On Monday morning, it was announced that the Kentucky Barrels, an Arena Football One team, will call Truist Arena their home starting in the spring of 2026.
The AF1 is a professional arena football league that was relaunched in 2024. The initial launch failed with many teams disbanding, but after a successful first season, they moved to expand the league, adding The Barrel’s.
The Owner of the Barrels is NKU alum Corey Cunningham. He is the owner of Prestige Worldwide, a Cincinnati-based information technology (IT) company.
“As a kid from Cincinnati, launching a professional sports team and bringing something special to my alma mater is truly a dream,” Cunningham said in a press conference Monday to LinkNKY. “I’m excited about what’s ahead — for the Barrels and for our community — and I can’t wait to see how we grow both on the field and off.”
The Head Coach of the team will be Cedric Walker. He has had more than 20 years of experience as a player and a coach.
After a college career at Austin State University he went undrafted into the NFL and bounded around free agency. Walker would be picked up by the Charlotte Rage, an old Arena football team and that’s when he found his love for the game.
Over his 10 years as a player, Walker racked up 614 tackles, 84 pass breakups, 11 forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries and 23 interceptions.
When he retired as a player in 2005, he won multiple titles as a coach, recently winning with his old squad last season the The Outlaws going 7-1. Now coach and part salesman of the Barrels, he is in his 11th stop as a coach and and fourth as a head coach.
“I know a family of four can enjoy (the game) for $40,” Walker said to The Cincinnati Enquirer. “You get to catch the football and take it home with you. We used to call it blue-collar football. You just watched a guy play a game and you can meet him at Applebee’s and have dinner with him. It gives guys different avenues to get to the big leagues.”
Arena Football isn’t a new thing here at NKU, it’s embedded in its history. In 2011 and 2014 The Northern Kentucky River Monsters played at the then Bank of Kentucky Center on NKU’s campus. The team was a part of two different leagues in its stint. Jared Lorenzen, the late Highland’s alum, was the star of the team earning league MVP honors.
The league’s Commissioner is Jeff Fisher, an ex-NFL coach for the Houston/Tennessee Oilers from 1994-2010. He made his way to Super Bowl XXXIV, eventually losing to the Rams.
He stated in the press conference that he expects to grow significantly.
“We got plans with national sponsors and everything, so we expect to grow significantly. We have teams that basically committed to us, not for the ’26 season, but beyond already. We’re strategically putting teams in different geographic regions which is important from a travel standpoint, because that can get pricey” Fisher said.
NKU President Cady Short-Thompson was at the press conference and was excited to welcome arena football to campus.
“We are excited to welcome arena football to Truist Arena through this exciting partnership… This collaboration brings a new level of energy and entertainment to our campus and community, while showcasing Truist Arena as a premier venue in the region. We look forward to cheering on the team and seeing fans fill the stands” she said.
The Barrels will start putting their roster together come September 1. They’ll have local tryouts for the team and put a coaching staff in place in hopes of getting some local players on the team.
“It’s family, affordable and fast paced,” Walker said to LinkNKY. “We want guys with great character and will get out there in the community. We’ll have some local workouts, some guys from the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area.”
“The Barrels are going to be affordable, fast-paced and family-friendly fun… Once you see a game in person, you will see how exciting and exhilarating these games are. You can come watch championship-level football, support local charities, all while connecting with our team and community” said Cunningham to WLWT News 5.