The United Football League (UFL) has undergone serious changes this offseason. With Mike Repole and Impact Capital at the helm, the UFL has conducted “full forensic examinations” of league operations, from top to bottom.
One of their latest endeavors has been the restructuring of the league’s personnel model. Last month, the UFL parted ways with their eight General Managers for each team. They also dismissed EVP of Football Operations Daryl Johnston, opting not to renew his contract for the 2026 season. It’s worth noting that Jim Popp, Senior VP of Player Personnel, is no longer with the UFL either.
NEWS: The #UFL has announced that Daryl Johnston, former Executive VP of Football Operations, will not have his contract renewed for 2026.
In a statement from @TheUFL:
“The United Football League has decided not to renew Daryl Johnston’s contract. We are grateful to Daryl for… pic.twitter.com/2IGreYbJnG
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) November 12, 2025
These dismissals aren’t exactly cost-cutting measures, per se, but instead an adjustment to the league’s future outlook. The UFL is centralizing its personnel structure, putting together a team of executives and scouts who will work directly with Head Coaches to sign and delegate players.
Pro Football Newsroom has learned that the United Football League has officially hired four regional scouts, as part of this new model. Per league sources, Jim Monos, Patrick Austin, Rick Mueller, and Will Lewis will serve as the league’s four scouts.
As reported by Neil Stratton of @InsideTheLeague, 3 former UFL GMs – Jim Monos (Mem.), Rick Mueller (Arl.) and Will Lewis (Hou.) – are back with @TheUFL in player personnel dept , working under Patrick Austin, former XFL Director of Team Ops, now Manager of Football Ops. #UFL
— Greg Parks (@gregmparks) December 13, 2025
Jim Monos
Jim Monos is a veteran of the spring football space. The UFL will retain his keen eye for talent, as Monos formerly served as General Manager of the Memphis Showboats.
Monos has been involved in this scene for quite some time. He served as Director of Player Personnel for the San Diego Fleet of the AAF in 2019. Monos was also the XFL’s Senior Director of Football Operations from 2022-2023.
After a year away from the league, Jim Monos teamed up with Ken Whisenhunt in Memphis, as the Showboats saw an overhaul heading into 2025. Monos retooled the Showboats roster drastically, as the team featured quite a bit more talent compared to 2024. Unfortunately, a quarterback carousel and coaching woes led to another disappointing 2-8 campaign.
The connections run deep for Monos with other executives in the United Football League. Monos spent time with the Buffalo Bills as DPP, working alongside Russ Brandon and Doug Whaley – two of the UFL’s current executives.
Rick Mueller
Rick Mueller is another former UFL General Manager who will remain with the league. Mueller has spent the last three years working alongside Bob Stoops in Arlington. The Renegades have consistently rostered some of the league’s top players, largely due to the efforts of Rick who built and refined that organization.
Rick Mueller has a vast history of being an executive in professional football – including alt-leagues. Mueller served as a scout with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 1994-2000, and then moved to Player Personnel with the New Orleans Saints for the next eight years. Interestingly enough, Rick was the Vice President for the original UFL, back in 2009-2010.
Mueller has had several different gigs at both the NFL and collegiate level, including scouting roles with the Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New Orleans Saints. He’s got a knack for finding gems, and will undoubtedly be an asset to the league moving forward.
Will Lewis
Will Lewis is no stranger to spring football either. Lewis spent this past UFL season as General Manager for the Houston Roughnecks, serving as the team’s third GM through as many seasons.
Lewis was formerly the General Manager for the Memphis Express back in the AAF’s 2019 season. After that league collapsed, Lewis then was picked up by the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks in 2020, as an Assistant Director of Player Personnel under Randy Mueller.
See also
BREAKING: The Houston Roughnecks are parting ways with GM Lionel Vital, per sources.
Sources say that Will Lewis, formerly DPP for the @XFLBrahmas under Hines Ward, is set to take over as General Manager for the @XFLRoughnecks.
Houston making changes after a 1-9 campaign. #UFL pic.twitter.com/3wmHpNnB5U
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) July 5, 2024
In 2023, Lewis worked with Hines Ward in San Antonio. He was the Brahmas’ Director of Player Personnel, putting together one of the top defensive units in the league. Lewis was dismissed as the leagues merged, with Ward stepping away from the space.
Will has decades of NFL experience as well. He’s served in various scouting/personnel roles with the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, and Kansas City Chiefs.
Patrick Austin
Finally, the league has placed Patrick Austin in a scouting role, which he will do alongside his current position in football operations. Patrick was the Director of Team Operations for the XFL’s Orlando Guardians during their 2023 season. His job description includes:
“Responsible for communicating league level information to all players and coaching staff, ensuring consistency of League policies. In addition to managing and coordinating logistics for all football-related activity, including team travel.”
In the UFL, Austin retained a similar role, working with the Memphis Showboats and St. Louis Battlehawks.
Patrick has past experience scouting at Mississippi Valley State University and Mississippi State University. He also served as Callaway High School’s Head Football Coach from 2014-2016.
Final Thoughts
All four regional scouts will report to Doug Whaley and Russ Giglio. Whaley will serve as the UFL’s “Lead General Manager”, overseeing personnel alongside Giglio, who is Executive Vice President of Football Adminstration. This new conglomerate of executives and scouts will work directly with the UFL’s eight Head Coaches to recruit, acquire, and allocate talent across the league.
For the United Football League, there’s plenty more changes on the way. They still need to lock in all eight Head Coaches, and then determine exactly what to do with rosters. With the new year around the corner, we should expect legitimate news sooner than later.
What are you thoughts on these scouting hires for the UFL? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
