XFL coaches 2023: Who are the head coaches in the new XFL league?

The XFL is back (again) with the third iteration of the league kicking off this Saturday, meaning football fans only have to go six days without their favorite sport in their lives.

There are several familiar faces scattered around the league, from players, assistant coaches, owners, and of course, head coaches. The eight-team league has a wealth of football experience leading each franchise as the head coach.

Here's a list and a brief bio of each of the men in charge.

Barlow has spent the previous six years as the head coach at Virginia State University, a Division II school, where he led the team to its first unbeaten season in school history. He coached at his alma mater, Alabama State. Barlow played WR in the NFL for eight seasons and won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002.

Becht was a 12-year NFL veteran as a tight end, playing for the New York Jets, Bucs, St. Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals. His coaching career isn't very extensive, serving as TE coach for the San Deigo Fleet of the AAF and then as offensive coordinator of Wiregrass Ranch High School in Florida.

Buckley was a 13-year NFL vet as a cornerback after playing at Florida State in college. He won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in 2001 and retired after the 2005 season. He pretty much immediately started his coaching career, working his way through the college ranks with stints at FSU, Akron, Louisville, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. He's never held a position higher than cornerbacks coach until now.

Haslett spent eight seasons in the NFL in the late 70s and early 80s as a linebacker, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. His coaching career has taken him a lot of places, including serving as the head coach for the Saints from 2000-2005. He's been involved with new leagues before too, coaching with the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League and the Sacramento Surge of the World League of American Football. He most recently was inside linebackers coach with the Tennessee Titans.

Phillips is widely regarded as one of the best defensive minds in football. He's served as head coach for several NFL teams, posting an 82-64 overall record. Outside of a stint as an interim head coach, he's been serving as defensive coordinator for several different teams since 2011, winning Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos. He's been out of football since 2019.

Stoops, the winningest coach in University of Oklahoma history, is the only head man to return from the previous iteration of the XFL in 2020. He went 2-3 with the Renegades before the season was canceled at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He won a national title with the Sooners in 2000 and came out of retirement to coach OU to a 2021 Alamo Bowl victory after Lincoln Riley stepped down to take the head coaching gig at USC.

Ward is a 13-year NFL vet who became an icon with the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing his entire career in the Steel City. He helped bring Pittsburgh two Super Bowl titles as a WR. He's coached as an offensive assistant with the New York Jets and was most recently at Florida Atlantic University as a WR coach under Willie Taggart. He also previously served as an executive with the AAF.

Woodson, a 17-year NFL vet, three-time Super Bowl champion and member of the NFL Hall of Fame, had been serving as an NFL analyst for ESPN and the Big Ten Network before accepting a job with the XFL. He's spent time coaching with the Bengals, Broncos and Oakland Raiders, most recently serving as CBs coach for Oakland in 2017.

  
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