The Blazers are experiencing buyer’s remorse, even if they won’t openly acknowledge it.
Vincent was appointed as the interim head coach of UAB before the 2022 season after Bill Clark unexpectedly resigned due to health issues. He had previously held the position of offensive coordinator in Birmingham.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the program, Vincent successfully kept the team united, leading the Blazers to six regular-season wins and a victory in the Bahamas Bowl. Players strongly supported their interim coach, even writing to the administration to remove his interim status.
However, UAB chose not to heed their call.
Instead of promoting Vincent, they hired Trent Dilfer, a former top-10 NFL Draft pick and Super Bowl champion, who had only coached at the high school level. At the time, Dilfer was head coach at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, where he won back-to-back state titles, but his success was aided by the fact that Lipscomb is a private school, allowing recruitment that many teams in their division did not have.
To add context, Lipscomb replaced Dilfer with a Pro Football Hall of Famer, faced a two-year playoff ban due to recruiting violations, moved up to a tougher division, and only won once this season.
Many predicted Dilfer would struggle as a college football coach—except for those who hired him.
Trent Dilfer is now on the hot seat! UAB finished last season with a 4-8 record and is currently 1-4 in 2024, suffering a staggering 51-point loss recently. The final score of 71-20 was misleading, as the game was closer to 71-6.
Fans have turned against Dilfer following a controversial interaction where he insulted the university, resulting in zero attendance at the recent game. It’s increasingly unlikely he will be retained as head coach for the next season, and UAB must act swiftly.
Meanwhile, Bryant Vincent is thriving.
He was appointed head coach of Louisiana-Monroe in December and has led the Warhawks to a 4-1 start, their best since 1993. They recently defeated James Madison, a team that previously triumphed over North Carolina by 20 points.
"They were busy putting things on twitter and making fun of us." "We still have that 134 mentality because that is where we started and we are not done. 134 mentality will never leave this town and program as long as I am here." Wow! @ULM_FB @bryantvincent44 @meganmurraytv pic.twitter.com/BiEbZv3Oyl
— Aaron Dietrich (@AaronsAces) October 6, 2024
Absolutely, It’s shaping up to be a tough call for UAB. After all, Vincent’s Warhawks not only got off to an impressive start but also took down UAB with a solid 32-point performance while the Blazers struggled to score, managing only a couple of first-half field goals.
It raises some serious questions about the decision to hire Dilfer over Vincent. The contrast in their fortunes is stark, and it’s clear that Vincent has the team thriving. UAB’s choice is definitely looking questionable
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