Wednesday the DC Defenders made Shannon Harris their official head coach, dropping the interim from his title.
Harris led the defenders to the UFL championship following the departure of Reggie Barlow to become the head coach at Tennessee State. His achievement marked the first time an HBCU graduate led a pro football team to championship.
It was assumed that his time with the defenders was coming to an end after news emerged that Harris was accepting the Co-Offensive Coordinator role on Reggie Barlow’s staff at TSU. This meant that the men who led the defenders to the last two UFL title games were no longer with the organization.
However, that will not be the case.
According to James Larsen of Pro Football Newsroom, Harris will serve as the head coach and Co-Offensive Coordinator at Tennessee State.
The UFL season consists of a 10-week regular season and a 2-week postseason. The 2025 regular campaign began on March 28 and concluded on June 1; the postseason, including the UFL Championship game, took place between June 8 and 14.
The only overlap could be around the beginning of the UFL season, as TSU’s spring practices will coincide around the beginning of the UFL season, culminating with the spring game in early to mid April.
