Since 2019, there have been three previous spring football leagues. The Alliance of American Football failed to finish its only season in 2019. The XFL returned for 2023 after COVID-19 ruined its 2020 season. And the USFL returned in 2022 and 2023 with completed seasons. On March 30, 2024, the fourth attempt at a spring league will kick off with the United Football League. The UFL has strong financial backing that includes full coverage on FOX and ESPN networks. But the UFL has the same challenges that its predecessors had. It is a minor league.
The only spring league that had success was the United States Football League from 1983 through 1985. The reason why is that the USFL challenged the NFL for top talent players and coaches. But with the proliferation of legalized sports gambling with a public that loves football, and with FOX and ESPN having financial interests in sports betting, the XFL might just make it.
2024 United Football League Format
USFL Conference
Birmingham Stallions (Protective Stadium, Skip Holtz)
Houston Roughnecks (Rice Stadium, Curtis Johnson)
Memphis Showboats (Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, John DeFilippo)
Michigan Panthers (Ford Field, Mike Nolan)
XFL Conference
Arlington Renegades (Choctaw Stadium, Bob Stoops)
D.C. Defenders (Audi Field, Reggie Barlow)
San Antonio Brahmas (The Alamodome, Wade Phillips)
St. Louis Battlehawks (The Dome at America's Center, Anthony Becht)
2024 UFL Championship Future Odds
Birmingham Stallions +300
St. Louis Battlehawks +380
DC Defenders +380
Arlington Renegades +475
Houston Roughnecks +650
Memphis Showboats +800
Michigan Panthers +1300
San Antonio Brahmas +1400
All of the USFL Teams Have top flight coaching staffs. Let’s take a look at two of the best from the future market favorites.
Birmingham Stallions
Skip Holtz will lead the Stallions offense for the third year in a row. He has served as the offensive coordinator and play-caller for the Stallions since 2022.
However, this season, Skip will have a new co-offensive coordinator in Philip Montgomery. Montgomery is a familiar name in Alabama as he was most recently the offensive coordinator at Auburn University. Auburn and Montgomery parted ways in January, so this must have been a recent hire.
Heading the defense for the third year in a row is “The Chief,” John Chavis. The veteran coach served as defensive coordinator for four different SEC schools before joining the inaugural Stallions staff in 2022. He helped lead the Stallions to two championships, and Holtz will be happy to have him back for a third year in 2024. He will also coach linebackers as he has done in the past.
St. Louis Battlehawks
The St. Louis Battlehawks are poised to take the city by storm once again, being a part of the newly formed UFL. Some great news for fans – and the league – is the return of Head Coach Anthony Becht and his staff.
In 2023, the Battlehawks were a tremendous asset to the XFL, averaging over 35,000 fans per game. The city embraced their team even more so than they did back in 2020, and clearly, the fans loved the attitude and energy that the organization brought week in and week out.
Let’s take a look at who will be pulling the strings behind the scenes for St. Louis this season.
Anthony Becht had a warm welcome to the XFL last year, as it was his first head coaching gig of his career. Generally speaking, Becht saw a large amount of success despite missing the postseason. St. Louis won seven games but couldn’t break into the playoffs due to such a strong Division.
Becht played in the NFL for several years as a tight end, primarily with the New York Jets. He bounced around with several different teams and was last on a roster in 2011 with the Chiefs.
Anthony was in the Alliance Of American Football with the San Diego Fleet, serving on Mike Martz’s staff as the tight end’s coach. Now, he’s leading one of spring football’s most envied organizations and will look to push the team to a postseason berth this year.
The team embraced his coaching philosophies, and it’s clear that the entire franchise loves what he brings to the table.
Bruce Gradkowski is back in the Lou. Bruce had quite a bit of success with quarterback AJ McCarron in 2023, as St. Louis featured a dynamic group offensively – one of the best in the entire XFL.
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