Seminole legend expected to be hired by XFL franchise as head coach
There aren't many professional football leagues that have a shot at competing with the NFL. The only one that has ever come close is the XFL. The league originally began play in 2001 before a restart in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the XFL to postpone play midseason and operations have been shelved ever since.
In August 2020, a group led by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Gerry Cardinale purchased the XFL for $15 million. That October, it was announced that the league would return to play in 2022 before the plans were further postponed until the spring of 2023.
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With play about a year out, activity has begun to pick up in the league over the last few weeks. Earlier this month, it was reported by multiple outlets that the Orlando franchise was hiring Florida State legend, Terrell Buckley, as its inaugural head coach. Buckley was most recently the cornerback's coach at Ole Miss before parting ways with the program in January.
This will be Buckley's first opportunity to coach at the professional level and his first job as a head coach. He has contributed at the college level in a variety of roles dating back to 2007. Buckley returned to Florida State after a career in the NFL as a safeties assistant. The following season, he moved to wide receiver assistant. In 2009, he was promoted to graduate assistant before helping out in the weight room throughout 2010-11.
Following five years in Tallahassee, Buckley spent two-year stints at both Akron and Louisville as a cornerback's coach. In 2016, Dan Mullen tabbed him as the next cornerback's coach at Mississippi State. He remained with the program until the end of the 2019 season, when he moved over to the same position with rival Ole Miss.
The former Seminole defensive back is still the program's all-time leader in interceptions with 21 total picks from 1989-91. Buckley came away with a Florida State record 12 interceptions in 1991. To put that in comparison, Deion Sanders recorded 14 total picks during his college career. Buckley's 501 career interception return yards remain an NCAA record for the FBS Divison to this day.
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After starring in the garnet and gold, the Mississippi native was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 1992 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. Buckley went on to play for seven teams, winning a championship in 2002 with the New England Patriots. He recorded 50 total interceptions in his career which included bringing in at least one pick over his first 13 years in the league.
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