoint of knowing what we're doing and having been a veteran of these spring leagues. But I think both Luke and Austin are outstanding prospects. And I have high hopes for both of them. Austin has an incredibly strong arm. Sometimes, though, your strengths are your weaknesses, so you want to show off the strong arm. It's the old Terry Bradshaw adage, If he's open, throw it. If he's not open, throw it harder. So we got to calm that down and let them know there are other places to go with the ball. But what a great kid. And Luke gives us an extra dimension with his legs. So it's been fun.
Perez was seen taking first-team reps with the offense as he is expected to be the leader in the quarterback room. Reed was seen taking second-team reps while Lehnen was taking third-team reps, but don't hold that to be the case, as it is only a few days into training camp.
How will Neuheisel handle new UFL rules for 2026?
There has been a lot of attention to the UFL rules in 2026, as national sports media outlets have shared their thoughts. The new rules include no punts after crossing the 50-yard line, 60+ yard field goals being worth four points, the kicking extra point returning, and so many more.
Neuheisel was asked about his thoughts on the new rules and how he would handle those situations. He shared how he has been communicating with his players and coaches about it.
I was talking today with our specialist and I said, 'Listen, we're down three. We got a 57-yard field goal. You want me to take a delay a game and make it a 62 so we can win the game. They were all, Heck, yes, Coach. Heck, yes.' Those are the things that you're thinking about. Obviously, you can't punt once you cross the 50. So you're in a bunch of four down. So that's a decision that's taken away from the head coach. So you've got to make sure that everybody understands in the play calling, you're in four down territory. So there's a number of things, what to go. One point, two points or three points, right? You can go for a three point conversion. You can fourth and 12 is an onside kick. So you've got a nice little group of protection. You're having your day. Why are you kicking off to them when you can go get the ball again? There's a number of things that make it interesting, make it strategic that we'll have to continue to figure out.
Discussing a new offensive system for the Renegades' returning players
The Renegades only have special teams and tight ends coach Scott Spurrier back from last year's staff, as it is a complete overhaul. One of the new faces is offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, who has been in spring football since 2022, as he led the offenses of the New Orleans Breakers (2022), Pittsburgh Maulers (2023), and the Memphis Showboats last year.
With so many players returning from last year's Renegades' offense, UFL NewsHub asked Neuheisel about the transition and how they have gone about it. Neuheisel made it clear that it's Mazzone's offense, and they are working on the communication part with the players.
It's mostly Noel's offense. Noel's from Because it's got to come out of Noel's mouth when we're calling things. So I want it to be a language that he's conversant with. You don't ask a French guy to come and coach German, right? So we want it to be his offense. But we also now need to hone in on our skillset, having not had a lot of familiarity with a lot of these guys, and see which way the offense needs. It's we're going down a highway, now we got to get on an exit ramp, right? It's okay, this is what we're going to be because this is what our personnel allows us to be really good at and then grow branches off that.
There will be many questions about Neuheisel and the Renegades that won't be answered until Week 1, but this Dallas team seems to be moving along nicely through one week of practice.