Rick Neuheisel is returning to coaching for the first time since 2019, taking over as head coach of the Dallas Renegades following Bob Stoops’ retirement earlier this month. The 64-year-old will lead the franchise when the UFL kicks off its third season on March 26, 2026.
“I am elated to join the UFL as the head coach of the Dallas Renegades,” Neuheisel said in a statement. “I have been a big believer in spring football since its inception with the USFL back in the ’80s when I played quarterback for the San Antonio Gunslingers.”
The hire provides some clarity after the UFL Daily parody account recently fooled some fans by falsely reporting that Daryl Johnston had accepted the Renegades job. Johnston, who was let go as the league’s VP of Football Operations in November, quickly shot that down on X, writing, “Not sure who your sources are and where they get their information.”
This time, it’s real.
Neuheisel brings legitimate spring football experience, having coached the Arizona Hotshots in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football (AAF) in 2019. Before that, he spent four years at UCLA (2008-11) and also led Washington and Colorado at the college level. His NFL résumé includes three seasons with the Ravens (2005-07), serving as quarterbacks coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator.
More recently, Neuheisel has been a fixture on CBS Sports Network’s college football coverage, including wildly celebrating when his son, Jerry, and UCLA upset Penn State in October. He also proposed moving bowl games to the beginning of the season to combat declining participation.
Neuheisel will keep his CBS gig since the UFL season runs through spring and summer, meaning there’s zero overlap with his fall college football analyst duties.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.