Looking At The San Antonio Brahmas 2024 UFL Coaching Staff
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Looking At The San Antonio Brahmas 2024 UFL Coaching Staff

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The San Antonio Brahmas are returning to the Alamodome for the 2024 UFL season, but will see some noticeable changes from a coaching perspective. At the end of the year, we learned that Wade Phillips would be taking over Head Coaching duties, as Hines Ward decided not to return.

Not surprisingly, a good chunk of Wade’s staff will be coming over to San Antonio. Wade Phillips coached the Houston Roughnecks in 2023, and now shifts direction with the Brahmas.

Wade Phillips | Head Coach

Wade Phillips is a guy who needs no introduction. The former Super Bowl Champion with the Denver Broncos decided to continue his coaching career in the XFL last year, with the Houston Roughnecks. He led the team to a 7-3 record, as they won the South Division. Ultimately, the Roughnecks fell short in the postseason against the Renegades.

Phillips has an extensive NFL coaching career, which began in 1976 with the Houston Oilers. He had opportunities with the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, and others. His first head coaching job came in Denver, but he lasted only a couple of years from 1993-1994.

Wade served as the Buffalo Bills head coach from 1998-2000, which included a playoff run in 1999. The last time he was a head coach in the NFL was from 2007-2010, with the Dallas Cowboys. Since then, his most notable moment came during the 2016 super bowl, as his defense shut down Cam Newton and the Panthers’ offense.

Now, Phillips will look to chase another Championship in the inaugural season of the UFL. With a full season of spring football under his belt, San Antonio can expect Phillips to bring a winning team to the city with the Brahmas.

AJ Smith | Offensive Coordinator

One of spring football’s gems is back in action. AJ Smith will retain his position with Wade Phillips as offensive coordinator, this time with the San Antonio Brahmas.

AJ Smith has become famous for his “air raid” offense, which typically operates without tight ends. This was on full display in Houston this past XFL season, as the Roughnecks threw the ball often, and quickly. Smith has plenty of spring experience, having coached the Roughnecks’ wideouts during the 2020 season.

He also spent time in The Spring League with the Conquerors, working with quarterback Brandon Silvers under Jerry Glanville. The team finished with a 4-2 record during that season. Brahmas fans should expect a high-flying, dynamic offense with Smith at the helm of playcalling.

Will Reed | Defensive Coordinator

Will Reed is a new addition to the coaching staff, replacing Brian Stewart who took a head coaching job at Middle Tennessee State. Interestingly enough, Wade originally was going to promote A.J. Reisig (Houston’s linebackers coach) to DC, but A.J. ended up following Stewart to Middle Tennessee.

Reed comes to the staff as someone who had previously interned with Wade Phillips, back in 2010 in Dallas, coaching their defensive line. Will also has quite a bit of experience at the collegiate level. He served as the Assistant Head Coach & Defensive Coordinator at Trinity Valley Community College for several years, and also held the same title at Southern Arkansas University.

Andre Gurode | Offensive Line

Andre Gurode is a returning member of the staff, having coached the offensive line in Houston last year. Gurode has a plethora of NFL experience, as a five-time NFL Pro Bowler with the Dallas Cowboys. Andre helped coach some excellent lineman with the Roughnecks last year, as Alex Mollette and Jack Snyder had NFL stints following the season. Safe to say his first coaching experience was a success.

Payton Pardee | Wide Receivers/Special Teams

Here’s a fun fact – Payton Pardee is the grandson of Jack Pardee, who coached the USFL’s Houston Gamblers back in 1984. Pardee spent the 2023 XFL season with Wade Phillips in Houston, coaching some of the top wideouts in the league (i.e. Deontay Burnett, Travell Harris, Jontre Kirklin, etc.). With the amount of talent San Antonio has secured this year, expect this unit to continue to dominate in the UFL this season.

Marvin Williams | Running Backs

Marvin Williams is another returning member from Wade Phillips’ staff in Houston. Williams was a tight end with the Washington Redskins for a time, and also was with AJ Smith at Calvary Baptist Academy. He was the Offensive Quality Control coach for the Roughnecks, and now makes the move to coaching the Running Backs in San Antonio.

Chris Achuff | Defensive Line

Chris Achuff brings a ton of quality experience to the table for San Antonio. Achuff will now be working with one of the top staffs in the UFL, which isn’t surprising given his background.

Chris has been coaching for over two decades, at the collegiate and NFL level. He served as the assistant defensive line coach for the Arizona Cardinals from 2018-2019. Achuff is probably best known for his time spent as the D-Line coach at Baylor, as he was part of that program from 2008-2016.

Most recently, Achuff was the defensive line coach at Syracuse for the past three years. With the amount of talent the Brahmas feature in their front seven, expect his unit to see plenty of success in 2024.

Derrick Berry | Linebackers

Derrick Berry appears to be coming over to San Antonio as a package deal with Will Reed from Southern Arkansas University. Berry has been with the school as their linebackers coach, after spending a couple of years with Mayville State University.

Marc Lillibridge | General Manager

Not surprisingly, Marc Lillibridge is back with Wade Phillips in the newly formed UFL. Lillibridge was the DPP for the Houston Roughnecks in 2023, and now takes over as General Manager for the San Antonio Brahmas.

Marc has plenty of pro football experience, most notably serving as a scout with the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs for several years. He also served as a Linebackers Coach with the University of Washington in St. Louis for a couple of years before joining the XFL. He helped put together an outstanding Houston team in 2023, and now will look to continue to build upon that success with the Brahmas.

Final Thoughts

The San Antonio Brahmas have a lot to prove this season. After an underwhelming 3-7 record under the leadership of Hines Ward, Wade Phillips brings a winning mentality to the team, alongside his entire staff who have all seen success at various levels.

The Brahmas have added quite a bit of talent throughout the last few months, most notably signing the likes of Cody Latimer, Quinten Dormady, Chase Garbers, A.J. Hendy, and others.

What are your thoughts on the San Antonio Brahmas coaching staff? Will Wade Phillips lead the team to the Championship this year? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!

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