# San Antonio Brahmas

The San Antonio Brahmas are a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Brahmas compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team is owned and operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha Acquico and Fox Corporation. The Brahmas play their home games at the Alamodome. The Brahmas have a franchise regular season record of 11-11 (.500).

## History
### Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia era (2023–present)

The XFL played its first season in 2020 with eight teams, as a reboot to the league of the same name that played in 2001. After five games, it was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the league's April bankruptcy, the XFL had begun discussions with San Antonio to relocate one of its eight teams there. It had been unavailable as a market at the time of the league's launching due to the Alliance of American Football placing the San Antonio Commanders (that league's best-attended team) there, and because of the XFL's policy at the time of preferring cities that already had NFL franchises.
After XFL founder Vince McMahon sold the league to a consortium led by businesswoman Dany Garcia and her ex-husband, business partner, and former WWE wrestler Dwayne Johnson, and the league did not play in 2021 or 2022, it was announced the league would return for the 2023 season. In March 2022, rumors of a San Antonio XFL team again emerged after the league hired Reggie Barlow, reportedly to serve as the team's coach; Barlow instead would be assigned to the DC Defenders. The league announced in July 2022 that three teams from the 2020 would be replaced, and five would return, and that San Antonio would be among the three new cities, ultimately replacing the LA Wildcats.
The July announcement revealed San Antonio's head coach as Hines Ward and their stadium as the Alamodome. On October 31, 2022, the logo was revealed and the team name was announced as the San Antonio Brahmas. The Brahma name is of Hindu origin, coming from the Hindu creator god; more directly, the Brahmas name comes from the American Brahman, a hybrid species cross-bred from sacred zebu and American cattle that Johnson has long used as a personal mascot. The XFL Brahmas team jerseys were revealed on December 8; their uniforms will be yellow-gold and grey. In the 2023 XFL Draft, the Brahmas were allocated quarterbacks Jawon Pass and Anthony Russo and used their top pick to select running back Jacques Patrick. On February 22, 2023, the XFL's director of communications Jeff Altstadter announced the firing of team executive Mike Sheehan.
The 2023 XFL season began on February 18, 2023, and featured 40 regular season games. The Brahmas compiled an overall record of 3–7 during their inaugural season, missing the playoffs.
On December 28, 2023, Ward resigned from the Brahmas after finishing with a 3–7 record in 2023, in response to a change in contract structure. Houston Roughnecks Head Coach Wade Phillips replaced Ward, a maneuver that would allow the Roughnecks identity to be cleared and used for the former Houston Gamblers.
In September 2023, Axios reported that the XFL was in advanced talks with the USFL to merge the two leagues prior to the start of their 2024 seasons. On September 28, 2023, the XFL and USFL announced their intent to merge with details surrounding the merger to be announced at a later date. The merger would also require regulatory approval. In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name "United Football League". On November 30, 2023, Garcia announced via her Instagram page that the leagues had received regulatory approval for the merger and were finalizing plans for a "combined season" to begin March 30, 2024. The merger was made official on December 31, 2023.

## Player history
### Current NFL players

| Season | Pos | Name | NFL Team |
| 2023–2024 | G | Kohl Levao | New York Jets |

### Notable players

| Season | Pos | Name | Notes |
| 2023 | QB | Paxton Lynch | Former Denver Broncos Quarterback, 2016 1st Round Pick |
| 2023 | RB | Kalen Ballage | Former Miami Dolphins Running Back, 2018 4th Round Pick |
| 2024 | DE | Tarell Basham | Former Dallas Cowboys Defensive End, 2017 3rd Round Pick |
| 2024 | FS | Teez Tabor | Former Detroit Lions Defensive Back, 2017 2nd Round Pick |
| 2024 | WR | Cody Latimer | Former Denver Broncos Wide Receiver, 2014 2nd Round Pick |
| 2024 | CB | Quincy Wilson | Former New York Giants Defensive Back, 2017 2nd Round Pick |
| 2024–present | K | Donald De La Haye | Current YouTuber, has over 5.7 million subscribers |
| 2024–present | RB | Anthony McFarland | Former Pittsburgh Steelers Running back, 2020 4th Round Pick |
| 2024 | CB | Cameron Dantzler | Former Minnesota Vikings Cornerback, 2020 3rd Round Pick |
| 2025–present | QB | Kellen Mond | Former Minnesota Vikings Quarterback, 2021 3rd Round Pick |
| 2025–present | CB | Greedy Williams | Former Cleveland Browns Cornerback, 2019 2nd Round Pick |

## Coach history
### Head coach history

| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Awards |
| # | Name | Term | GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | Awards |
| San Antonio Brahmas |||||||||||
| 1 | Hines Ward | 2023 | 10 | 3 | 7 | .300 | – | – | – | |
| 2 | Wade Phillips | 2024–present | 10 | 7 | 3 | .700 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |

