United Football League President & CEO Russ Brandon and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Daryl Johnston announced today that Wade Phillips, head coach of the defending XFL Conference Champion San Antonio Brahmas, has informed them that he will be taking a leave of absence from the team for personal reasons. Brandon and Johnston have named Offensive Coordinator Payton Pardee to serve as interim head coach for the 2025 UFL season.
Statement from UFL President & CEO Russ Brandon and
UFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Daryl Johnston
“The UFL is extremely grateful for the leadership that Wade has delivered to the UFL as head coach of the San Antonio Brahmas. The credibility that he has brought to the UFL as a Head Coach validates what we are building as a league. This coaching legend has the respect of everyone in the league as well as throughout the entire football community for his dedication and accomplishments as a coach for over 50 years. If and when Wade is ready to return to the sidelines, the entire UFL Family will be there to cheer him on.”
Phillips has served as head coach of the Brahmas since 2024, when he led the team to the XFL Conference Championship and a place in the inaugural UFL Championship Game following a 7-3 regular season record. Previously, Phillips was the head coach of the Houston Roughnecks in 2023 compiling a 7-3 record and earning first place in the South Division when Houston competed in the XFL. With over 50 years of coaching at the professional and collegiate levels, Phillips has held heading coaching stints with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints (1985), Denver Broncos (1993-94), Buffalo Bills (1998-2000), Atlanta Falcons (2003), Dallas Cowboys (2007-10), and Houston Texans (2013).
Pardee was elevated to offensive coordinator last week and led the Brahmas to a season-high in total offense (252 yards). He has coached one of the top special teams units and receiving corps in Legacy XFL and the UFL the last two seasons. His special teams unit featured veteran punter Brad Wing who led the UFL in punts downed inside the 20 (12) while ranking second with a 45.9 yard average. Pardee is the grandson of the late Jack Pardee, who served as NFL head coach for the Chicago Bears and Houston Oilers and earned All-American honors at Texas A&M while being one of the famed Junction Boys, the 1954 Texas A&M preseason camp held in Junction, Texas, by football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.
The Brahmas will travel to Washington, D.C., to take on the DC Defenders on Sunday, April 20, at 5:00 p.m. ET in a game airing on FOX.
2 Comments
by Frank Dux
Having a Suit sitting in an office in Arlington making all the coaching hires isn’t a good look. Single entity league’s can’t be taken seriously.
by Ken Granito
I agree Frank. It has served it’s purpose, but now it is getting in the way of the growth of the league. I think intent was meant to be good. Keep as much control over it as it grows. However, the UFL keeps talking about the league being its 2nd season and how it is a fledgling. I think this is their 4th season, because I look at the UFL as the USFL and XFL. To me the inconsistencies is actually brought about by their inability to come to a common ground. That stated, I have seen changes to the league so they do seem to be learning from their trials. I am using the word trials, not mistakes, because when you make mistakes you don’t really want to learn from them. You want to do them again, because people don’t want to believe they have made mistakes. With how quickly they have seemingly moved on from something, they must have been trials as they determined they didn’t like the outcome. Back to Frank’s point. I hope they can get back to making the sport of football a clean, good game that is made from the brains, sweat, talent and heart that it was meant to be. As soon as they could do that, they need to start selling franchises. That is why when one commenter suggested seeing if a local businessman will buy the Showboats, before folding them up I was for it, because we really need to do that for the growth of the league. I am sure the league often looks at what I write as detrimental to the league, but I truly hope they know that I want the league to be the best it could be. IF it can’t be something good, then it shouldn’t be. I loved the product Daryl Johnston had with the USFL. To me the XFL had a lesser product because it didn’t have the coaching, but did have a better fan base. I am happy they are together, but there is still some work to do. Let me give a for instance. The XFL was built on a wrestlers dream. Hell we still have a wrestler in the mix, but let’s think of this. Wrestling are amazingly athletic performers who for entertainment value, throw their bodies wrecklessly around for entertainment’s value. e.g. the Brahmas defense this past week against the Panthers. That is a wrestlers’ mentality. Though sports are also athletic endeavors they are governed fairly by a system of officiating. When egregious hits go ungoverned the league glorifies the hit more than the sport. In the past the USFL would govern those hits, put the welfare above the entertainment value. I call for the league please review these hits. It’s amazing that the two hits in question on Malik Turner came after the Brahmas had already knocked a quarterback unconscious AND had a facemask penalty to the extent I have never previously seen. At least those two penalties were flagged.
I wonder if those hits happened to the players of a team that had its own owner if they would be more angry about the league not defending its players. Additionally, if there was a team that was owned by an outsider and they signed AJ McCarron how would the league take it? Just things to mull over.