Why Anthony Becht is coaching Storm, not Battlehawks, for 2026 UFL season
After three successful years with the St. Louis Battlehawks, Anthony Becht has moved onto the Orlando Storm. Here's why the UFL coach switched teams.
The St. Louis Battlehawks are set to make their 2026 UFL season debut on March 28, when they host the DC Defenders at The Dome at America's Center. The UFL will notice a conspicuous absence as the team looks to win its first-ever spring football championship.
For the first time since the 2020 XFL season, Anthony Becht will not be coaching the Battlehawks. Instead, Ricky Proehl – a 17-year NFL veteran who spent the 2023 season as a wide receivers coach in St. Louis – will be leading the team in his first stint as a head coach.
The game, the guys, the dream: Why UFL players are playing spring football But Becht won't be out of the UFL entirely. He has simply traded in his blue-and-silver apparel for purple-and-orange as he takes over one of the spring football league's three relocated squads , the Orlando Storm. Becht is looking forward to the challenge the change will provide ahead of his fourth UFL season.
"We had a great run in St. Louis, but I'm fired up for this opportunity," Becht told USA TODAY Sports in a recent interview. Why Anthony Becht joined Orlando Storm for 2026 UFL season Becht explained his path to Orlando started with a joke Mike Repole – who joined the UFL as an investor ahead of its 2026 season and helped guide the league's strategic vision – made at the news conference announcing the Storm as one of the UFL's newest members.