From June Jones as the head coach to Johnny Manziel's potential future
What you need to know about the XFL in Houston
May 20, 2019, 2:13 pm
SportsMap/Cody Stoots
New XFL Houston Head Coach June Jones
The XFL announced their final head coach in Houston at TDECU stadium which will serve as their home in 2020. Here is what you need to know about the XFL coming to Houston.
June Jones and his offense first mentality
“We’re gonna see the forward pass” he joked. Said the XFL “gets it” that offense is the way to build excitement. pic.twitter.com/76EPgQb2sx
— Cody Stoots (@Cody_Stoots) May 20, 2019
The well traveled June Jones will coach the XFL Houston team. He returns back to professional football in Houston for the third time in his coaching career. Previously he was the wide receivers coach for the USFL's Houston Gamblers and the quarterbacks coach for the Oilers.
He has been a head coach a number of places including for the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL, SMU and Hawaii in college, and recently with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League.
Jones praised the XFL's forward-thinking attitude about offense and its draw to fans. He mentioned multiple times his plans to have an offensive attack that resembles the ones he has previously implemented.
What about Johnny Football?
Johnny Manziel made his CFL preseason debut tonight for the Hamilton @Ticats
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) June 2, 2018
He went 9/11 for 80 yards with two rushes for 10 yards. pic.twitter.com/8nD5EU1ODg
June Jones coached Johnny Manziel in the CFL when Manziel was on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Jones praised Manziel and said he enjoyed working with him in the time he coached him in the CFL.
Jones ultimately left it up to the league for Manziel's future. XFL owner Vince McMahon said at the league's introduction press conference "If you have any sort of criminal record or commit a crime, you aren't playing in this league."
It remains to be seen if that will be a situation that is enforced on Manziel.
The XFL Showcase
The commish of @XFLHouston @OliverLuckXFL about to introduce the head coach of the Houston team. Of course Luck no stranger to Houston. Ready to “plan, test, and do things right” in the XFL. pic.twitter.com/mNPd8aZFaF
— Cody Stoots (@Cody_Stoots) May 20, 2019
CEO and XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck gave some more details on the future of the XFL.
The biggest news was the upcoming eight XFL showcases the league has planned. The XFL will be inviting players eligible to play in the league for a tryout/combine event. Luck also mentioned current college players could attend these workouts and doing so wouldn't compromise their eligibility with their schools.
Every XFL city will have one of these tryouts. Luck also mentioned their coaches would be attending NFL training camps around the nation in hopes of scouting players that could end up in the XFL.
The league is scheduled to tentatively hold its draft in October.
The Houston ______ of the XFL
None of the eight XFL teams have names or color schemes yet. Oliver Luck said they are in the process of determining what those may be.
Luck said they are working with outside agencies as well as the creative department of Vince McMahon's WWE to come up with names and schemes for the teams to use.
When pressed about honoring some of the football history in this city, such as using the Oilers Columbia Blue colors, Luck smiled and politely declined to get into specifics. He did though mention when he was the president of the Houston Dynamo the soccer club had a Columbia Blue alternate jersey.
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The Houston Astros return to action Tuesday night in West Sacramento, looking to even their series with the Athletics after a tough loss in the opener. Though the Astros remain in first place in the AL West at 41-31, they’ve yet to find their full rhythm on the road, entering this matchup with a 14-18 record away from home.
Houston turns to recently recalled right-hander Jason Alexander, who will be making his fifth appearance of the season — but his first in an Astros uniform. All four of his previous outings in 2025 came with the A's, where he posted an 18.00 ERA across six innings.
With the Astros riding a recent stretch of strong pitching — boasting a 2.60 team ERA over their last 10 games — Alexander will try to keep the rotation’s momentum going.
Oakland counters with JP Sears, a lefty who’s logged a 5-5 record and 5.08 ERA this season. While the numbers don’t jump off the page, Sears has shown flashes of dependability and will be facing a Houston lineup that’s starting to click. The Astros are hitting .261 over their last 10 games and have gone 13-4 in games where they’ve launched at least two home runs — a trend they’ll hope continues in this one.
The Athletics, meanwhile, come in at 30-44 overall and 13-23 at home. But despite their struggles, they’ve gone 6-4 over their last 10, getting solid production from their pitching staff, which has posted a 3.06 ERA during that stretch. Oakland’s offense has been led by Brent Rooker, who enters the game with 15 home runs and a .491 slugging percentage. Max Muncy has also been a bright spot lately, with four home runs and 11 RBIs in his last 10 games.
For Houston, veteran second baseman/left fielder Jose Altuve continues to lead the charge. The former MVP has 10 doubles and 11 home runs on the year and remains one of the most reliable bats in the Astros lineup.
Tuesday night marks the fourth meeting of the season between these division rivals, with the Athletics currently holding a 1-0 edge in the series. First pitch is set for 10:05 p.m. EDT, as the Astros look to get back on track and reassert their dominance in the AL West.
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