BREAKING: Tension rises as UAB confirms major decision after previous one took a turn against them
UAB hired Trent Dilfer instead of Bryant Vincent. That is swiftly proving to be a huge mistake, as the former creates college football history while the latter continues to be blown out in front of a non-existent audience.
The Blazers have buyer’s remorse, even if they won’t admit it.
Vincent was hired interim head coach of UAB ahead to the 2022 season when Bill Clark abruptly resigned due to health concerns. He formerly worked as the offensive coordinator in Birmingham.
𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋‼️
Offensive Coordinator Bryant Vincent has been named Interim Head Coach for the 2022 season.
🔗: https://t.co/ACL4QiAIDe#WinAsOne pic.twitter.com/Lenb1HExNr
— UAB Football (@UAB_FB) June 27, 2022
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the program, Vincent managed to keep his team united. The Blazers secured six regular-season wins and ended the year on a high note with a victory in the Bahamas Bowl. The players rallied around Vincent, their interim head coach, advocating strongly for him to be hired full-time. They even wrote a letter to the administration, urging them to remove his interim status.
However, UAB had other plans.
Instead of promoting Vincent, they chose to hire Trent Dilfer. Despite being a former top-10 NFL Draft pick and Super Bowl champion, Dilfer had no coaching experience beyond the high school level. At the time, he was coaching at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, where he led the Mustangs to consecutive state championships. However, there was a catch to his success. Being a private school, Lipscomb could recruit players, giving them an edge over most teams in their weaker division.
To further illustrate this, after Dilfer left, Lipscomb hired Pro Football Hall of Famer Kevin Mawae, but the team was banned from the playoffs for two years due to recruiting violations during his one season as head coach. The Mustangs also moved to a tougher division and have managed only one win this season.
All of this highlights that many people expected Dilfer to struggle as a college football coach—except for those who hired him.
Trent Dilfer is on the hot seat!
UAB’s struggles continue after a disappointing 4-8 season last year, with the Blazers falling to 1-4 in 2024. Their latest loss—a crushing 71-20 defeat—was even worse than the score suggests. Despite adding two late touchdowns against backups, the game was effectively a 71-6 blowout. Ouch.
Adding to the turmoil, head coach Trent Dilfer’s relationship with the fanbase has deteriorated. After a strange incident in which he insulted the university, fans refused to support him, and Saturday’s game had virtually no attendance. With each passing week, it seems increasingly likely that Dilfer won’t be returning as head coach next season, and many argue that UAB should fire him sooner rather than later.
Meanwhile, former UAB interim head coach Bryant Vincent is thriving. Since taking over as head coach at Louisiana-Monroe in December, Vincent has led the Warhawks to a remarkable 4-1 start—their best since 1993. Most notably, they recently defeated a previously undefeated James Madison team that had beaten North Carolina by 20 points just a week prior.
"They were busy putting things on twitter and making fun of us." "We still have that 134 mentality because that is where we started and we are not done. 134 mentality will never leave this town and program as long as I am here." Wow! @ULM_FB @bryantvincent44 @meganmurraytv pic.twitter.com/BiEbZv3Oyl
— Aaron Dietrich (@AaronsAces) October 6, 2024
To make the situation even sweeter for Bryant Vincent, one of Louisiana-Monroe’s four wins came against none other than UAB. Vincent’s Warhawks put up 32 points, while Trent Dilfer’s Blazers managed just two first-half field goals.
This outcome raises an important question: Was it a mistake for UAB to pass over Bryant Vincent in favor of Trent Dilfer? Based on the current trajectory, it’s hard not to wonder if the Blazers made the wrong call.