veteran nfl coach KEVIN GARVER joins uab football staff

By Steve Irvine

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - September 3, 2024

Right place, right time might one way to describe how veteran NFL assistant coach Kevin Garver found his way onto the UAB football coaching staff. Another way, the way that Trent Dilfer describes it, is a “God thing.”

Either description comes back to the same spot, which is Garver serving as a senior offensive analyst for the Blazers with an emphasis on working alongside Austin Appleby with the wide receivers.

“Talk about falling on a gold mine,” Dilfer said. “He's been he's been a huge, huge addition to the staff and he's just one of us, you know. We talk about ODs all the time, right. He's an OD. He's one of our dudes. He just fits in. Literally, it feels like he's been with us all along.”

Garver, a Birmingham native and Oak Mountain High graduate, returns to college football for the first time since serving at the University of Alabama from 2007-12, with all but one of those years under Nick Saban. He began as a student assistant, moved to a graduate assistant in 2010 and served as an offensive analyst in 2012. He was part of national championship teams in 2009, 2011 and 2012. He also got a foundation for his coaching career.

That foundation was largely provided by offensive line coach Joe Pendry, a longtime successful NFL assistant coach, who closed his coaching career  in Tuscaloosa from 2007-10.

“It was just the way that he talked about football,” Garver said. “We'd be in the meetings, and we'd be watching film, and he was the O -line coach, and he knew every position. He knew quarterbacks, he knew receivers, he would make coaching points and stuff about every position. I just remember sitting there like, that's the kind of coach that I want to be.”

Garver began his NFL coaching career as an offensive quality control coach under Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians in 2013. He remained on the Cardinals staff until the conclusion of the 2018 season. During his final season in Arizona, he was the wide receivers coach under first-year head coach Steve Wilkes. In 2019, Garver joined Arians in Tampa Bay and remained in his role as the wide receiver coach until the conclusion of the 2022 season.

Choosing a highlight of his time in Tampa Bay is not difficult. He was part the Super Bowl LV Tampa Bay team, featuring Tom Brady, that beat Kansas City, 31-9, on the Bucs home field.

“Oh, man, nothing like it,” Garver said. “It was really surreal in a lot of ways, especially the circumstances being at your home stadium. That was awesome. It was like every day we're going out to practice and we see it. The stadium is real close. So, you see it, and as the week's going on, they're putting up the graphics and stuff for the Super Bowl. Every day you walk out to practice, you're just seeing it. And then after the game, it was just like, I cannot believe we just won. I mean, we knew we were going to win. But it was like after it, it was almost like you're pinching yourself, because you dream of it. Whether you're playing or coaching, that's where you ultimately want to get to, be the last man staying at the highest level.”

After being let go from the Bucs coaching staff, Garver returned home.

“My family and I moved back here because of some health things kind of going on,” Garver said. “It just made sense to come back here. And so we spent last year with the family, taking care of the health things I needed to get done.”

He was out of coaching, at least professionally. But, truthfully, he had one of his most enjoyable coaching seasons in his career. Garver, the former Super Bowl champion, who was named as one of the NFL’s rising stars under 40 in 2020, served as an assistant coach for his son’s 6th grade football team. He helped Cahaba Valley reach the playoff semifinals before losing to Vestavia Hills.

“You know, we didn't let my son play tackle football for the longest time,” Garver said. “He kept asking us, and then when we came back here and I knew that I was going to have an opportunity to be a part of that, we said, OK, we'll let him do it. And it was awesome. I mean, it was my first time ever really, truly coaching youth football. Yeah. I helped out high school, and obviously was at the college level, pro level. But this was different from the beginning. I really enjoyed it. The kids were awesome. They worked their tails off. And it was a fun season, a real fun season.”

Garver searched for a new job earlier this season but nothing materialized.

“My football hero, Clyde Christensen, who's with Mack (Brown) right now at North Carolina, texts me, saying, ‘I don't know what your situation is, but one of the best coaches I've ever coached with is out on the street for some weird circumstances,’” Dilfer said. “He’s a Birmingham guy, he’s since moved back, has an awesome family. He's worth kicking the tires on. And I got back, like, I don't have anything. You know my situation. But I connected with Kevin and we kind of touched base. (Alex Mortensen) and him knew each other from the Saban staff. They weren't together. But you know, if you're in the Saban handshake club, you're in the Saban handshake club.”

Dilfer said the more he got to know Garver, the more he wanted him on the staff. But, once again, he didn’t have a spot. That changed during fall camp when offensive quality control coaches Jalen Harris and Trevor Browder got new opportunities during fall camp. Harris was hired at the University of Georgia and Browder got a job in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans.

Dilfer had the spot he needed to add Garver to the staff.

“Obviously coming in the third week of fall camp is definitely an interesting time to enter,” Garver said. “I learn something new every day, just trying to figure out the schedule and what's next, and kind of just figuring out where you fit and where you can help out. But the guys have been awesome. The staff has been unbelievable and I really have enjoyed being around the players.”

For Dilfer, it is an opportunity to have a fresh set of eyes on the program, which was beneficial.

“It's been great,” Dilfer said. “Since he's been here, it's been an every day thing. Hey, a new set of eyes, Kevin, feel free to say whatever you want. Don't try to save feelings. Don't worry about anybody. Like, what do you see?’ Because you know you get lost. You know you can't see the forest because of the trees. He's on the treetops, he can see and he's pointed out a couple things that have been really helpful. He's also affirmed a lot of things, which is good.”