UAB head football coach Trent Dilfer took to the stage Tuesday morning in Arlington, Texas, representing the Blazers at the American Athletic Conference’s annual media days. Alongside quarterback Jacob Zeno and linebacker Michael Moore, Dilfer fielded several questions related to the state of the program, discussing the Blazers’ new-look defense, his personal scheduling philosophy, and more.
Hired in November 2022, Dilfer is entering his second season leading the Blazers. UAB recorded a 4-8 record in his inaugural campaign, the program’s worst mark since 2013.
“[We’re] excited to be back,” Dilfer said. “You know, in my life as an NFL quarterback, 4-8 usually gets you fired. Somehow [UAB] held onto me. [2023] was a tough year, humbling, which is a good thing. I think anytime you go through really low valleys and you embrace it and you own it, you can learn a lot from it. I did. Our players did.”
Many of the Blazers’ 2023 struggles could be attributed to their porous defense, which allowed nearly 40 points per game against FBS opponents. Dilfer acknowledged UAB’s struggles on that side of the ball and emphasized the work the staff has done to address them.
RELATED: Dilfer, Zeno, Moore to represent UAB football at AAC Media Days
“We have been steadfast on looking at our defense very critically, owning how terrible we were last year, and going to work to fix it,” said Dilfer. “It was the first thing we talked about when the season was over. It’s been countless sleepless nights trying to rebuild it, and we feel like we’ve done a good job putting ourselves in position to where we can put really good defense out there.”
“We signed 21 players out of the portal, and 14 of those are on defense,” Dilfer said. “I expect all 14 to contribute. I mean, there’s a possibility we’ll have nine new defensive starters this year.”
“I believe all 14 [incoming defensive transfers] will contribute, I really do,” he added. “None of them were brought in to develop, they were all brought in to contribute. There’s definitely a talent piece to that. We focused on length, we had to get long.”
The UAB coach also made clear the team’s desire to face only the toughest competition.
“We’ll continue to not shy away from anybody,” said Dilfer. “I’ve told [South Florida coach Alex] Golesh, we’ll play USF in the Walmart parking lot if he wants a double header. I just think that’s the way we’re wired.”
“You face the lion face to face. You don’t run away from the lion. So that’s the approach of our program. I think the conference has that approach too, which I’m really proud of.”
The Blazers open their season on August 29th, when they’ll host FCS opponent Alcorn State at Protective Stadium in Birmingham.
Charles Vaughan is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News.
