Trent Dilfer, Former NFL QB and Super Bowl Champion, Named UAB Head Coach
Nov 30, 2022
Trent Dilfer
The University of Alabama at Birmingham named former NFL
quarterback Trent Dilfer its new head football coach on Wednesday.
The move comes as little surprise, as ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Tuesday
night that UAB and Dilfer were "expected to come to terms in the upcoming
days."
It would be Dilfer's first coaching job
at the collegiate level after spending the past four years leading
the Lipscomb Academy high school team.
Lipscomb is aiming to win its second
straight Tennessee state championship Thursday, and John Brice of Football Scoop reported Dilfer has
maintained a "laser focus" on that. However, he added the Blazers are "optimistic" about their chances of reaching an agreement after
the title game.
The school's record across the longtime
quarterback's coaching tenure stands at 38-8.
Dilfer was a first-round pick of the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1994 NFL draft. He also made stops with
the Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and San
Francisco 49ers during a 13-year pro career.
He earned a Pro Bowl selection with the
Bucs in 1997 and captured a Super Bowl title with the Ravens in 2000 with plenty of help from one of the greatest defenses in NFL history.
As well as coaching, the 50-year-old California native
has worked as a football analyst for the NFL Network, ESPN and Fox Sports
following his playing days. He's also mentored top quarterback prospects with the Elite 11 camp.
If hired by UAB, Dilfer will be tasked
with continuing the progress started by Bill Clark, who guided the program to a 49-26 record across six years before retiring ahead of the
2022 season.
The Blazers have posted a 6-6 mark this
year under interim head coach Bryant Vincent. They'll face Miami
(Ohio) in the Bahamas Bowl on Dec. 16 looking to clinch their sixth
straight winning season.
Dylan Hopkins, UAB Upset No. 13 BYU to Win 2021 Independence Bowl
Dec 19, 2021
UAB running back DeWayne McBride (22) breaks free for a touchdown run during the first half of the Independence Bowl NCAA college football game against BYU in Shreveport, La., Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Dreary weather in Louisiana couldn't bring down the UAB Blazers, who defeated No. 13 BYU 31-28 on Saturday to win the 2021 Independence Bowl.
Heavy rain in the Shreveport area briefly delayed kickoff, but it cleared up as the game kept going.
Both starting running backs dominated on the ground. DeWayne McBride racked up 183 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries. Tyler Allgeier carried the ball 27 times for 192 yards and three scores in the loss.
Trea Shropshire scored the game-winning touchdown for UAB with 6:17 remaining in the fourth quarter. He caught a 14-yard pass from Dylan Hopkins in the end zone after BYU took a 28-24 on its previous possession.
BYU came into the bowl game riding a five-game winning streak. The offense was averaging 48.5 points in its final four games of the regular season.
Notable Game Stats
Dylan Hopkins, QB (UAB): 19-of-23, 189 yards, 3 TD, INT
This turned out to be a back-and-forth high-scoring affair. UAB's scoring outburst was especially surprising because it only ranked 59th in the nation in points per game during the regular season.
The Blazers looked like they were going to dominate right out of the gate.
After both teams traded punts on their first possession, UAB scored touchdowns on consecutive drives to go up 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
McBride scored the second one on a 64-yard run. He showed no lingering effects from the ankle injury suffered in the regular-season finale against UTEP that kept him out for the entire second half.
BYU stormed back in the second quarter with two scores of its own to tie the score at 14.
The Blazers regained the lead before halftime with a nine-play, 78-yard drive that was capped off by Gerrit Prince's 23-yard touchdown catch from Hopkins.
Allgeier tied the score for BYU with a 62-yard touchdown run. The sophomore running back set a new school record for rushing yards in a season in this game.
UAB regained the lead with a field goal on its first possession of the second half.
BYU responded with a 52-yard scoring drive, capped off by Allgeier's touchdown from one yard out. The Cougars took their only lead of the game, 28-24, at that point.
BYU's only turnover of the game came at the worst possible moment. Samson Nacua caught a pass at UAB's 28-yard line, but he lost possession of the ball and Mac McWilliams recovered it.
The Blazers picked up four first downs to run out the final 3:18 of regulation and secure the win. Their nine wins this season are tied for the second-most in program history.
Even though BYU's season ended on a down note, head coach Kalani Sitake has the program trending in the right direction. The Cougars have won at least 10 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since doing it four times in a row from 2006 to 2009.
Florida Atlantic, Charlotte, North Texas, UTSA, Rice, UAB Accept AAC Invitations
Oct 21, 2021
MEMPHIS, TN - OCTOBER 14: The American Athletic Conference logo on the vest of a chain gang member during the game between the Memphis Tigers and the Navy Midshipmen on October 14, 2021, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. (Photo by Chris McDill/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The American Athletic Conference announced Thursday it has accepted six new member schools: UAB, Florida Atlantic, Charlotte, North Texas, Rice and UTSA.
The conference did not confirm when the institutions will leave Conference USA and formally join the nine programs already in the AAC.
