The UFL has announced who will be coaching the new relocated teams in Rhode Island & Colorado! They also stunned the UFL world by announcing a coaching change in Dallas as well. All three of the head coaches are being moved to their new teams with their previous rosters. This means that despite only two teams getting relocated, we have three teams getting new rosters for the 2027 season. Just like last year, we have seven coaches with local ties to their market and one anomaly.
Colorado Springs – Rick Neuheisel
The Renegades HC and roster are both being moved to the new Colorado Springs market for the 2027 season. Coach Neuheisel has ties to the Colorado area, as back in the ’90s he was the head coach of Colorado. Between 1995-98 he was their head coach where in that stretch he won three bowl games and had Colorado ranked in the top 10 twice. With the Renegades last year, Neuheisel started 3-0 only to fall to 4-6 after a second-half collapse marked by Neuheisel refusing to make a QB change. If this team can solve both the QB problem and the defensive falloff that happened last season Colorado Springs has a threatening team that could make some noise in 2027.
Rhode Island – AJ McCarron
The new Rhode Island market is receiving the Birmingham Stallions roster and HC in AJ McCarron. Coach McCarron dealt with the most scrutiny of any coach in the league last year due to him replacing the best UFL coach in history (Skip Holtz), hiring his podcast buddy in Tyler Siskey as his OC, and the overall disappointing season that the Stallions had in 2026. The Stallions went 4-6 in 2026 which included them losing their last two games to miss the playoffs. Coach McCarron has now become the one anomaly when it comes to coaches having local ties, as he never played for a team in the New England area before with his 2018 offseason stint with the Bills the closest he has come to the market.
One big positive for the Rhode Island fans is that it looks like coach McCarron will be changing at least parts of his coaching staff. If coach McCarron gets a new offensive coaching staff, we could see the Stallions roster return to being the best team in the league.
Dallas Renegades – Kevin Sumlin
The last coaching change was the biggest stunner in Kevin Sumlin going to Dallas. While we all knew the Stallions and Gamblers rosters would be moved, no one expected Dallas to have their roster both moved and replaced. This means that the Renegades’ in-state rival is essentially replacing the team in 2027. When I asked coach Sumlin his thoughts on this situation during media availability he said “The fans are gonna get to know these guys because last year you had 60 new guys anyway, right? You know, because of the draft.” He also brought up that the rosters going with the coaches was done to keep continuity of the on-field product. This allows what was built or being built last year to continue in 2027.
Coach Sumlin’s view of the roster turnover does have some faults. During the draft last year teams could protect 12 players from their roster. Most teams also drafted their own players in the later stages of the draft as well. Most of the WR & RB rooms were all guys from previous years. That also goes for many players on the defense that came from previous years of the team. That has led to a negative initial reaction from the fanbase, which is not just getting a new coach but an entirely new roster. The one silver lining is the Gamblers roster they are getting is a solid one.
The Gamblers finished 4-6 like the other teams being relocated. The major difference is that this team got better throughout the season. In their final four games, the Gamblers went 2-2 with both losses being by one point each. They had issues with QB health during the entire year which hurt them a lot. If the team brings back their defensive coaching staff and can have a healthy QB room, this team has a very real shot of winning the 2027 UFL Championship.
Final Thoughts
Barring any surprises, it looks like all eight coaches are returning for the 2027 UFL season. Throwing Dallas into the pot so Coach Neuheisel could coach in Colorado feels like a poor decision. Dallas had the second-worst attendance in 2026 and replacing their roster will not help with that. Unless the Renegades become a championship threat, the new roster will just turn away even more fans of the team. Keeping Coach McCarron is also pretty divisive after how bad the Stallions season was in 2026. If he replaces his OC, that would build a lot of faith with the new market. It will be interesting to see how these decisions end up working out. The 2027 UFL season kicks off on March 26th in Louisville.
