UAB retains coach Trent Dilfer for 2025 after 2 losing seasons
UAB coach Trent Dilfer watches during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Arkansas, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Fayetteville, Ark. Credit: AP/Michael Woods
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Trent Dilfer will remain as UAB's coach for a third season after two straight losing records.
Blazers athletic director Mark Ingram said Tuesday that the school is retaining Dilfer for 2025, days after the team completed a 3-9 season that included a 71-20 loss to Tulane and a 53-18 loss to Memphis.
The Super Bowl-winning former NFL quarterback is 7-17 through two seasons with five American Athletic Conference wins. UAB had a string of six straight bowl appearances before his hiring on Nov. 30, 2022.
“The last two seasons have been disappointing, but Coach Dilfer has learned a great deal and has a plan for the future," Ingram said in a statement. "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 that his football IQ, commitment to UAB, passion for the game, love for student-athletes and relentless work ethic will pay off in the near future."
Ingram said the program would "make operational and staff changes, as well as additional investments.”
Dilfer won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2000 during a 14-year NFL career. He made a huge leap from a private high school to the college ranks after leading Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, to three state title games in four seasons as head coach.
“Our fans deserve better than the win-loss record we’ve given them the last two years, but I have worked extremely hard and learned a lot,” Dilfer said in a statement. "And I am confident in the clearer picture I have regarding what needs to happen for UAB football to win. I am committed to doing what it takes to win.
“We need to do some things differently, and I have a plan to get our program where it needs to be.”