Commissioner Mike Aresco said in a statement:
I am extremely pleased to welcome these six outstanding universities to the American Athletic Conference. This is a strategic expansion that accomplishes a number of goals as we take the conference into its second decade. We are adding excellent institutions that are established in major cities and have invested in competing at the highest level. We have enhanced geographical concentration which will especially help the conference's men's and women's basketball and Olympic sports teams.
The realignment dominoes began falling in July when the SEC confirmed it will add Oklahoma and Texas on July 1, 2025, at the latest.
That left the Big 12 in need of a countermove lest it lose ground to its Power Five rivals. The conference snagged BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston to fill out its ranks, which dealt a major blow to the AAC since the latter three were member schools.
The next dominoes to fall could be in Conference USA. The AAC's move could be its death knell because its membership has been nearly halved, so other conferences may smell blood in the water.
Well, there it is.
Conference USA officially loses six of its members. It's not exactly high-major realignment, but nevertheless: pilfering nearly half of a league's inventory amounts to one of the more devastating sideswipes in realignment history. https://t.co/24BmOsH9T0
Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel reported that Conference USA schools were collecting less than $1 million in annual television revenue. By going to the AAC, that money will at least double and "rise significantly from there," per Thamel.
UCF, Cincinnati and Houston are set to leave the AAC on July 1, 2024, and each pay a $10 million buyout fee. Aresco told ESPN's Heather Dinich in September the timeline could be accelerated pending negotiations about the buyout.
An expedited exit might pave the way for UAB, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice and UTSA to make their AAC arrivals earlier than expected.
That may benefit Conference USA too since Thamel reported each school has to pay an exit fee of around $3 million.
UAB Football Player Allen Merrick Dies at Age 19 After Suffering Gunshot Wound
Aug 14, 2020
Merrick (left) while on a visit to the University of Tennessee in 2019.
UAB freshman linebacker Allen Merrick died Friday after suffering a gunshot wound Thursday in his hometown of Gadsden, Alabama. He was 19.
ESPN's Alex Scarborough reported the news. Gadsden police captain Bobby Jackson told Carol Robinson of AL.com an investigation is ongoing but the preliminary details suggest it was an accidental shooting.
Blazers head coach Bill Clark released a statement earlier Friday prior to news of Merrick's death, per Robinson:
"Please pray for the family of Allen Merrick, a young man who joined our UAB Football Family this season. Allen was visiting home in Gadsden yesterday when he suffered a gunshot wound. He is at UAB Hospital where I've been with Allen's family, but I do not have a condition I can share at this time. I ask that everyone please respect his family's privacy and keep them all in your prayers."
No further details about the shooting were immediately available.
Merrick joined UAB as a 3-star prospect in its 2020 recruiting class after being named the 2019 Gadsden City Defensive Player of the Year.
He's the second member of the Blazers' 2020 class to die during the offseason. Defensive back Jamari "Chop" Smith drowned in May in a Chewacla State Park lake in Alabama.
UAB, a member of Conference USA, is set to open the regular season Sept. 10 against Miami, though the fate of this fall's college football season remains uncertain amid the coronavirus pandemic.
UAB Football Signee Jamari Smith Dies at Age 18
May 28, 2020
A group of footballs waits for warmups prior to an NCAA college football game between North Carolina State and the Ball State in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
Lee High School class of 2020 graduate Jamari Smith died from drowning in a lake at Chewacla State Park in Auburn, Alabama, on Wednesday.
"Smith was located underwater in the lake. Advanced life support measures were immediately initiated, and he was rushed to the emergency room of East Alabama Medical Center. Efforts to revive Smith were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead in the emergency room at 6:05 p.m.
"[Coroner Bill] Harris said Smith was with friends swimming at the lake when he apparently became tired and went under. 911 was called as the friends attempted to locate Smith."
The 18-year-old starred in basketball and football at Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama. The basketball team confirmed Smith's death, while others mourned him:
It is with heavy hearts that we must confirm the passing of our beloved Jamari “Chop” Smith @jayy_primo23. We ask for you to pray for his family. We also ask that you give them privacy at this time. Chop we love you always. pic.twitter.com/aYIJlq1ttE
— Percy Julian High School 🏀 (@bball_lee) May 28, 2020
Smith had signed with the University of Alabama at Birmingham to play football in early February:
WR-Jamari “Chop” Smith signs with University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)!!!! Congrats Jamari we wish you the best of luck!!!! pic.twitter.com/p4feVAuWbm
Later that month, Smith and the Lee Generals captured the school's first state championship by defeating Mountain Brook 40-38. Smith had hit a free throw with 18.2 seconds remaining in regulation to help secure the victory, and he was overcome with emotion afterward:
. @jayy_primo23 overcome with emotions after winning the championship! “I just won my first state championship oh my god!!!” “Mom, I just won my first state championship!!” This is what pure joy looks like!@ALNewsNetwork#LACEUPpic.twitter.com/U3Wt36YR33
