Trent Dilfer goes straight out of high school to a college head coaching job. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
UAB is going beyond the box with its next head coach, unless that box has expanded after Jeff Saturday.
The Blazers are expected to hire former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer, a man with no college-level coaching experience, to oversee their program, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. A deal has reportedly not been finalized but is set to be finalized in the next few days.
The UAB spot was open due to the retirement of former head coach Bill Clark, who announced in June that he would be retiring from the program due to back problems in June. Offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent stepped in as the school’s caretaker coach and won 6-6 in the Bahamas Bowl.
Clark had been the architect of UAB’s rebirth and cobbled together a roster just a few years after seeing the program shut down. He left Birmingham with a 49-26 record and now Dilfer is reportedly tasked with maintaining that success.
Trent Dilfer is an unorthodox take for UAB
Dilfer’s attitude comes as a surprise considering he’s only ever coached high schoolers. He currently serves as the head coach at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, where he has a 43-10 record in four seasons. The team, currently 12-0, is expected to play in its state championship game on Thursday.
He has also served as the head coach at Elite 11 Quarterback Camp, where several top high school quarterbacks prepare for college each year.
Dilfer, 50, is better known for his NFL and broadcasting careers. The Fresno State product played in the pros for more than a decade after being selected sixth overall in the 1994 NFL draft, spent five seasons as a starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens.
After retiring in 2008, Dilfer became a television analyst with stints at NFL Network, ESPN and Fox Sports 1.
The situation is not dissimilar to the Indianapolis Colts, who hired former franchise greats Jeff Saturday as interim head coach after Frank Reich was fired. Saturday didn’t have any coaching experience beyond high school either, but again, that was just for a temp job.