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al.com

Phillip Montgomery talks new Stallions job, reflects on Auburn season

Published: Mar. 07, 2024, 3:23 p.m.

4–5 minutes

By

Michael Casagrande | mcasagrande@al.com

Philip Montgomery is both back home and trying something new all at the same time.

The Dallas native is settling into his new gig as the Birmingham Stallions’ new offensive coordinator as the AFL teams conduct training camp in nearby Arlington. It’s a first foray into professional football coaching with the league that merged the USFL and XFL this offseason.

This is also an opportunity to turn a new corner after being fired as Auburn’s offensive coordinator after only a year on Hugh Freeze’s staff. Meeting with reporters via video call Wednesday, Montgomery said he was refreshed by his new challenge in a familiar place.

“I finally got back to some true Mexican food, which I love,” a smiling Montgomery said. “Being able to hit some of those restaurants I haven’t hit in a while, so it’s been outstanding.”

He’ll be back in Arlington when the season begins with the Stallions meeting the Renegades at noon CT on March 30. Birmingham will play its first home game of the 2024 season two weeks later as the Memphis Showboats come to Protective Stadium on April 13 under the lights.

For Montgomery, his road to spring pro football began with a friendship. He’s known Stallions head coach Skip Holtz for years so there was initial intrigue when the idea was broached in early January.

“We talked about it on several different occasions and I’m really excited about it,” Montgomery said. “It’s something new, a different adventure. Football’s football no matter the level that you’re coaching at but everything has its own uniqueness to it. I thought this league, being professional football and working with these young men who are in a different stage of life than what I’ve been working with. It’s been really enjoyable.”

Before Auburn, Montgomery was the head coach at Tulsa from 2015 until his firing after the 2022 season. He gained a name for himself as the Baylor co-offensive coordinator who helped lead Robert Griffin III to the 2011 Heisman Trophy. Two years later, the Baylor playcaller was a finalist for the Broyles Award going to the nation’s top assistant coach.

That was the role for which Freeze hired Montgomery in his first season after taking over the Auburn program. That didn’t last as Freeze said he’d be taking over more of the offensive playcalling responsibilities after a 27-10 loss to Texas A&M only four games into the season.

Montgomery was officially fired Jan. 5.

“You know, Auburn is a great place,” Montgomery said Wednesday when asked about last season. “It’s an exciting place. The community is unbelievable. It has great people there. They’re exciting about their football. My family and I enjoyed our time there and we’re excited about this new opportunity.”

The coach who also had experience at the University of Houston before going to Baylor will remember his season in the SEC.

“You just get to play in a lot of unbelievable-type atmospheres when you’re there,” Montgomery said. “Especially in the SEC. Any time you’re playing Georgia and Alabama and LSU and Texas A&M and all of these, you’re going to have some great battles and great matchups and some great atmospheres.”

Now, it’s on to a new challenge.

And he seems to like having some of the collegiate coaching responsibilities off his plate.

“It’s been ball all day long,” Montgomery said. “I’m not chasing kids about going to class or tutoring or missing breakfast or whatever that might be. I’m not worried about the recruiting side of it.

“It’s just ball all day and that’s been really enjoyable for me.”

The Birmingham Stallions are coming off consecutive USFL championships before the merger. The 2024 USL opener pits the Stallions against the reigning XFL champion Arlington Renegades in a game set to air on FOX.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.

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[bigbird 60,564]

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

I enjoyed our time there and we’re excited about this new opportunity.”

I've coached at a school for one year before. Once I started you immediately could tell that there were "fit" issues.  It was uncomfortable for everyone. Even though there weren't any issues and we all acted professionally, we couldn't wait to get out.  Monty's answer is exactly how you respond when you are relieved to be leaving that kind of environment.

He's not a bad coach, he just was a very bad fit.