Judging by the head coaches, at least, the latest incarnation of the XFL will have a significant Pittsburgh Steelers influence.

Former Steelers stars Rod Woodson and Hines Ward, along with former Steelers defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, were named among the eight head coaches announced Wednesday for the 2023 reboot of the XFL.

The spring football league that debuted to great fanfare in 2001 but folded after one season was then brought back for 2020 only to succumb to the coronavirus pandemic. This version is co-owned by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and is scheduled to debut next February.

Joining Ward, Woodson and Haslett as coaches are Reggie Barlow, Anthony Becht, Terrell Buckley, Wade Phillips and Bob Stoops.

“I have experienced first-hand the positive influence and impact that coaches can have on a player’s life,” Johnson said in a statement released by the league, “and with our group of smart, accomplished and motivating head coaches, I expect nothing less. Not only will these coaches be mentors to our players, but they will be a big part of the cities in which we will operate.”

This morning, XFL co-owners @DanyGarciaCo and @TheRock officially announced our eight head coaches for the 2023 season. Please join us in welcoming them all to the #XFL2023!

— XFL (@XFL2023) April 13, 2022

The league is planning on eight teams but apparently those eight will not necessarily align with the eight cities that hosted franchises in 2020. Pittsburgh has never had an XFL team and is not expected to this go-round; the USFL has a team called the Pittsburgh Maulers (although the league is playing its entire 2022 season in Birmingham, Ala.).

Woodson, 57, is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A cornerback, he played his first 10 seasons for the Steelers and has spent some time as an NFL assistant.

Ward, 46, played 14 seasons for the Steelers, retiring in 2012 as their career leader in all major receiving categories. Ward spent last season as the receivers coach at Florida Atlantic after spending two seasons as an offensive assistant with the New York Jets.

Haslett, who went to old Avalon High School and to college at IUP, was the Steelers defensive coordinator from 1997-99. He spent six seasons as head coach of the New Orleans Saints and was on the staff of the Tennessee Titans for the past two years.

Phillips, who will turn 75 this summer, served as head coach of an NFL team four times (once on an interim basis). Stoops won a national championship at the University of Oklahoma, and Buckley played 14 seasons in the NFL and has been a college assistant since. Barlow has been a head coach at the FCS level for 14 seasons, and Becht — a former West Virginia tight end — has mostly worked in broadcasting since his retirement in 2011.

“Our head coaches are a diverse group of leaders, champions and hall of famers with experience competing and coaching at the highest level in football,” XFL co-owner Dany Garcia said in a statement. “Not only will they be mentors to our players, but they are also ambassadors of the XFL as we work together to build tomorrow’s league.”

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