The UAB Blazers have apparently found the man they trust to keep their football program headed in the right direction.
Football Scoop was the first to report on Tuesday night that the Blazers are ready to make an offer to former NFL quarterback and football analyst Trent Dilfer to be their next head coach.
That was followed by ESPN’s Pete Thamel reporting that Dilfer “is expected to become the next head coach at UAB.”
Thamel adds, “A deal hasn’t been formalized, but the sides are likely to come to terms in the upcoming days.”
Sources: Trent Dilfer is expected to become the next head coach at UAB. A deal hasn’t been formalized, but the sides are likely to come to terms in the upcoming days.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 30, 2022
Dilfer served many years as a football analyst with ESPN before being let go in 2017 in a cost-cutting move. He makes regular appearances on Fox Sports’ The Herd with Colin Cowherd.
He has no college coaching experience, but his credentials are strong. Dilfer is currently the head coach at Nashville private school David Lipscomb Academy, which will play Thursday for the TSSAA Division II Class AA State Championship. The school won the title last season and has become a national prep powerhouse under Dilfer’s leadership. He’s also the head coach for Elite 11, a well-known training and showcasing event for high school quarterbacks.
Picked No. 6 overall in the 1994 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dilfer played 13 seasons in the NFL. He’s best remembered for his lone season with the Baltimore Ravens, in 2000, when he had a 7-1 regular season record as the starter and led the team to a Super Bowl win.
Bryant Vincent has served as the interim coach this season after stepping in for coach Bill Clark, who unexpectedly retired with health issues in June. The Blazers are 6-6 and will play in the Bahamas Bowl against Miami (Ohio).
UAB has been hailed as a success story in recent years. After shutting down the football program for financial reasons in 2014, the university restarted it in 2017. The team has won eight or more games four of the six seasons since.
