After reaching the XFL Championship in 2023, the DC Defenders took a step back in 2024, finishing with a 4-6 record and missing the playoffs. Heading into 2025, an unexpected twist changed everything: just a week before the opener, head coach Reggie Barlow stepped down to take a college job at Tennessee State.
Quarterbacks Coach Shannon Harris was named interim head coach of the Defenders. Following DC’s Week 1 win over the Birmingham Stallions, the newly promoted coach got into a heated exchange with Stallions Head Coach Skip Holtz.
Harris unloaded on Holtz when shaking hands after the game, saying, “You called me a doorman, you called me a doorman,” to which Holtz responded, “What? No, I didn’t?” A DC player then yelled in Skip’s face, “We beat that a** too!”
The exchange drew attention online, with videos and discussions circulating on social media.
Despite the interim and “doorman” tag, he has led the team to a Conference Championship and earned UFL Coach of the Year honors.
The Defenders opened the season with the third-best odds (+600) to win the title and will look to cap off a great season in Saturday’s UFL Championship game against the Michigan Panthers.
Regular Season
Despite the last-minute coaching change, the Defenders opened the season 3-0, highlighted by an 18-11 win over reigning UFL champion Birmingham in Week 1.
After a surprise loss to winless San Antonio in Week 4, DC bounced back in dramatic fashion, overcoming a 15-point deficit to stun Arlington 37-33 on the road. The comeback pushed DC to 4-1 and the top of the XFL Conference.
The second half of the season was a bit shaky for DC. The Defenders had a 6-2 start, losing their last two games of the regular season to finish 6-4 overall. The losses sent DC out of first place in their conference, but they were still able to clinch a playoff spot with their 6-4 record.
Even if they had won those games, they wouldn’t have hosted the XFL Conference Championship Game due to a scheduling conflict at Audi Field. This sent the Defenders to St. Louis for the XFL Conference Championship Game against the Battlehawks.
XFL Conference Game
Heading into the XFL Conference Championship Game, the Defenders were coming off a Week 10 loss to the Battlehawks in DC. This time, looking to return the favor in St. Louis when it mattered most, DC went into The Dome at America’s Center with some extra motivation.
While both teams went three-and-out on their opening drives, it was DC that struck first. Jordan Ta’amu unleashed a 42-yard bomb to receiver Seth Williams to give DC a 6-0 lead.
In the second quarter, DC added to its lead with running back Deon Jackson scoring on a two-yard touchdown run, making it 14-0 Defenders. Ta’amu was picked off late in the second quarter, and St. Louis responded with a rushing touchdown of their own, cutting the lead to one score.
DC tacked on two field goals to give them a 20-6 lead at halftime, but DC’s running backs ran away with the lead with two rushing touchdowns, helping secure the XFL Conference title for DC.
Abram Smith extended the DC lead early in the second half:
Along with another Deon Jackson TD, early in the fourth quarter:
With a dominant 36-18 win in St. Louis, the Defenders punched their ticket to their first UFL Championship Game, where they will face the Michigan Panthers.
The Defenders enter the game as 3-point underdogs to Michigan and will need to accomplish five key things to bring home the title.
While the defense had its rough patches early on, DC’s secondary has the talent to disrupt opposing pass games. Led by DeAndre Baker, DC will need to play sharp, assignment-sound football to prevent big plays and keep Michigan’s receivers in check.
From the outside, it looked like the Defenders’ season was over before it started. Reggie Barlow’s departure just a week before kickoff could have unraveled the locker room. This team instead has a chance to write a storybook ending.
Under Shannon Harris, a first-time head coach, the Defenders not only survived but also thrived. They knocked off the defending champs in Week 1, rallied for comeback wins, and fought their way into the playoffs. After going on the road to take down St. Louis in a statement win, DC now finds itself 60 minutes away from a UFL title.
Of course, standing in the way is the same team that handed them their worst loss of the season, the Michigan Panthers. That 38-14 defeat in Week 6 still lingers, but Saturday’s championship isn’t about what happened in the past. It’s about showcasing how far DC has come since then.
A win on Saturday wouldn’t just bring home DC’s first UFL title. It would cap off one of the most unexpected and resilient runs in spring football history, earning the Defenders a place among the city’s proudest sports moments, whether there’s a parade down Constitution Avenue or not.
If all goes well on Saturday, it’ll be time to start building beer snakes and greasing street poles in DC.
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