UAB has targeted former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer as its next head coach, sources close to both programs said The Athletic on Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Former UAB coach Bill Clark retired in June prior to the start of the 2022 season, citing debilitating back issues.
- Offensive coordinator Bryan Vincent assumed the role of interim head coach and led the Blazers to a 6-6 record this year.
- Dilfer, who won a Super Bowl with Baltimore in 2000, is in his fourth season as the coach of Nashville’s Lipscomb Academy.
Backstory
Despite losing three straight after a 4-2 start, UAB clinched a second straight bowl game appearance this past weekend with a win over Louisiana Tech.
Before retiring this summer, Clark went 49-26 at UAB over six seasons, never posting a losing record. He led the team to a 6-6 record in 2014, before the university system shut down the program. He stuck around as the program was brought back and took the Blazers to heights never seen before. UAB won Conference USA championships in 2018 and 2020 and became the first team in league history to play in three consecutive conference championship games.
Dilfer, 50, has served as the head coach of Lipscomb Academy — which plays in the state title game Thursday — since 2019. The one-time Pro Bowler also worked as an NFL analyst for ESPN.
What Dilfer brings to UAB
The former Super Bowl-winning quarterback has remained a huge presence at all levels of football throughout his post-playing career, as he spent a decade at ESPN as an NFL analyst and is the longtime head coach of Elite 11, the nation’s premier high school. quarterback competition. He has remained a regular media presence during his time at Lipscomb, offering analysis on many of the star college and pro quarterbacks that he used to coach while at Elite 11.
The question for UAB is how this will all translate to leading a program at the college level. Dilfer has already reached out to multiple up-and-coming assistant candidates that he is familiar with from his current jobs, including those with experience inside Power 5 programs. — Fortuna
Evaluating Dilfer’s tenure at Lipscomb
Dilfer has had a successful four-year run at Lipscomb, including a 12-0 mark so far this season. Lipscomb faces off against Christ Presbyterian Academy this Thursday morning in the state title game at Chattanooga’s Finley Stadium.
Lipscomb’s roster currently has 2023 seniors committed to Liberty (quarterback Hank Brown), Vanderbilt (receiver Junior Sherrill) and Tennessee (receiver Nate Spillman), along with uncommitted three-star prospects in offensive lineman Brandon Solis and linebacker Bryan Longwell.
The school also has the top-two in-state players in the 2024 class, both of whom are committed to the Volunteers: linebacker Edwin Spillman and cornerback Kaleb Beasley. — Fortuna
Required reading
(Photo: Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
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