Back in April, we passed along the news that Hines Ward and Rod Woodson would serve as XFL head coaches in 2023. Now, we know the teams they’ll be coaching for. Ward will take control of the San Antonio team while Woodson will run Las Vegas’ squad. Here’s what Chris Vannini shared a short time ago.
The XFL also released limited coaching staff information. Ward’s defensive coordinator will be Jim Herrmann while his offensive coordinator will be Jaime Elizondo. Woodson’s Director of Player Personnel will be Joey Clinkscales, a one-time Steelers’ receiver who shined during the 1987 strike year.
Woodson and Ward both have coaching experience though they’ll both be first-time head coaches. Ward had an internship with the Pittsburgh Steelers and landed jobs with the New York Jets and at Florida Atlantic. Ward had even gotten interest in NFL head coaching jobs from the Houston Texans, though it ultimately went to Lovie Smith. Woodson served as a DBs Coach for the Raiders for several seasons during the 2010s. He last coached in 2017.
The XFL is set to kick off on February 18th of next year. The league attempted a comeback in 2020 but had to pause due to the COVID pandemic that shut down the sports world. As noted in the tweet above, Las Vegas, Orlando, and San Antonio are new cities for the 2023 season. The league is co-owned by Danny Garcia and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. They’ll look to follow the success the USFL had this year. That league enjoyed good TV ratings and is on track to return next year, now with some competition.
