The Dallas Renegades are turning to a familiar college football name to lead them into their next chapter.
On Wednesday, the team announced Kevin Sumlin as its new head coach, bringing in a coach who once piled up wins at Houston and Texas A&M before later taking a turn through the UFL with the Houston Gamblers. Sumlin, 62, spent the 2025 season away from football after two years as the University of Maryland’s associate head coach.
Sumlin’s résumé still carries the kind of moments that made him a major figure in college football. From 2008 to 2020, he went 95-63 overall as a college head coach, including Texas A&M’s 2013 Cotton Bowl win over Oklahoma.
At Houston, where he started his head coaching career in 2008, he helped develop Case Keenum into the NCAA’s all-time leading passer during the quarterback’s time with the Cougars. Sumlin finished 35-17 there before moving to College Station.
His first season at Texas A&M was his best splash. He brought Johnny Manziel to the forefront and guided the Aggies to an 11-2 record in their first year in the SEC.
The results dipped after that. Texas A&M went 9-5 or 8-5 in each of the next four seasons, and Sumlin was dismissed in 2017 after a 7-5 finish.
He left the Aggies with a 51-26 record.
After Texas A&M, Sumlin took over at Arizona, where the results never really clicked. He went 9-20 with the Wildcats. His last stint as a head coach came in 2022 with the Houston Gamblers, where he went 3-7.
Now the Renegades are betting that Sumlin can bring some of that earlier winning back to the UFL.
In Other News...
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Colorado wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. has already framed Texas Tech as the kind of opponent that demands full attention, and the Buffs know the setting at home is supposed to matter. Even with the off-field buzz shifting around the ticket market, the real test remains the same for Colorado: protecting its own field against a ranked team that will arrive with plenty on the line. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Could Soon Feel This New Realignment Fight Firsthand
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Dave Aranda Just Framed Baylors Biggest Competitive Problem
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Arandas comments also gave a clearer look at the challenge facing Baylor as it tries to build and sustain a winner. He stressed that toughness still has to be part of the formula, because money alone does not decide everything, but he also acknowledged that spending is central to assembling a competitive roster. For the Bears, the question is no longer whether resources matter, but how far grit and coaching can carry them against programs with more to spend. [Read more 🡒]