Courtesy: XFL
Arlington, TX — May 2, 2023 — D.C. Defenders head coach Reggie Barlow has been named the 2023 XFL Coach of the Year. All of the 2023 XFL awards were voted on by the teams’ respective head coach and/or Director of Player Personnel.
Barlow’s Defenders won the XFL North Division Championship and boasted a 9-1 regular-season record.
Under Barlow’s tutelage, D.C. led the league in scoring, averaging 29.6 points per game. The Defenders also led the league in rushing offense, averaging 140.8 yards per game and were No. 2 in the XFL in total offense (343.2 yards per game). Barlow’s team performed well under pressure all season. The Defenders were in seven games decided by one possession and fared an impressive 6-1 in those contests.
Barlow coached five seasons at Virginia State, leading it to the 2017 CIAA title, before leaving for the XFL this spring. His record at VSU was 34-16 including a 5-5 season in 2021.
Reggie Barlow previously coached at his alma mater, Alabama State, from 2007 through 2014 going 49-42. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1996 and went on to play eight seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver while returning kicks. After five seasons in Jacksonville, he spent two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and one with the Oakland Raiders.
The 2023 XFL Championship Game will be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas with kickoff slated for 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT and will air nationally on ABC.