Stature and coaches, 1996–2026
The program’s standing over time, with every coach’s tenure beneath it — read down to see who was there for each rise and fall.
DynastyBlue BloodPower ProgramNational ProgramRegional Program
Run↔pass identity, by season
Every coach
Big movers show how many stature points they built or lost against what they inherited; steadier tenures show the tier they reached instead. A small blue arrow marks a real System Shift at that changeover — how hard the offense’s run/pass identity flipped.
2025–now
6-8
2023–2025
Trent Dilfer Steady
Trent Dilfer slid the Blazers from Regional Program II to Regional Program III in 3 seasons.
2025 defense ranked in the 5th percentile nationally — historically bad
−5.8 pts over 3 seasons · bottom 32% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Carl Torbush’s North Carolina run (1998–2000)
3rd-best UAB tenure of 4 by the numbers.
Followed Bryant Vincent (2022) · succeeded by Alex Mortensen (2025–now).
System Shift, on arrival
| Season | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||
| Record | 4-8 | 3-9 | 2-4 | |
| Postseason | — | — | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #92 | #98 | #125 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||
| Pass rate | 50.1 | 53.2 | 52.6 | |
| Coordinators | ||||
| OC | Alex Mortensen | Alex Mortensen | Alex Mortensen | |
| DC | Sione Ta'ufo'ou | Sione Ta'ufo'ou | Steve Russ | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||
| Offense | 79 | 53 | 35 | |
| Defense | 22 | 30 | 5 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||
| 1st-down pass% | 42.9 | 51.9 | 43.9 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 33.0 | 44.8 | 45.6 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 33.3 | 31.7 | 50.0 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Performs about as expected for his recruiting talent on offense and underperforms his recruiting talent on defense.
Offense vs. talent
+11.8 pts
#59 of 208 · middle half
Defense vs. talent
-25.6 pts
#191 of 208 · bottom quarter
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Roster construction · portal era
A typical amount of portal roster-building.
Portal arrivals
55
3.0★ avg rating
Portal departures
71
left via the portal
Net portal flow
-16
#48 of 187 FBS stints
Who they bring in
Typical size for position, once adjusted for position mix.
Recruits older, more experienced transfers than most.
Avg. size (raw)
6′2″, 237 lbs
across 48 of 55 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
+5.0 lbs
#102 of 255 · middle half
Avg. class year
Jr
#11 of 255 · top quarter
Top states: AL (15), GA (5), OH (4), FL (4), TX (3)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
53.5
position-weighted
Talent lost
54.3
position-weighted
Net
-0.8
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Ryder Burton (QB) from West Virginia
Biggest loss: Jacob Zeno (QB) to Texas A&M
Position-value-weighted (QB/CB weighted highest, depth-decayed within each position) — the same scoring engine as the Portal Heat feed, not a separate grade.
Roster size, by position
Skill positions · usage-weighted (real participation)
Quarterback
216 lbs
6′3″ avg · #302 of 767 · middle half
Running back
214 lbs
5′10″ avg · #165 of 791 · top quarter
Wide receiver
190 lbs
6′0″ avg · #534 of 791 · middle half
Tight end
242 lbs
6′4″ avg · #486 of 731 · middle half
Trench & secondary · recruited roster, not confirmed starters
Interior line
311 lbs
6′5″ avg · #290 of 779 · middle half
D-line
299 lbs
6′3″ avg · #108 of 753 · top quarter
Linebacker
229 lbs
6′3″ avg · #331 of 772 · middle half
Cornerback
185 lbs
6′1″ avg · #606 of 771 · bottom quarter
Safety
200 lbs
6′0″ avg · #87 of 346 · top quarter
Offensive-line size is one undifferentiated bucket — the source data almost never distinguishes tackle from guard from center, so we can't split them out.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Buys Linebacker via the portal
71%
#17 of 225 stints
Buys Tackle via the portal
70%
#19 of 223 stints
1 NFL Draft pick: Tejhaun Palmer (2024)
1 player-season honored (All-America / national award): Kam Shanks (2024)
AI Narratives — “UAB — stat check” and 3 more on the team page.
−5.8
9-21
2014–2021
Bill Clark Steady
Bill Clark moved UAB from Regional Program V to Regional Program II in 6 seasons.
No outlier style signal this stint
+9.5 pts over 6 seasons · top 18% of 6-9-season tenures (368 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss run (2020–2025)
2nd-best UAB tenure of 4 by the numbers.
Followed Garrick McGee (2012–2013) · succeeded by Bryant Vincent (2022).
System Shift, on arrival
System Shift, on departure
| Season | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||||||
| Record | 6-6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 8-5 | 11-3 | 9-5 | 6-3 | 9-4 | |
| Postseason | — | — | — | L bowl | W bowl | L bowl | — | W bowl | |
| Recruiting rank | #113 | #138 | #71 | #108 | #103 | #74 | #103 | #115 | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||||||
| Pass rate | 34.9 | — | — | 39.2 | 35.3 | 37.7 | 40.0 | 35.8 | |
| Coordinators | |||||||||
| OC | Bryant Vincent | — | — | Les Koenning | Bryant Vincent | Bryant Vincent | Bryant Vincent | Bryant Vincent | |
| DC | Duwan Walker | — | — | David Reeves | David Reeves | David Reeves | David Reeves | David Reeves | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||||||
| Offense | 35 | — | — | 46 | 75 | 17 | 57 | 90 | |
| Defense | 61 | — | — | 47 | 93 | 93 | 92 | 71 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||||||
| 1st-down pass% | 29.8 | — | — | 37.7 | 28.4 | 31.5 | 29.5 | 34.4 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 26.1 | — | — | 30.4 | 22.1 | 27.4 | 36.2 | 30.3 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 52.8 | — | — | 29.0 | 25.0 | 35.9 | 34.6 | 32.1 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Outperforms his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.
