The Denver Summit said Tuesday that Scott Harwood will be the team’s new head coach and Allen Cross will take over as defensive coordinator, marking another significant staff overhaul for the expansion DFL franchise.

In a press release, the team said Harwood and Cross bring more than 65 combined years of coaching experience, including 34 NFL seasons, to Denver’s sideline. The announcement follows recent reporting that the Summit had fired defensive coordinator Brock Tullis and that Cross had accepted the defensive coordinator role.

Owner Lila Grant framed the move as a response to a sudden opening in the coaching market. In the release, Grant said recent NFL restructuring put “a generation of championship-caliber coaches on the market in a single week,” creating what she described as a rare opportunity for an expansion team.

Grant also referred to former staffers Colton Rigsbee and Tullis, saying they had done good work for the franchise and would “land well,” while arguing that Denver had to act decisively. “An expansion franchise gets one chance to seize a moment like this, and I owed Denver that chance,” Grant said in the release.

According to the team, Harwood spent 17 years in the NFL working as a linebackers coach, defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. The Summit described him as a coach known for discipline and staff development. The release said Harwood is originally from Cedar Rapids and played linebacker at Northern Iowa.

Harwood, in remarks included in the announcement, emphasized preparation and consistency over promotion or image. “Championships are built on accountability, preparation, and consistency — not hype,” he said. “I intend to give Denver a team that shows up prepared every single week.”

Cross also brings 17 NFL seasons of experience, according to the team, including work as a linebackers coach and coordinator. The Summit said Cross is from the Pittsburgh area and previously played linebacker at Slippery Rock. The team described his defensive approach as focused on tackling, gap discipline and effort.

“I want to coach football,” Cross said in the release. “Denver gave me a defense to build and the backing to build it right. That’s all I’ve ever asked for.”

The Summit said offensive coordinator Jamarcus Ellison-Bey will remain in place. That keeps continuity on offense as the club pairs Ellison-Bey’s system with Evander Holt, the No. 1 overall pick, according to the release.

The latest changes continue a rapid period of movement around the Denver staff. Prior reporting on Tuesday said Tullis had been dismissed in another coaching shake-up, and a separate report said Cross had accepted the defensive coordinator job. The new announcement confirms Cross’s hiring and adds Harwood as the team’s top coach.

The press release did not provide contract terms, the length of Harwood’s or Cross’s deals, or a timeline for any additional staff moves. It also did not specify Rigsbee’s status beyond Grant’s comments referencing him alongside Tullis.

For Denver, the hires signal an effort to put veteran leadership around a new roster as the franchise continues building its identity in the DFL. The team’s message centered on experience, structure and urgency rather than a long public search process.

Grant closed the announcement with a direct message to supporters, saying the franchise would not become “too proud, too comfortable, or too slow” to make changes it believes are necessary to win. Based on the team’s latest moves, the Summit appear to be betting that experienced defensive leadership and a reset at head coach can accelerate that process.