Last week, the UFL announced it will add teams in Colorado and Rhode Island in 2027 after pulling out of Birmingham and Houston. On Wednesday, the league filled both new head coaching jobs without hiring anyone new.
AJ McCarron moves from Birmingham to Rhode Island. Rick Neuheisel moves from Dallas to Colorado. Kevin Sumlin moves from Houston to Dallas.
All three coaches went 4-6 in 2026, and none of the three teams made the playoffs.
Neuheisel returns to the state where he got his first head coaching job. He went 33-14 at Colorado from 1995 to 1998, then went 33-16 at Washington from 1999 to 2002, a run that included an 11-1 season and a Rose Bowl win. He was quarterbacks coach and then offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens from 2005 to 2007 before going 21-29 in four seasons at UCLA. He coached the Arizona Hotshots to a 5-3 record in 2019 before the AAF folded.
Neuheisel was hired in Dallas on December 30, 2025. The Renegades opened 3-0, then lost six straight, including two games in consecutive weeks where they blew 10-point leads, and missed the playoffs for a third straight season.
McCarron was hired in Birmingham on December 18, 2025, replacing Skip Holtz. It was his first head coaching job. He was part of three national championships at Alabama under Nick Saban, won the Maxwell Trophy and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award in 2013, and spent eight seasons in the NFL with the Bengals, Bills, Raiders, Texans and Falcons. He then played quarterback for the St. Louis Battlehawks in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, he led the XFL in touchdown passes (24), completion percentage (68.8) and passer rating (108.4).
The Stallions went 4-6, the worst record in franchise history, and missed the playoffs for the first time. A Week 10 loss to Houston eliminated them.
Sumlin stays in Texas. He was hired by the Gamblers on December 31, 2025, his second stint with the franchise after going 3-7 in the 2022 USFL. In college, he went 35-17 at Houston from 2008 to 2011, including a 12-1 season in 2011, then 51-26 at Texas A&M from 2012 to 2017, a run that started with an 11-2 debut season in the SEC with Johnny Manziel. He went 9-20 at Arizona from 2018 to 2020.
Now he takes over a Dallas franchise that hasn't made the playoffs since the Arlington Renegades won the 2023 XFL title, with the players he coached in Houston.
As far as rosters are concerned, In each case, the coach brings his entire 2026 roster with him. From the UFL release:
Coinciding with the coaching assignments, the UFL will carry forward established player rosters from the 2026 season into the 2027 markets, with the 2026 Birmingham Stallions roster moving with Head Coach McCarron to Rhode Island, the 2026 Dallas Renegades roster moving with Head Coach Neuheisel to Colorado, and the 2026 Houston Gamblers roster moving with Head Coach Sumlin to Dallas. The roster realignment is designed to provide continuity for players and coaches while allowing the UFL to establish its new franchises with experienced football personnel heading into the 2027 season.
The league didn't bring in any new head coaches. Coordinator and position staffs for Colorado and Rhode Island haven't been announced, and Utah and Oklahoma still need entire staffs before launching in 2028.
UFL President Russ Brandon said the expansion "is about building football communities that fans can connect with from day one."
Rhode Island will reveal its team name and logo on October 18 at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket. Colorado follows on October 25 at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.