Ranking Every CoFL South Head Coach
The Continental Football League just finished announcing every South Division team for the 2026 season. With each team being announced, came with the announcements of each team’s head coach. The CoFL South division head coaches will have the reigning GDFL champion head coach, former spring football QB, Division 1 strength and conditioning coach, and a former Texas Tech and Arena Football star. The CoFL Head Coaches for 2026 will be James Champagne, Stan Bedwell, Ruben “Duck” Contreras, and Rodney Blackshear. Here’s my rankings of all 4 head coaches:
4. Rodney Blackshear
Coach Rodney Blackshear comes to Tall City with plenty of West Texas Connections. Blackshear would plant his seeds in West Texas when he committed and played his whole collegiate career for the Texas Tech Red Raiders from 1987-91. After his dominating college career for the Red Raiders, Blackshear would play arena ball his entire professional football career. He would play for Arena Football Texas teams including the Dallas Texans, Texas Terror, and Houston Thunderbears. Rodney Blackshear ended his professional football career as one of the best receivers and defensive backs in Arena Football
Coach Blackshear would start his coaching career at his alma mater, Texas Tech University, as a graduate assistant in 2002. He would get stints as a coordinator and wide receivers coach for Harvest Christian High School, the University of Houston, and Rio Grande Valley Dorados before getting his first head coaching position in 2007. The Lubbock Renegades of the Arena Football 2 would hire Rodney Blackshear as their first and only head coach in franchise history. In his 2 years as head coach, the Renegades would go 16-17 and only achieve a single playoff appearance before shutting down operations in 2008. Coach Blackshear would get used to arena teams closing their doors after the season as he was the final head coach for the South Georgia Wildcats (2009) and Abilene Ruff Riders (2010). Over those 2 seasons, Blackshear went 13-12 with a single postseason appearance with the Wildcats. His final head coaching stint in arena football came in 2011 with the Amarillo Venom. The Venom would go winless to start the season, leading to the mid-season firing of Coach Blackshear.
Looking for a fresh coaching start, Blackshear went back to high school when he coached at Jersey Village High School in 2012. He would sit a year out of coaching in 2013 before returning to the sidelines to coach for Texas College in Tyler, Texas. It would be a tough season for the Steers as they only won a single game. His final stint as a head coach before Tall City came in 2015 when Trinity Christian went 10-4 with Blackshear steering the ship as the head coach.
Coach Rodney Blackshear is back in West Texas as he will be the head man on the sidelines for the Black Gold in 2026. I ranked him last on the coaching rankings due to him being out of coaching for over 10 years and struggling as an arena football coach. I think Coach Rodney Blackshear is ready to bring football back to Midland and West Texas and is excited to prove the doubters wrong.
3. Ruben “Duck” Contreras
Ruben “Duck” Contreras was chosen to be the first head coach of the Fort Worth Braves as they bring back professional football to Fort Worth. Coach Duck has a long resume of coaching from Colleges to International Football teams. His start in coaching came as the DB’s coach for Monterrey Tech University and Gigantes Queretaro from 1999-2008. His first coaching job was from 2005-08 for The University of Valley of Mexico in the fall winning 2 championships. Coach Duck would be a well-known strength and conditioning coach as he helped the summer camps for the University of Oregon, UC-Berkley, University of Alabama, and many other Division 1 schools. His speed training has helped many athletes improve their speed from his Duck4 Performance training.
Coach Duck’s next major coaching job came as the Director of Performance and Linebackers coach for the Prague Lions of the Czech Football League from 2018-19. The national attention he grew from across the world as a speed performance coach, led him to getting his first head coaching job in Queretaro City, Mexico in 2023. The Gallos Negros de Queretaro would have a rough season only going 1-9 in the LFA.
In 2024, Contreras would become the first and only Mexican coach in Texas Longhorns staff history. He played many roles during his 2 seasons in Austin, including being the Football Performance Coach. Coach Duck was a part of the Peach Bowl and Cotton Bowl victories in 2025. In 2025, he was the Director of Football performance for Club Redskins Mexico, Universidad Anahuac Mexico, and hosted his own speed camp. His large resume of improving athletes speed and his ties to Texas and Mexico led the Fort Worth Braves to announce him as their first head coach in franchise history.
Coach Ruben “Duck” Contreras comes to the CoFL with some of the least head coaching experience out of all the head coaches, but I believe his ability to recruit high caliber players from across the world and highly touted universities will make the Braves a threat in the CoFL South. Coach Duck has worked with many college coaching legends throughout his career where he can get advice from them to help build the Braves. He is my third ranked head coach due to the lack of experience and media attention. Coach Duck is my underrated coach to move the most spots at the end of the season.
2. James Champagne
Coach James Champagne comes to the Texas Syndicate after winning the 2024 GDFL Championship with the Huntsville Rockets. Coach Champ is a retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant who got his coaching career started in 2021. The discipline he learned from the military was a major skill he added into his coaching philosophy. He would be the head coach for many middle school teams including SA Prep Charter School (2021), Atonement Academy 6(2023), and St Anthony’s Catholic (2025). His first major roles came during his second coaching season in 2022 when he was the DC for the San Antonio Predators and a Strength and Conditioning Coach for UCLA. Those roles lead him to move up to the High School ranks starting in 2023 when he was named Head Coach Atonement Academy. The season led him to move up in ranks to becoming the DB and Special Teams Coordinator for TMI Episcopal in 2024.
After being noticed as a young and up-and-coming professional football coach, the Alabama Beavers of the IFA called Coach Champ to be their first head coach. The Beavers rebranded to the Rockets and competed in the GDFL in 2025. The Rockets were noticeably better than every other team as they cruised to a National Championship. Looking for better opportunities, James was hired by the newly formed Texas Syndicate to become their defensive coordinator. After Marcus Coleman stepped down as head coach, James Champagne was chosen to take the reins over the organization to become their first head coach. During the offseasons, he trains young athletes to get better.
Coach James Champagne is young in coaching compared to most other coaches but has a very bright defensive mind. He is a leader of men from the sideline to outside of practice. When I covered the Huntsville Rockets last season, you could see the energy Coach Champ brought to the sidelines. I think his recent championship win in the GDFL proves he can build a winning team that the Greater-Austin area will be proud to watch.
1. Stan Bedwell
Stan Bedwell will take over the San Antonio Toros with his air raid offense. This article already on San Antonio Snap Count gives you a quick rundown of the Toros Coach Stan Bedwell’s Career:
I believe Toro’s head man, Stan Bedwell, is the best head coach coming into the season. Coach Bedwell has experience playing alternative football, so he knows what makes a non-NFL team successful. I think his recent playing years for the TSL Linemen in 2021 shows he will be a player’s coach and know what they are thinking in the huddle. The most important asset he has already is coaching for another CoFL Team. Last year, Coach Bedwell coached under Ohio Valley Ironmen head coach Manny Matasakis when they were in the IFA. Stan Bedwell knows the talent he needs to pick up to compete with teams like the Ironmen.
Final Thoughts:
The Continental Football League has 4 incredible coaches with plenty of experience under their belts. My rankings for every CoFL South Head Coach is 1. Stan Bedwell (Toros), 2. James Champagne (Syndicate), 3. Ruben “Duck” Contreras, and 4. Rodney Blackshear. What’s you’re ranking for the CoFL South Head Coaches? Comment on our Instagram Post.
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