Unlike Schnellenberger and Weiser of the stillborn Miami franchise, Dizney did not have the benefit of several months of research of coaching and player possibilities. With Schnellenberger opting not to follow the team to Orlando, Dizney turned to Lee Corso, a Florida State University alumnus and a longtime college head coach best known for his tenure at Indiana. Corso had a clear plan that involved building the team around third-year quarterback Reggie Collier. After starting out looking much like the 1984 Federals, opening the season with six straight losses, the Renegades were fairly competitive in their remaining 12 games, winning five of them as the mobile and talented Collier, who had been an abysmal failure in Birmingham and Washington in his first two seasons, began to develop. (Collier later went on to play briefly for the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL). Backup quarterbacks Jerry Golstyen and Steve Pisarkiewicz also played. The team's offense also featured running back Curtis Bledsoe and wide receiver Joey Walters. The Renegades finished with a record of 5–13 and a seventh-place finish.