Trent Dilfer makes bold recruiting pitch for UAB to Alabama high school players

Trent Dilfer was a surprising choice when he was named the head coach at UAB on Dec. 1.

The Super Bowl-winning quarterback and former ESPN analyst, who spent 13 seasons in the NFL and was named a Pro Bowler in 1997, had no head coaching experience outside of his time leading Lipscomb Academy’s football program for 4 seasons and his time at the helm the Elite 11 quarterback camp.

UAB, though, is hoping that Dilfer can continue the program’s run of success. Under Bill Clark, who stepped aside after the 2021 season due to back issues, the Blazers were 49-26, including a 43-20 mark from 2017-2021 after not fielding a program for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Bryant Vincent was 7-6 as the interim head coach in 2022.

Dilfer, for his part, isn’t shy about where UAB belongs in Alabama’s pecking order:

UAB football coach Trent Dilfer today: "We’re looking for the best players in Alabama. If they go to the University of Alabama, that’s awesome. But we’re going to be the next best option."
Well, well.

— Joseph Goodman, Sports Enthusiast ?? (@JoeGoodmanJr) December 22, 2022

Needless to say, Auburn fans won’t like that, especially as Hugh Freeze looks to return the Tigers to relevance in the SEC. We’ll see if Dilfer’s prediction comes to pass as he begins to put his prints on the Blazers’ program.

Sydney Hunte

Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.