One week before the DC Defenders are scheduled to kick off their season against the Birmingham Stallions, the United Football League team announced head coach Reggie Barlow had resigned.
The Defenders reported Barlow had left the team to become the head coach at Tennessee State. Quarterbacks coach Shannon Harris will serve as DC’s interim head coach. Harris is a former assistant coach at Alabama State.
Tennessee State also announced Barlow as its new football coach on Sunday morning.
“The chance to be at Tennessee State University, with its rich history, tradition, and legacy of amazing players and coaches — it’s truly an honor to follow in their footstep,” Barlow said in a release from Tennessee State. “I’m humbled, blessed and beyond excited! A huge thank you to director of athletics Dr. Mikki Allen, President (Dwayne) Tucker,and the student-athletes who have remained committed through uncertainty.
“And to Big Blue, I’m ready to get started! So, let me ask you: Do you like football?”
Earlier this month, Eddie George left the Tennessee State job to become the head coach at Bowling Green.
Barlow had served as the Defenders’ coach for the past two seasons. In the revived XFL in 2023, Barlow led DC to a 9-1 record and one playoff victory before the Defenders fell to the Arlington Renegades 35-26 in the XFL Championship Game on May 13, 2023.
DC went 4-6 in 2024 in the inaugural season of the UFL, which was formed by the merger of the XFL and the USFL.
The Defenders open their 2025 UFL season against the Stallions at 3 p.m. March 30 at Audi Field in Washington. ESPN will televise the game.
A prep standout at Sidney Lanier in Montgomery, Barlow was a 1,000-yard receiver as a senior at Alabama State.
A fourth-round draft choice of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1996, Barlow spent eight seasons as an NFL wide receiver. He remains the Jaguars’ career leader in punt-return yards and was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Super Bowl championship team for the 2002 season.
After starting his coaching career as Alabama State’s quarterbacks coach, Barlow became the Hornets’ head coach in 2007 and spent eight seasons in that position. He then coached at Virginia State for six seasons.
At Alabama State, Barlow had a 49-42 record and three straight East Division titles. At Virginia State, Barlow had an 83-58 mark. The 2017 Trojans had a 10-0 regular-season record before losing in the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.