Head Coach Skip Holtz and Safety JoJo Tillery met with the media via Zoom on Thursday afternoon to discuss the Stallions' season-opener on Sunday in Washington, D.C., against the D.C. Defenders. Holtz, Tillery and the entire team are excited about kicking off the 2025 campaign in just a few days.
"We are so excited about this first game of the season and ready to play an opponent," said Coach Skip Holtz in his opening statement. "For about 30 days, we have been going against each other. We just walked off the practice field, and we have had a ton of extremely spirited practices. What I mean by that is we as coaches constantly have to slow them down; they are all itching to get this season started."
Furthermore, in his opening, Holtz mentioned how excited he is to see the new faces of this team contribute to on-field success. "I am excited to see what this team can become," said Holtz. "We have talked a lot about how every year you have a new football team, which comes with new faces, new personalities, and a new team chemistry. We must continue to gel as a football team, which we will take into the season." Once again, the eyes of the entire league will be on the Stallions as the organization looks to capture its fourth consecutive league title and its second UFL championship. Holtz and his staff credit so much success to the type of leadership that the organization has been under through the years. "You find out your team's chemistry is not when everything is going well; it is when adversity strikes. It's hard to hit adversity when you are going through camp, but we will learn a lot about our team in this opening game."
Something worthy of note in Birmingham's matchup against the Defenders will be Interim Head Coach Shannon Harris' first game as head coach. Former Defenders Head Coach Reggie Barlow was announced as the new head man at Tennessee State University on March 23. "At this point, when coordinators stay the same, I can't see them reinviting the wheel," said Holtz. "We have continued game planning; the offensive and defensive coordinators have stayed the same. He (Harris) would have a few wrinkles up his sleeve regarding his involvement in their offense, but we will have to go off of what we see. We cannot sit there and say, "We'll never see that on film." They have only had eight months to develop those new wrinkles, and we, as a coaching staff, must be ready for it."Holtz mentioned the knowledge and skill sets of D.C.'s defense, led by Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams. "One consistent and interesting thing about D.C.'s defense is how much NFL experience Gregg (Williams) has. He has coached at that level for around 20 years. What makes him so good is that you don't know what you will get, you cannot target things so straightforward, and we, as an offense, will have to make sure that early in the game, we are simple, solid, and not doing anything unsound."
One of the obstacles that a UFL coaching staff must manage is that they are not with their rosters year round. "This first game, I am just focusing on us," said Holtz. "Assignment-wise, how we play, conduct our assignments, and what we must do to make the play.
"Training camp began earlier this month, allowing rosters league-wide for under a month to develop any continuity and flow to their offensive and defensive schemes. "We have so many new faces that before we can worry about our opponent, we must take care of our business first. In season-opening games, you must make the routine plays; I call it picking the ball up and throwing it to first."
The Stallions will not play a home game until Week 3 of the UFL season. Still, Holtz couldn't hold back the anticipation and gratitude for the city of Birmingham's love for the game of football and the Birmingham Stallions in general. Holtz does see how much passion the city has on social media platforms and game days in Protective Stadium but says it is much more complicated than usual since the team is based out of
Arlington during the season. "I can tell you that Birmingham has benefited us. Our players are so excited to have the opportunity to get back to Birmingham and play. We have a great fan base, and we all want to see it continue to grow as we are in year four. Friday night games are a great idea; they will add to our already passionate fans."
One of the more intense position battles throughout training camp is in the Stallions' quarterback room. "We have not named a starter; both are doing great. I feel extremely comfortable with either one playing right now. That's a decision that I will have to make tomorrow (Friday), but as of right now, we are rolling with them both. Also, Case Cookus continues to improve, and I feel comfortable if we had to put him in the game."
JoJo Tillery, one of the veteran leaders on the Stallions defense, opened his media availability to a highly similar level as that of Holtz. "I am ready to get it going," said Tillery. "We have been in training camp for a while, and the excitement of getting ready to play a game is always there. Sunday can't get here fast enough." Like most football players throughout their career, Tillery has battled injuries, but as the 2025 season starts, Tillery is healthy and ready for a breakout season. "It was huge for me mentally, "said Tillery. "It's a big deal if I'm not planning in season. Football has always felt like it's been my way out. The adversity hit hard for me to miss an extended period for the second year in a row. From this, I have grown so much mentally, and my number one personal goal is to go through the season healthy.
"The game of football has been a massive part of Tillery's life from a young age. "I have been playing football since I was four," said Tillery. I've been a football player for a long time, and my dream was to play in the NFL. I have accomplished that dream. I want to do whatever I must to return to the NFL." A Wofford graduate, Tillery credits his time in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to his excellent time management skills in his professional career. "I learned at Wofford how to plan my schedule weeks. That has helped me tremendously in the field. A team may have a certain scheme that they show on film, but when the game comes around, it could be completely different."
Tillery is a man of routine. "The night before the game, I usually eat a big meal and sometimes bring my gaming system just to relax or just put on a game that is going on from around the league." Game day rituals don't change much for this veteran defensive back. "On the game day, I'll wake up, eat a big breakfast, relax, get some stretching in, and put on some other games on the TV too. Once we get to the stadium, I usually immediately get an IV. By that time, I'm ready to go."