XFL: Who is A.J. Smith? Exploring coaching career of Houston Roughnecks Offensive Coordinator

A.J. Smith became an instant celebrity as we heard direct access to his calls for the Houston Roughnecks in their victory against the Arlington Renegades in Week 2 of the XFL. With catchy calls like "GTFO" catching everyone's imagination, football fans got the chance to witness what it is like to be an offensive coordinator. But behind all the smiles behind the victory today, there was a lot of perseverance.

It took him on a journey from Houston to Shreveport and back to Houston. He finally has his big chance to shine in a league that is looking to establish itself as a prime competitor to the NFL in the long run, albeit with a spring schedule. As A.J. Smith himself said when he returned as the offensive coordinator of the Houston Roughnecks,

"Thank you God from bringing me back home to Houston..."

A.J. Smith's journey back to the Houston Roughnecks and the XFL

Austin James Smith was the wide receivers coach for the Houston Roughnecks in 2020. He and his coaching colleagues has coached the XFL team to a 5-0 record. He had a dream of becoming an offensive coordinator one day. Then the pandemic struck and the league was shelved.

A.J. Smith, like all the players and coaches in the league, lost his job. Stuck with nothing, he looked homewards to Shreveport, Louisiana. Initially, he wanted to play in a semi-professional league, but for that, he needed equipment and he called his hometown team Cavalry Cavaliers coach Rodney Guin.

Instead, as he went back to pick up his helmet, the head coach made him an offer to join the coaching staff. He would be an exciting prospective quarterback to work with, current Louisiana Tech player Landry Liddy. Before joining the XFL in 2020, A.J. Smith led the Mississippi-Ridegland Academy to a 6A State Championship. Now, he has a chance to come and coach his alma mater. As he told KTAL News,

“They gave me the helmet, and they offered the job to me right then and there. I told them, the issue is I don’t really live in Shreveport... But I guess I don’t really live anywhere else, either, so I might as well make Shreveport home again.”

He won the Division IV State Championship with them. His success saw him hired at Tyler Junior College, where he once again led a record-setting offense as the coordinator. Then finally, what he had never dared to dream became true.

He received a call from Wade Philips, a longtime former NFL coach and Super Bowl 50-winning defensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos. The former Dallas Cowboys head coach wanted an offensive coordinator to join his team for the Houston Roughnecks in XFL 2023.

And so the dream finally came true for A.J. Smith a couple of years later. He is now the offensive coordinator in a major football league, reaching here through a journey that took him all the way back home to where he used to play football. It has been a long and arduous journey but despite the gap of two years due to the pandemic, it does not seem he has lost his step.

As mentioned before, the Houston Roughnecks were 5-0 when the previous version of the XFL folded. He has now returned and led them to a 2-0 record. In his two sojourns in the XFL, he remains undefeated.

For someone who took the hardest hit one can take in a career when he lost his previous job, leading a pro football team is not the biggest challenge he has ever faced. But the Houston Roughnecks will continue to benefit not only from his offensive schemes but the never-say-die spirit he brings to life.