Football

Pascagoula alum tabbed to lead XFL team in Florida

By Scott Watkins

July 25, 2022 10:41 AM

TIMOTHY D. EASLEY/ASSOCIATED PRESS Former Louisville cornerbacks coach Terrell Buckley, now with Mississippi State, speaks with a reporter during Louisville Football Media Day at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 8, 2015. Buckley, a Pascagoula product, is a candidate for the College Football Hall of Fame. Timothy D. Easley AP

The XFL announced its official list of team locations and head coaches for the upcoming 2023 season on Sunday and a former South Mississippi football star has surfaced as one of the team’s leaders.

Pascagoula alum Terrell Buckley will be coaching the Orlando team in the third iteration of the XFL next spring.

The league, now part-owned by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, had previously announced the list of coaches for the 2023 season in April but had not made public which locations would be in the newest version of the league until now.

Buckley won the Jim Thorpe award at Florida State before winning a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2001. He’s since served as cornerbacks coach for several college programs, including both Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

The XFL season begins on Feb. 18, 2023.

Terrell Buckley was a star cornerback and kick returner for the 1987 Pascagoula High School football team that won the Class 5A state title. Sun Herald file

Scott Watkins

Sun Herald

Scott is the high school sports and Southern Miss athletics reporter for the Sun Herald.

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