Over the past week, we have begun to learn more about the coaching staffs being hired by the UFL teams. Given the relative inexperience of the Head Coaches being hired, I had been a strong advocate for hiring veteran assistant coaches to surround these younger Head Coaches in their first seasons. So far, if the following two assistant coaches are any indication, the league understands this fact and is actively seeking assistant coaches that fit this bill.
One thing I would love to see is the league begin to ‘plant seeds, in other words, hiring coaches who could fit their current model for Head Coaches. This would allow them to build a pipeline of coaches they can tap for future expansions or relocations. This approach would also be similar to how Ricky Proehl was hired after previously serving as an assistant coach on the very team he is now the Head Coach for.
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Todd Washington
Todd Washington is a former offensive lineman who was selected in the 4th round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He went on to win a Super Bowl in his final season with the Buccaneers before signing with the Houston Texans for their second season in the NFL.
Washington would spend the next three seasons with Houston before signing with the Cleveland Browns for the 2006 season. Washington would ultimately choose to retire before ever playing a regular-season game for Cleveland. Instead, just a season later, he turned up as the Offensive Line Coach for the University of San Diego. He would hold this position for three seasons, adding Offensive Coordinator in 2009. After three seasons as an assistant coach with San Diego, he would get his first taste of coaching professional football with the original UFL.
In 2010, he would join his former Offensive Coordinator with the Texans, Chris Palmer, as the Offensive Line Coach for the Hartford Colonials. This marked his first season coaching professional football, and his first experience coaching an alternative football league. His time with the UFL lasted just one season before he began receiving interest to return to the NFL ranks as an assistant coach.
In 2011, he would join the Baltimore Ravens as their Assistant Offensive Line Coach, a position he would go on to hold for 6 seasons, winning his second Super Bowl in 2012. After the 2016 season, Washington was fired and did not resurface in the NFL. Instead, he was hired by Steve Spurrier with the Orlando Apollos to coach Running Backs and serve as the Special Teams Coordinator for the 2019 season.
However, before he could serve with the Apollos, he was hired as an assistant coach with the New York Jets under Adam Gase. The Apollos went on to a 7-1 record before the AAF ceased operations. Meanwhile, Washington would last two seasons with the Jets, a feat in itself. His last coaching job was with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2021 to 2023.
The news that he had been hired came from a very credible source, the founder of the National Scouting Combine, Jimmy Kibble, who congratulated his friend on the new position after this season’s NSC event. Kibble mentions Washington was hired by the St. Louis Battlehawks for the 2026 season. It is safe to assume he will be serving as the Offensive Line Coach for 2026, although he is the first of the assistant coaches named for the Battlehawks.
So far, St. Louis fans should be very happy about their coaching staff. With just two coaches named, they already have a total of 4 Separate Super Bowl victories. While Washington is not the big name that some of the current Head Coaches are, if the UFL ever wanted to expand or relocate a franchise, he would make a lot of sense as a future Head Coach.
Ronnie Vinklarek
Ronnie Vinklarek had previously been hired by the San Antonio Toros for the 2026 Continental Football League season. However, the team put out a statement on 1/11/2025 that Vinklarek has accepted a UFL opportunity that came up unexpectedly. Vinklarek has a lot of experience coaching in Texas, and it would make sense to see him join the staff of Kevin Sumlin with the Houston Roughnecks.
Vinklarek has a long, storied history of playing and coaching football in Texas. Serving as a Team Captain for the football team at Flatonia High School before going the JUCO route, joining Blinn Junior College. This would eventually lead to an opportunity to play for Southwest Texas State University.
From 1981 to 1987, he coached at middle schools and high schools before joining the University of Houston in 1988. He would stay with Houston until 1993, before spending two more seasons coaching high school in the Houston area.
Vinkarek would go on to coach in the CFL with the Birmingham Barracudas. He later spent time coaching with Rice, SMU, and East Texas A&M throughout his career. He even managed to find himself in the NFL for 4 seasons. A return to the CFL, spending 2 more seasons coaching with the Eskimos. In 2020, he joined the XFL with the New York Guardians as their Offensive Line Coach. While his ties would lead me to believe we will see him in Houston or Arlington, his level of experience would surely benefit one of the younger coaches.
Final Thoughts
I have said since the beginning of the Head Coach announcements that the experience of the Head Coaches would only be a concern if they were not surrounded by veteran staff. Judging by these two hires, they are bringing in very experienced coaches who have previous spring football experience.
This is surely strategic for the league. Bringing in coaches that do not need the oversight of an experienced head coach is necessary when looking across the league at the hires at the top. Between Washington and Vinklarek, the league brought in two offensive line gurus, a position that is strongly lacking proper development at the NFL level. The UFL has two coaches who can bring a collective 60+ years of coaching experience.
Perception is everything, and if you are a player who is looking to continue your football career, there are many factors that will weigh into that decision, not least of all of which will be the level of coaching you can receive. While some of the Head Coaches being hired could certainly allow for some doubts to open up, filling out staffs with coaches like Washington and Vinklarek will quiet those concerns quickly.
- Two More UFL Assistant Coaches Named for 2026
- 2026 IFL Player Spotlight Chima Dunga
- NFL’s Black Monday Results in Several More Firings
- United Football League Completes Coaching Hires
- 2026 American Indoor Football Season Preview
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