Offense vs. talent
+16.8 pts
#45 of 208 · top quarter
Defense vs. talent
+37.9 pts
#2 of 208 · top quarter
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Roster construction · portal era
Barely touches the portal — recruits and develops his own.
Portal arrivals
6
3.0★ avg rating
Portal departures
8
left via the portal
Net portal flow
-2
#160 of 187 FBS stints
Who they bring in
Brings in bigger-than-position-typical players than most.
Recruits older, more experienced transfers than most.
Avg. size (raw)
6′2″, 234 lbs
across 3 of 6 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
+6.3 lbs
#59 of 255 · top quarter
Avg. class year
Sr
#1 of 255 · top quarter
Top states: AL (2), GA (1)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
20.8
position-weighted
Talent lost
22.7
position-weighted
Net
-1.8
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Myron Mitchell (WR) from UAB
Biggest loss: Kevin Davis (WR) to the portal
Position-value-weighted (QB/CB weighted highest, depth-decayed within each position) — the same scoring engine as the Portal Heat feed, not a separate grade.
Does the system survive a coordinator change?
OC: Les Koenning → Bryant Vincent · 2018
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
1st-down pass rate: 37.7% → 28.4% (-9.3 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 95% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
Roster size, by position
Skill positions · usage-weighted (real participation)
Quarterback
214 lbs
6′2″ avg · #351 of 767 · middle half
Running back
209 lbs
5′11″ avg · #333 of 791 · middle half
Wide receiver
193 lbs
6′1″ avg · #395 of 791 · middle half
Tight end
235 lbs
6′4″ avg · #654 of 731 · bottom quarter
Trench & secondary · recruited roster, not confirmed starters
Interior line
311 lbs
6′4″ avg · #285 of 779 · middle half
Linebacker
236 lbs
6′3″ avg · #82 of 772 · top quarter
Cornerback
191 lbs
6′0″ avg · #335 of 771 · middle half
Safety
204 lbs
6′0″ avg · #28 of 346 · top quarter
Offensive-line size is one undifferentiated bucket — the source data almost never distinguishes tackle from guard from center, so we can't split them out.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Edge from high school
83%
#179 of 208 stints
Grows Linebacker from high school
83%
#183 of 225 stints
Postseason detail2017: Lost to Ohio 6-41 Bahamas Bowl2018: Beat Northern Illinois 37-13 Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl2019: Lost to App State 17-31 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl2021: Beat BYU 31-28 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
4 NFL Draft picks: J.J. Nelson (2015), Kennard Backman (2015), Jordan Smith (2021), Alex Wright (2022)
+9.5
49-26
2012–2013
Garrick McGee Short tenure
2013 defense ranked in the 3th percentile nationally — historically bad
5-19
2007–2011
Neil Callaway Steady
Neil Callaway slid the Blazers from Regional Program III to Regional Program IV in 5 seasons.
2011 defense ranked in the 0th percentile nationally — historically bad
−6.0 pts over 5 seasons · bottom 30% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Tyrone Willingham’s Notre Dame run (2002–2004)
4th-best UAB tenure of 4 by the numbers.
Followed Watson Brown (1996–2006) · succeeded by Garrick McGee (2012–2013).
System Shift, on arrival
System Shift, on departure
| Season | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||||
| Record | 2-10 | 4-8 | 5-7 | 4-8 | 3-9 | |
| Postseason | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #105 | #98 | #80 | #86 | #101 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||||
| Pass rate | 55.6 | 44.8 | 38.6 | 52.7 | 52.3 | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||||
| Offense | 37 | 75 | 90 | 46 | 31 | |
| Defense | 22 | 12 | 43 | 21 | 0 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||||
| 1st-down pass% | 45.8 | 37.5 | 32.8 | 47.4 | 46.5 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 84.2 | 27.4 | 38.0 | 36.4 | 37.3 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 0.0 | 15.2 | 21.4 | 39.5 | 19.4 | |
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Kicker from high school
100%
#52 of 56 stints
Grows Tight end from high school
100%
#164 of 188 stints
2 NFL Draft picks: Joe Webb (2010), Matt Mccants (2012)
−6.0
18-42
1996–2006
Watson Brown Steady
Watson Brown held UAB at Regional Program I for 11 seasons.
No outlier style signal this stint
1st-best UAB tenure of 4 by the numbers.
Succeeded by Neil Callaway (2007–2011).
System Shift, on departure
| Season | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||||||||||
| Record | 5-6 | 5-6 | 4-7 | 5-6 | 7-4 | 6-5 | 5-7 | 5-7 | 7-5 | 5-6 | 3-9 | |
| Postseason | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | L bowl | — | — | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | #81 | #73 | #46 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||||||||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 45.3 | 53.8 | 41.3 | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||||||||||
| Offense | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 75 | 79 | 39 | |
| Defense | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 35 | 50 | 19 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||||||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 42.3 | 53.8 | 42.5 | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 37.5 | 41.7 | 37.9 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 28.1 | 29.3 | |
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Tight end from high school
100%
#164 of 188 stints
Grows Edge from high school
100%
#191 of 208 stints
Postseason detail2004: Lost to Hawai'i 40-59 Bowl
8 NFL Draft picks: Dainon Sidney (1998), Izell Reese (1998), Pernell Davis (1999), Rodregis Brooks (2000), Otis Leverette (2001), Bryan Thomas (2002), Eddie Freeman (2002), Roddy White (2005)
Regional Program I
57-68