The United Football League announced that Rick Neuheisel will be the head coach of the new Colorado franchise, while former Houston coach Kevin Sumlin will take over the Dallas Renegades, and A.J. McCarron will coach the new Rhode Island franchise on Wednesday.
In addition, Pro Football Newsroom reporter James Larsen reported that the entire Dallas Renegades coaching staff and roster will follow Neuheisel to Colorado, while the former Houston Gamblers coaching staff and roster will take over the Dallas Renegades, and the Birmingham Stallions coaching staff and roster will move to Rhode Island.
Rick Neuheisel is 65 years old and from Madison, Wisconsin. Neuheisel was named the head coach of the Dallas Renegades on December 30, 2025. In 2026, the Renegades started the season 3-0 before losing six straight and won their final game over the St. Louis Battlehawks to finish the season 4-6.
Neuheisel played four seasons at UCLA (1980-83), completing 176 of 258 passes (68.2%) for 2,182 yards, 11 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and 76 carries for -179 yards in 22 games for the Bruins. He helped the Bruins win the 1984 Rose Bowl over Illinois, where he was named MVP.
Rick Neuheisel bypassed the NFL to join the San Antonio Gunslingers of the United States Football League in 1984. He spent two seasons in San Antonio, completing 450 of 806 passes (55.8%) for 5,610 yards, 32 touchdowns, 40 interceptions, 91 carries for 408 yards, and three rushing touchdowns in 32 games.
After the USFL folded, Neuheisel spent time with the San Diego Chargers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In San Diego, he appeared in three games, completing 2 of 3 passes (67.8%) for 367 yards, one touchdown, one interception, two carries for six yards, one rushing touchdown, and made one extra point.
Neuheisel retired after the 1987 season. Before retiring, he began coaching as a graduate assistant at UCLA. He would later be the quarterbacks coach from 1988 to 1989, and the wide receivers coach from 1990 to 1993. Next, he was named the offensive coordinator at Colorado in 1994. He was named the coach the following year. In Colorado, he went 33-14, leading Colorado to three bowl victories in the Cotton Bowl, Holiday Bowl, and the Aloha Bowl.
After Colorado, he was named head coach of the Washington Huskies in 1999. He went 33-16 with the Huskies, leading them to win the Pac-10 in 2000, the Pac-12 South Division title in 2011, and appearing in four bowl games, winning the Rose Bowl in 2000 and the EagleBank Bowl in 2011. He was let go after the 2011 season.
Neuheisel’s overall college football record is 87-59, and 5-4 in bowl games. Neuheisel also spent time coaching in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens as a quarterback coach and offensive coordinator from 2005 to 2007. In 2019, Neuheisel coached the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football, where the team went 5-3 before the league folded.
Kevin Sumlin is 62 years old and from Brewton, Alabama. Sumlin was named the head coach of the Houston Gamblers on December 31, 2025. In 2026, the Gamblers finished with a 4-6 record.
As a player, Sumlin spent four seasons at Purdue University (1983-86) with 375 tackles (191 solos, 184 assists) and five interceptions in 44 games for the Boilermakers.
Sumlin began his coaching career in 1989 as a graduate student at Washington State until 1990. He moved to Wyoming to become the wide receivers coach from 1991 to 1992. In 1993, he took the same position at Minnesota until 1996 before moving up to quarterbacks coach in 1997.
In 1998, he returned to Purdue to become the wide receivers coach. He was there for three seasons before becoming the assistant head coach and wide receivers coach at Texas A&M in 2001. A year later, he added offensive coordinator duties on top of his other duties.
In 2003, he became a tight ends coach and special teams coach at Oklahoma for three seasons before he was promoted to Co-offensive coordinator in 2006. After the 2007 season, he was named head coach of the Houston Cougars. From 2008 to 2011, he led the Cougars to a 35-17 record, appearing in two Armed Forces Bowls in 2008 and 2009, winning one in 2008 over Air Force. The Air Force would get their revenge a year later. Sumlin was named a two-time Conference USA Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2011.
Sumlin left Houston to become the head coach of Texas A&M in 2012. He led the Aggies to a 51-26 record, winning the Cotton Bowl, Chick-fil-A Bowl, and the Liberty Bowl. He was named the SEC Coach of the Year in 2012. Texas A&M also made two more bowl appearances in the Music City Bowl and the Texas Bowl. Sumlin was let go after the 2017 season.
On January 14, 2018, he was named the head coach of the Arizona Wildcats. He did not have success there, going 9-20 in three seasons. He was let go on December 11, 2020.
Sumlin would get another coaching opportunity, this time as the new head coach of the Houston Gamblers when the USFL relaunched in 2022. Unfortunately, the Gamblers finished in last place with a 3-7 record in the South Division. He left after the 2022 season to become the associate head coach and co-offensive coordinator, and tight ends coach at the University of Maryland for two seasons (2023-24).
A.J. McCarron is 36 year old and from Mobile, Alabama. He was named the head coach of the Birmingham Stallions on December 18, 2025. In 2026, the Stallions beat the Louisville Kings, but would lose four straight games. They would come back to win three straight before losing the final two games of the season to finish 4-6.
The Cincinnati Bengals drafted McCarron in the fifth round (164th pick) of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played three seasons in Cincinnati, completing 86 of 133 passes (64.7%) for 920 yards, six touchdowns, two interceptions, and 14 carries for 31 yards in 11 games.
Next, McCarron signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2018 but was later traded to the Oakland Raiders. He played one season in Oakland, completing 1 of 3 passes (33.3%) for eight yards, and three carries for -2 yards in two games.
Then, McCarron signed with the Houston Texans in 2020. He played two seasons, completing 22 of 38 passes (57.9%) for 245 yards, one interception, five carries for 39 yards, and one touchdown in four games. McCarron would sign with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021 but missed the season with a knee injury.
The St. Louis Battlehawks drafted McCarron in the Tier 1 quarterback allocations of the 2023 XFL Draft. In 2023, McCarron completed 203 of 295 passes (68.8%) for 2,150 yards, 24 touchdowns, six interceptions, 29 carries for 100 yards, and one touchdown in nine games for the Battlehawks. He was named the XFL MVP after the season. He led the league in passing touchdowns, completion percentage, and passer rating.
After the season, McCarron signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, completing 4 of 5 passes (80%) for 19 yards in two games. McCarron asked and was granted his release by the Bengals to return to St. Louis.
The Battlehawks re-signed McCarron on February 16, 2024. In 2024, McCarron completed 164 of 255 passes (64.3%) for 1,582 yards, 15 touchdowns, four interceptions, 23 carries for 87 yards, and one touchdown in nine games. In the XFL Conference Championship game against the San Antonio Brahmas, McCarron completed 19 of 29 passes (66%) for 179 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for five yards. McCarron was released by the St. Louis Battlehawks on November 15, 2024. He retired shortly after and ran for the Lieutenant Governor of Alabama.
Collegiately, McCarron played four seasons at Alabama (2010-13), completing 686 of 1,026 passes (66.9%) for 9,019 yards, 77 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, 119 carries for -50 yards, and three touchdowns in 53 games for the Crimson Tide.
McCarron was a three-time BCS National Champion, two-time Second Team All-SEC, First Team All-American, Third Team All-American, and the winner of the Maxwell Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and the Kellen Moore Award in 2013.
