Veteran UFL Head Coach Leaves St. Louis Battlehawks To Build New Franchise –
ORLANDO, FL – December 23, 2025 – The United Football League announced today that Anthony Becht will become the new head coach of the Orlando Storm, after serving as head coach of the St. Louis Battlehawks for the past three seasons (2023-25). The announcement was made today by UFL Co-Owner Mike Repole and UFL President and CEO Russ Brandon.
“Anthony Becht has been a great coach and ambassador for the United Football League and I know he will bring that same passion and leadership to the Orlando Storm, “ said Repole. “A Florida resident and former member of the Buccaneers, Anthony knows what football means to Florida and I’m excited to see him kickoff this Spring.”
“As we head into a new era, we needed someone who had the expertise to build a new franchise like the Orlando Storm from the ground up and what better person to do that than Anthony Becht,” said Brandon. “UFL Co-owner Mike Repole and I have called on Anthony to take up this challenge to help ensure the long-term success of the league. We guarantee that his successor in St. Louis will carry on the winning tradition that he established on and off the field.”
A resident of Florida, Becht had guided the Battlehawks since 2023 during its XFL Legacy period through the first two years of the UFL (2024-25) following the merger of the XFL and USFL. During that time, he led the team to a 22-8 record with a .733 winning percentage and back-to-back playoff appearances in 2024 and 2025.
“Today, I am filled with mixed emotions as I leave a city and team that I love—the St. Louis Battlehawks—to take on the exciting challenge of building a new team—the Orlando Storm,” said Becht. “I look forward to returning to my home state of the last 21 years, where I played three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and welcome the task ahead in adding to the great tradition of football in the Sunshine State. I also want to thank Battlehawks Nation for all of their support. You will forever be in my heart.”
A graduate of West Virginia University where he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2024, Becht was selected in the first round (27th overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He went on to play 11 seasons at tight end in the NFL spending time with the Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs. From 2000 to 2010, he played in 152 consecutive games – the third longest streak in the NFL over that time period behind only Brett Favre and Peyton Manning.
Following his playing career, Becht worked as a college football analyst for ESPN and hosted the Jets pregame show before being promoted to their radio color analyst in 2024. He also coached tight ends in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl before accepting the same position with the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football in 2018.
The league will announce Becht’s successor in St. Louis in the near future.
About the United Football League
The United Football League (UFL) is the premier professional spring football league, powered by the visionary leadership and investment of Mike Repole and Impact Capital, RedBird Capital Partners, FOX, Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, and ESPN. Built on innovation, accessibility, and competitive excellence, the UFL delivers the most engaging professional football experience in the world—for both players and fans. The league features eight teams: the Birmingham Stallions, Columbus Aviators, Dallas Renegades, DC Defenders, Houston Gamblers, Louisville Kings, Orlando Storm, and St. Louis Battlehawks. The 2026 season kicks off Friday, March 27.
2 Comments
by Johnny the Angry Fuzzball
Of all the rash decisions Repole has made, this one is actually the least problematic. On paper, yeah, taking a consistently successful coach out of his position to put him on an expansion team looks bush league… and to an extent, it is.
But let’s face it. Becht had reached his ceiling: a Marty Schottenheimer type who was great at recruiting and winning in the regular season but would flop in the playoffs. The Battlehawks needed someone else to push them over the edge anyway, though at this point, Repole’s bull-in-a-china-shop approach unfortunately means they’re starting completely from scratch, which is unfortunate. This is the best case scenario for Becht, who can use the redraft to reclaim much of his old roster, while St. Louis gets a fresh face without the playoff baggage.
by Gary Winter
I’m not sure this coaching move is going to anger anyone in St. Louis much. Fuzzball is correct. Most in the Lou appreciate AB for his efforts but it does look like he has hit his ceiling. Now we get to have a new coach with probably zero coaching experience who’s only qualifications are that he attended Mizzou, Illinois, Iowa or Iowa State. RP claimed that Becht was going to go to Orlando to help start up that new franchise. The way they’re blowing up the rosters, they’re all new franchises!
Hey, no complaints here. This guy seems to have to make all of these changes at once instead of pacing things. Of course, they did ask us our opinions on the mascots so we certainly had our share of input up to this point.