UAB Football OPENS SPRING PRACTICE
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - March 26, 2025
UAB’s spring football practice will begin bright and early on Wednesday morning. Head coach Trent Dilfer will begin to get an on-the-field look at his new players and incoming staff members just before 7 a.m. on Wednesday.
There will be plenty of questions to be answered this spring but it’s just a start toward getting ready for Dilfer’s third season at UAB. We take a look at five storylines for UAB spring practice, which will conclude with the Spring Showcase on April 26.
Installing the new defense. Don’t expect Dilfer to share much information this spring on the new defensive style under incoming defensive coordinator Steve Russ. Keeping a little mystery to what the Blazers do defensively will be an advantage heading into the fall. But it will be an interesting spring for Russ and the new defensive staff. Not only are they installing the new defense but there are a bunch of new players on that side of the ball. The Blazers don’t return a single defensive player who started in the 2024 season-closing loss at Charlotte.
Quarterback pecking order. Jalen Kitna enters spring practice as the team’s quarterback starter and most likely will leave spring practice as the team’s quarterback starter. His progression as a quarterback will be important this spring but his job is not in question. Now, the rest of the quarterback equation is muddy at best. Redshirt freshmen Adrian Posse and Nate Rogers will get a chance to get more regular reps and junior Trace Campbell will also get a chance. Redshirt sophomore Ryder Burton is a transfer portal addition from BYU and West Virginia. He will attempt to make a good first impression.
Big guys and big questions up front on both sides. A big question mark is affixed to the linemen on both sides of the ball. That’s not to say there isn’t talent but depth is a question. Finding a replacement for center Brady Wilson, who was one of the best at his position in college football, is a large task. There are some experienced offensive linemen returning but the only who started in the season finale against Charlotte is guard JonDarius Morgan. Look for the offensive line to work on versatility during the spring. On the defensive side, there is some experience, Emmanuel Waller, Jonathan Allen, Demarcus Smith, Eamon Smalls and Ezra Odinger, and several new additions. Finding a pecking order coming out of fall camp is the task.
New guys on roster. Transfer portal defections and transfer portal additions are the story about Dilfer’s third UAB roster. There will be newcomers at nearly every position this spring. It’s the only chance for an on-the-field first impression for the newcomers. We will visit this at the end of spring practice to see which of the transfer portal additions and true freshmen jumped out.
Different feel among the staff. The defensive staff will have a completely different look other than defensive ends coach John Jones, who also doubles as the special teams coordinator. The new look begins with Russ at defensive coordinator and continues throughout the defense. It will be interesting to watch the coaching style of each of the incoming coaches. While the offensive staff didn’t have the same amount of changes, Dilfer did add new roles for Danny Mitchell (running backs and running game coordinator) and Kevin Garver (wide receivers and passing game coordinator). Alex Mortensen will coach the quarterbacks as well as being the offensive coordinator for the third consecutive season.