Trent Dilfer Named New Coach of UAB Football

Trent Dilfer Named New Coach of UAB Football

Mark Ingram, the Director of Athletics at UAB, announced Wednesday that Trent Dilfer will serve as the seventh head coach in the program’s history.

Dilfer had this to say about the hiring.

“Having the opportunity to lead such a quality program like UAB is one that I am beyond excited about,” Dilfer said. “The investments the university has made for UAB Football aligns with my vision of taking this program to new heights as we join the American Athletic Conference and compete annually for the highest prize of playing in the College Football Playoff.”

Quote via UAB Athletics

While skepticism may arise on the account of Dilfer never coaching at the Division I level, it’s clear that he has incredible knowledge and understanding of the sport. His 14-year NFL career, which includes 20,518 passing yards and 133 touchdowns, and a Super Bowl ring speaks for itself.

But perhaps even more indicative of his football knowledge is the Elite 11 camp he’s coached for since 2009. His camp “alumni” account for 27 of the 32 current starting quarterbacks in the NFL and include the likes of Andrew Luck, Matthew Stafford, Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, the press release said.

Of his new hire, Ingram had this to say.

“Trent is a proven winner on and off the field at all levels and will be a tremendous leader for our program,” Ingram said. “He is a Super Bowl-winning quarterback who played the game at its highest level for many years, and he has coached some of the top quarterbacks who are currently NFL franchise players.”

Quote via UAB Athletics

Dilfer will certainly have some shoes to fill, though. Former head coach Bill Clark effectively resurrected the UAB Football team after they were shut down in 2014. It took years but finally, in 2017, the ban was lifted and Clark was practically forced to build the team from the ground up.

Despite the uphill climb, Clark led the Blazers to five straight winning seasons — three of which ended with nine or more wins — and two bowl victories. However, Clark resigned before the 2022 season due to back issues. As a result, the team promoted offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent as interim head coach.

The absence of Clark was felt as the Blazers finished the season 6-6 and are set to play Miami (OH) in the HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl.

Dilfer will certainly have his work cut out for him, especially with UAB joining the American Atheltic Conference this upcoming season. His skills as a game manager and recruiter will definitely be put to the test, too. Dealing with the likes of UCF and Tulane won’t be an easy task either. And the track record of Clark will have UAB fans expecting a lot in the coming years.

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While the ambition shared by both Dilfer and Ingram to earn a College Football Playoff bid in the coming years might be a bit farfetched, it’s clear that big things are expected of Dilfer — and soon at that.

I, for one, am certainly excited to see how this saga plays out. I’m honestly not 100 percent sure how I feel about the move. Dilfer certainly has the expertise and knowledge to be a great coach in terms of the Xs and Os. But I don’t yet know what he can do in terms of recruiting. At the end of the day, that’s where the money is made for coaches and how programs are built.

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