Anthony Becht caps his first UFL season as head coach of the Orlando Storm with the league’s coach of the year award after an 8-2 run that earned the team the top seed in the four-team playoffs.
When Anthony Becht stepped into his first year as head coach of the Orlando Storm, it wasn’t supposed to be simple. A new chapter in the UFL comes with uncertainty for every staff—yet Becht ended the season with an 8-2 record and the league’s coach of the year award.
The award comes after a standout turnaround built on a clear standard: win early, win often, and make it impossible to ignore. Becht led the Storm, a new addition to the UFL for 2026, to the top seed on the four-team UFL playoff tree.
Becht’s praise for the result landed the way it did in the press release issued by the UFL. with one line setting the tone: “I’m honored and grateful to receive this award. ” he said. He added that individual awards are “always about the people around you. ” pointing to “a great coaching staff” and “50 players who fully buy into the process.” His closing message made the win feel shared: the award reflected “the commitment and work put in by everyone in our organization.”.
His coaching path helps explain how quickly Orlando’s season cohered. Becht coached the St. Louis Battlehawks from 2023 through 2025, and before that he carried a track record in the XFL/UFL: he has a regular-season record of 30-10 as a coach.
The coach of the year award itself carries extra weight. The UFL names the honor for the late Buddy Teevens, a long-time college coach who was head coach at Dartmouth twice, as well as Maine, Tulane, and Stanford.
Becht’s football résumé also runs deep in the background. A first-round tight end, he played college football at West Virginia and was the Jets’ first-round pick in 2000. His NFL career included time with the Jets, Buccaneers, Rams, Cardinals, and Chiefs.
One season can’t erase everything that came before it—but in Becht’s case, the league is treating this one as the proof. Orlando’s top seed, the 8-2 finish, and the coach of the year vote together leave little doubt that his work this year is being measured in trophies, not just potential.
Anthony Becht UFL Orlando Storm coach of the year St. Louis Battlehawks Buddy Teevens XFL playoffs