### Offensive coordinator history

| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Awards |
| # | Name | Term | GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | Awards |
| San Antonio Brahmas |||||||||||
| 1 | Jaime Elizondo | 2023 | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | – | – | – | |
| 2 | Jimmie Johnson | 2023 | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | – | – | – | |
| 3 | A. J. Smith | 2024–present | 10 | 7 | 3 | .700 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |

### Defensive coordinator history

| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Awards |
| # | Name | Term | GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | Awards |
| San Antonio Brahmas |||||||||||
| 1 | Jim Herrmann | 2023 | 10 | 3 | 7 | .300 | – | – | – |
| 2 | Will Reed | 2024–present | 10 | 7 | 3 | .700 | 2 | 1 | 1 |

## Rivalries
### Houston Roughnecks

The Brahmas are in-state rivals with the Houston Roughnecks. The rivalry is billed as the Lone Star Showdown (not to be confused with the Texas/Texas A&M collegiate rivalry also known as the Lone Star Showdown).

### Overall regular season record vs. opponents

| Team | Record | Win % |
| Orlando Guardians | 2–0 | 1.000 |
| Houston Roughnecks (2024) | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Memphis Showboats | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Michigan Panthers | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Arlington Renegades | 3–1 | .750 |
| Birmingham Stallions | 1–1 | .500 |
| DC Defenders | 1–2 | .333 |
| St. Louis Battlehawks | 1–3 | .250 |
| Seattle Sea Dragons | 0–1 | .000 |
| Vegas Vipers | 0–1 | .000 |
| Houston Roughnecks (2020) | 0–2 | .000 |
* Defunct teams in light gray

### Season by season record

| UFL champions$^†$ (2024–present) | XFL champions$^§$ (2023) | Conference champions$^*$ | Division champions$^^$ | Wild Card berth$^#$ |
| Season | Team | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Postseason results | Awards | Head coaches | Pct. |
| Season | Team | League | Conference | Division | Finish | W | L | Postseason results | Awards | Head coaches | Pct. |
| 2023 | 2023 | XFL | | South | 3rd | 3 | 7 | | | Hines Ward | .300 |
| 2024 | 2024 | UFL | XFL | | 2nd$^*$ | 7 | 3 | Won XFL Conference Championship (Battlehawks) 25–15 Lost 2024 UFL Championship (Stallions) 0–25 | | Wade Phillips | .700 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 10 | 10 | All-time regular season record (2023–2024) | All-time regular season record (2023–2024) | All-time regular season record (2023–2024) | .500 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 1 | 1 | All-time postseason record (2023–2024) | All-time postseason record (2023–2024) | All-time postseason record (2023–2024) | .500 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 11 | 11 | All-time regular season and postseason record (2023–2024) | All-time regular season and postseason record (2023–2024) | All-time regular season and postseason record (2023–2024) | .500 |

## Records

All-time Brahmas leaders :
| Leader | Player | Record | Years with Brahmas |
| Passing yards | Jack Coan | 1,471 passing yards | 2023 |
| Passing touchdowns | Jack Coan Chase Garbers Quinten Dormady | 6 passing touchdowns | 2023 2024 2024 |
| Rushing | Jacques Patrick | 443 rushing yards | 2023 |
| Rushing touchdowns | Jacques Patrick John Lovett | 5 rushing touchdowns | 2023 2024–present |
| Receiving | Jontre Kirklin | 614 receiving yards | 2024–present |
| Receiving touchdowns | Anthony McFarland Jontre Kirklin | 3 receiving touchdowns | 2024 2024–present |
| Receptions | Jontre Kirklin | 56 receptions | 2024–present |
| Tackles | Jordan Williams | 150 tackles | 2023–present |
| Sacks | Delontae Scott | 11.5 sacks | 2023–2024 |
| Interceptions | Kameron Kelly Teez Tabor Tenny Adewusi | 2 interceptions | 2023 2024 2023 |
| Coaching wins | Wade Phillips | 8 wins | 2024–present |

## Market overview

The Brahmas are the first professional football team in San Antonio since the San Antonio Commanders of the Alliance of American Football in 2019, who averaged over 28,000 fans per game. The Brahmas join the San Antonio Spurs and San Antonio FC as professional sports teams in San Antonio. The Brahmas also join the San Antonio Gunslingers as football teams located in San Antonio.
Daryl Johnston, the UFL's vice president of football operations, had been on the Commanders' staff in 2019 and had seen the potential of the market, one that could rival the UFL's strongest, the St. Louis Battlehawks, if properly managed. It remains one of the UFL's stronger markets despite declines in attendance since the Commanders' time in the city, Johnston noted the decline was partly due to business issues on the league's end that "didn’t come together the way we wanted them to at the time" of the USFL/XFL merger.