Memphis Showboats head coach Ken Whisenhunt is stepping away from football due to “personal reasons” on Monday according to Pro Football Newsroom reporter James Larsen. This is the second coach in less than a week to leave as the 2025 UFL season kicks off this weekend.
Over the weekend, former D.C. Defenders head coach Reggie Barlow stepped down to take the head coaching job at Tennessee State. Memphis Showboats offensive line coach Jim Turner was named interim head coach.
UFL President & CEO Russ Brandon and UFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Daryl Johnston released a statement on Whisenhunt’s departure on their X (formerly Twitter) account.
“The impact that Ken has made on the culture of the Memphis Showboats in his brief time as head coach has been very impressive and we were excited to see the team perform in Week 1. We take pride in the UFL being a family first league and we respect Ken’s decision to take a leave of absence for personal reasons at this time.
We are fortunate to have Jim Turner in place to fill in as interim head coach and we are excited for his opportunity to lead the Showboats into the opening week of Week 2. If and when Ken Whisenhunt is ready to return to the UFL family, we will welcome him with open arms.”
Ken Whisenhunt is 63 years old and is from Augusta, Georgia. He was named the Memphis Showboats head coach on September 24, 2024. Whisenhunt played college football at Georgia Tech where he was a two-time First Team All-ACC as a tight end and Honorable Mention in 1984.
He began his coaching career at Vanderbilt for two seasons as the team’s Special teams, tight ends, and H-backs coach. He moved to the NFL in 1997 as the tight end coach of the Baltimore Ravens. He spent two seasons in Baltimore before taking the same position with the Cleveland Browns in 1999 and later as a Special teams coach with the New York Jets in 2000.
In 2001, Whisenhunt joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as a tight end coach. He would spend six seasons in Pittsburgh including three seasons as an offensive coordinator. In 2005, Pittsburgh’s offense had 2,926 yards passing and 2,223 yards rushing leading them to an 11-5 record and went on to win Super Bowl XL over the Seattle Seahawks.
The Super Bowl win earned Whisenhunt a head coaching gig with the Arizona Cardinals in 2007. In 2008, the Cardinals finished 9-7 winning the NFC West. Arizona had 4,674 passing yards, 1,178 yards rushing, and 46 touchdowns leading the Cardinals to its first-ever Super Bowl in Super Bowl 43 where they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-23.
Whisenhunt spent six seasons as Arizona’s head coach finishing with a 45-51 record (.469 AVG), and six playoff appearances (4-2). Then, Whisenhunt would spend two seasons as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans (2014-15) with a 3-20 record (.130 AVG).
After Tennessee, Whisenhunt became the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator from 2016-19. He would return to college as an offensive analyst for Penn State in 2021, and a special assistant to the head coach at Alabama in 2023.
Jim Turner is from Braintree, Massachusetts. He is in his second year with the Memphis Showboats. In 2023 with the New Orleans Breakers, the offensive line helped running back Wes Hills lead the league in rushing (679). He also spent time with the Miami Dolphins (2012-13) and the Cincinnati Bengals (2019-20). In 2012, Miami finished eighth in the AFC in rushing yards per game.
In college, Turner spent time at Texas A&M, Harvard, Temple, Louisiana Tech, Northwestern, Boston College, Delaware, and Texas State. At Texas A&M, they ranked among the nation’s top 25 teams in total offense, averaging more than 440 yards per game each season, and helped Trayveon Williams lead the SEC in rushing yards (1,760), rushing TDs (18), and total TDs (19) in 2018.
As a player, Turner played fullback for four seasons at Boston College. He was the team captain in his senior season and played in three bowl games including the Cotton Bowl and the Liberty Bowl.
