Introducing our Fall 2026 Football Head Coaches

I am excited to serve as Football Director this upcoming season. I’m looking forward to carrying forward the great work done thus far and am working with our coaching staff to ensure that our athletes are prepared for a successful 2026 season.

We are excited to announce our Head Coaches for the Fall 2026 Season!

SLW: Coach Josh Forney will serve as our Head Coach for SLW. Coach Josh served as our SLW Head Coach last season and is excited to serve in this role again this season. Coach Josh is also a renowned Trainer who runs Training Grounds, a sports training facility that currently trains some of the best athletes in the South Suburbs.

LW: Coach Carlton Gordon Jr. will serve as our Head Coach for LW. Coach Carlton returns to LW after serving as our Varsity Head Coach last season. Coach Carlton has served as a coach in our program for 7 years, most notably taking our Varsity level to the Super Bowl in 2023 and our SLW level to an undefeated regular season & the semifinals in 2024. Additionally, Coach Carlton coaches football at Brother Rice High School, while also coaching Track & Field at the High School (Brother Rice) and Youth (Legacy Runners Elite) levels.

JV: Coach Julius Payne will serve as our Head Coach for JV. Coach Payne served as our JV Head Coach last season and is excited to serve in this role again this season Coach Payne has coached in our program for over 5 years and is also a former college football player at Western Illinois. Additionally, Coach Payne coaches little league baseball. 

Varsity: Coach Jeremy Yancey will serve as our Head Coach for Varsity. Coach Yancey is a competitor through and through. A former high school standout turned semi-professional football player from 2014 to 2018, he brings firsthand knowledge of what it takes to grind, compete, and win at a high level. After hanging up the cleats, Coach Yancey transitioned seamlessly into coaching, spending four hard-nosed seasons building tough, disciplined athletes with the HF Kings. Now entering his third season with HF United following the merger, he continues to set the standard for effort, accountability, and physical football. Known for his passion, high expectations, and ability to connect with players, Coach Yancey coaches with intensity and purpose—developing not just football players, but leaders. His focus is simple: play fast, play physical, and play for each other. When Coach Yancey is on the sideline, you know the standard is high—and the work is real.

We are excited to have these coaches leading each of our levels this upcoming season. As a reminder, registration is open for the Fall 2026 season, so sign up and start that payment plan ASAP as spots are filling fast!

Link to Register: https://www.hf-united.org/register

Jeremy Yancey

Football Director

HF United Youth Football & Cheer