PHILLIPS STEPS BACK FROM BRAHMAS HC ROLE
San Antonio Brahmas head coach Wade Phillips has advised the United Football League that he will be taking a leave of absence from the team for personal reasons.
The announcement comes less than 48 hours after Memphis Showboats HC Ken Whisenhunt relinquished his position on a permanent basis, having previously taken a leave of absence for similar reasons to Phillips. UFL president/CEO Russ Brandon and EVP of football operations Daryl Johnston have named Brahmas OC Payton Pardee as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2025 season.
“The UFL is extremely grateful for the leadership that Wade has delivered as head coach of the San Antonio Brahmas,” Brandon and Johnston said in a joint statement. “The credibility that he has brought to the UFL as a head coach validates what we are building as a league. This coaching legend has the respect of everyone in the league as well as throughout the entire football community for his dedication and accomplishments as a coach for over 50 years. If and when Wade is ready to return to the sidelines, the entire UFL family will be there to cheer him on.”
Phillips has served as head coach of the Brahmas since 2024, when he led the team to the XFL Conference title and a place in the inaugural UFL Championship Game following a 7-3 regular season record. Previously, he had served as head coach of the Houston Roughnecks, going 7-3 and winning the South Division in the second coming of the XFL. With over 50 years of coaching at the professional and collegiate levels, Phillips has also held heading coaching stints with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints (1985), Denver Broncos (1993-94), Buffalo Bills (1998-2000), Atlanta Falcons (2003), Dallas Cowboys (2007-10), and Houston Texans (2013).
Pardee, meanwhile, was only elevated to the offensive coordinator role last week, and subsequently led the Brahmas to a season-high in total offense (252 yards) in their Week 3 defeat to Michigan. He has coached one of the top special teams units and receiving corps in both the ‘legacy’ XFL and UFL over the last two seasons, with veteran punter Brad Wing leading the league in punts downed inside the 20, while ranking second with a 45.9 yard average. Already in 2025, wide receiver Jacob Harris ranks second in the UFL receiving yards through three games, while Wing leads the league in punting averaging (51.8 yards per punt) and kick returner Anthony McFarland Jr. leads in kickoff return yards.
Pardee, the grandson of the late Jack Pardee — who served as NFL head coach for the Chicago Bears and Houston Oilers, and earned All-American honours at Texas A&M as one of the famed ‘Junction Boys’ under legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant — was this week named as one of 25 finalists (out of nearly 1,000 applicants) for the 2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers National Coaching Academy.
“Payton is a young, outstanding coach who can handle anything,” Phillips said before stepping back as HC. “He’s coached special teams, wide receivers and is now offensive coordinator for us. He’s done it all and done it well.”
The Glazer family, owners of the Buccaneers, created the Academy as part of their long-standing commitment to helping develop leaders both on and off the field. Now in its second year, the Academy will take place from May 5th-11th at the team’s training facility, AdventHealth Training Center. In addition to taking part in team meetings and on-field coaching sessions with Buccaneers rookies, this year’s class will participate in masterclass sessions with Super Bowl winning head coaches Jon Gruden, Bruce Arians and Tony Dungy, while Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Ronde Barber, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht will also be present. The 2025 finalists come from around the world, with individuals currently working in five countries.
“The Buccaneers National Coaching Academy was incredibly successful last year, and my entire staff and I look forward to welcoming this new group of finalists to Tampa this May,” Bowles commented. “I am thankful and appreciative of the Glazer family’s continued commitment to opening doors for deserving coaches. They wanted to create something with real impact and this experience has already been life-changing for some. These coaches will receive access and knowledge that is offered nowhere else and will play an important role in their career journeys.”
Upon completion of the team’s rookie minicamp, the coaching and front office staff will then select five top candidates to participate in the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship for training camp and preseason.
The Brahmas, meanwhile, travel to Washington to take on the unbeaten DC Defenders on Sunday (20th April) as they look to break the winless streak that has them rooted to the bottom of the UFL’s XFL Conference table.