In a wild turn of events with just under a week until the second second of the UFL kicks off, DC Defenders head coach Reggie Barlow has accepted an offer to become the next head coach at Tennessee State University, per James Larsen from UFL Newsroom and Michael Del Negro/UFL Analyst.
BREAKING: HC Reggie Barlow informed the @XFLDefenders that he will be departing from the #UFL, sources tell @uflanalyst & I.
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) March 22, 2025
Barlow leaves DC just one week before they kick off their season.
DC Gregg Williams is likely in line to take over as Head Coach.
Wild stuff. pic.twitter.com/Dhuwfi14G9
Barlow was heading into his third season as the Defenders head coach, and only the second head coach in franchise history after Pep Hamilton’s tenure in 2020. Reggie Barlow will be most remembered for his first season with DC in the XFL, where he led the Defenders to an XFL North Title win and XFL Championship appearance.
Barlow finishes with an all-time regular season record of 13-7, and 1-1 in the spring football playoffs.
Quarterbacks coach Shannon Harris is set to become the interim head coach of the Defenders while DC begins their search for a permanent solution, per multiple sources. Harris was the offensive coordinator at Tennessee State before joining Barlow’s staff at Virginia State in 2021.
Since joining DC, Harris has been Jordan Ta’amu’s right-hand man as the pair head into their third year together.
Final Thoughts
The timing of this move is obviously not great for the Defenders or the league as a whole, frankly. Luckily for DC, they enter the season as a team with more continuity than most, both as a roster and staff.
According to multiple team sources, players and coaches were very pleased with their performance in the scrimmages throughout training camp, with one source mentioning “dominance” on both sides of the ball.
DC will be forced to waste no time in getting the ball rolling, as they host the defending UFL Champions, the Birmingham Stallions in week one at Audi Field.
What are your thoughts on Reggie Barlow returning to the college football scene? Was Shannon Harris the correct choice as interim head coach for DC? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
