Trent Dilfer will get a third season at UAB.
Athletic director Mark Ingram said Tuesday that the former NFL QB would be retained for another season. The Blazers went 3-9 in 2024 after a 4-8 season in 2023.
“The last two seasons have been disappointing, but coach Dilfer has learned a lot and has a plan for the future,” Ingram wrote. NIL and the transfer portal make this perhaps the most challenging time in college football history. But I have seen Coach Dilfer’s dedication and believe his football IQ, dedication to UAB, passion for the game, love for student-athletes and relentless work ethic will pay off in the near future. For those reasons, Coach Dilfer will remain our head coach in 2025.”
Dilfer 52, was hired after the team went 7-6 in 2022 under interim coach Bryant Vincent. Coach Bill Clark resigned before the season due to health reasons after leading the Blazers to a 43-20 record in five seasons following the school’s two-year hiatus. from football.
Dilfer’s tenure also coincided with UAB’s move from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference. The Blazers’ only wins over FBS programs in 2024 came against Tulsa and Rice, two schools that fired their coaches during the season.
UAB had a chance to earn a third AAC victory in the final week of the season against Charlotte – another team playing with an interim coach at the end of the season – but missed two field goals with no time left left, allowed Charlotte to escape with a 29 -27 victory.
Dilfer was hired at UAB without any college coaching experience. He coached four seasons at Lipscomb Academy in Tennessee before moving to UAB. After his NFL career ended, Dilfer was an ESPN analyst until 2017.
The former Fresno State QB played for five NFL franchises after being the sixth overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After playing with the Bucs until 1999, Dilfer was the QB for the Baltimore Ravens in 2000 when the team won the Super Bowl. Dilfer went on to play for the Seahawks and Browns before ending his career with the 49ers.
