delano townsend adapts to earn snaps in uab’s ol rotation

By Steve Irvine

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - September 5, 2024

Delano Townsend’s first year at UAB was all about adjusting on and off the field.

First things first, the Flint, Michigan native had to adapt to life in the South. More specifically, the 6-foot-4, 315-pound offensive guard, had to acclimate himself to the weather in the South.

“The heat,” Townsend said when asked about the difference between Birmingham and his hometown. “The sun is always out. Like, it’s always out. In Michigan, you go outside at night, it's cold, even in the summertime. If you come out here at night, it's still hot, like the heat, that was a big adjustment for me too. It was number one.”

One of the biggest adjustments, on the field, was accepting that he wouldn’t actually be on the field during a game. Townsend redshirted his first season, spending the year on the scout team.

“I knew I was going to be ineligible that year,” said Townsend, who got is first college action in last week’s win over Alcorn State. “I just took every day as coming out to practice trying to get better and just sharpen myself. I knew that's not where I was going to be forever. That’s just where I was at the moment, just trying to make myself better every day for a moment like this, when my time comes. It's definitely a mind thing, you got to keep yourself going. Like you got to motivate yourself because you know it's like you can't, there's nothing you can do about it. Like Coach Dilfer says all the time, control what you can control.”

Dilfer said not only did Townsend attack the offseason work but he calls the redshirt freshman guard one of the offseason MVPs.

“I was just taking it and trying to use everything I do to try to make myself better,” Townsend said. “Every weight I lifted, every sprint, just trying to make myself better, knowing that it'll take me so far. Just play by play, snap by snap in the spring, just everything. I just know it'll make me better if I take everything seriously. Every snap, going 100 percent, just locking in with everything. That's all I can control, just trying to make myself better for a time like this when it is my time to play.”

Townsend said saw things changing about the second week of spring practice and solidified his spot in the rotation with a strong fall camp. Quez Yates and Zaire Flournoy began fall camp as the starters at guard and held those spots throughout. Townsend wasn’t far behind.

His first college play came on the first drive of the season with UAB facing a 3rd-and-goal from the Alcorn 2-yard line. Townsend lined up as an extra offensive lineman on the left side and drove his defender into the end zone to help Lee Beebe Jr. go untouched off left tackle into the end zone. Eventually, he also got work in at offensive guard.

“It was amazing,” Townsend said. “I just had to keep myself composed to get the first little game jitters out. After the first snap, I was rolling.”

This week, in the Blazers visit to Louisiana-Monroe, his role could grow even larger. Yates and Flournoy are still listed as the starters but Townsend has proved he is capable of getting more snaps.

“You know, I told him (Sunday), when you continue to improve, we're looking to find ways to put you on the field,” Dilfer said during his Monday press conference. “We played 34 guys defensively the other night. That was just because we're ahead, because there's 34 guys on defense that you're looking to give opportunities to. Offensively, I would not say we have that many players. But Delano is one of them. We're looking to give him opportunities. He definitely plays with a youthful energy. You know, maybe the way I would say it is like he just, he moves like somebody that doesn't have a lot of tread on his tires.”