UAB football fires Trent Dilfer after three seasons

UAB football added another coach firing to the docket, parting ways with third-year coach Trent Dilfer, the school announced on Sunday, Oct. 12.

Dilfer, a former NFL quarterback and Super Bowl champion, went 9-21 with the Blazers, never winning more than four games in a season. He was an out-of-the-box hire at the time, having only coached at the high school level before getting the job.

UAB went 2-4 this season under Dilfer, with its lone wins against Alabama State and Akron. It fell to Florida Atlantic, 53-33, on Oct. 11. Offensive coordinator Alex Mortensen will serve as interim head coach of the Blazers.

‘This decision will allow us to move forward in the best long-term interest of the program,’ UAB director of athletics Mark Ingram said in a statement.

Dilfer is the third head coach fired on Oct. 12, joining James Franklin, who was fired by Penn State and Trent Bray, who was fired by Oregon State.

Dilfer was making $1.45 million this season, according to USA TODAY Sports’ head coaches salaries database. His buyout as of Dec. 1, 2025, was set at more than $2.8 million.

Prior to coaching at UAB, Dilfer coached high school football at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville and was an analyst on ESPN. He also helped establish the Elite 11 Academy, which trains the most elite prep quarterbacks in the country and has developed numerous NFL starters.

Dilfer won multiple state championships and finished 26-1 in his final two seasons at Lipscomb Academy.

Dilfer was the No. 6 overall pick out of Fresno State in the 1994 NFL Draft. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1994-99, before spending one season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2000, serving as the starting quarterback en route to a Super Bowl win.

Dilfer also played for the Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers, with his final season coming in 2007.

UAB took a chance on Dilfer as its seventh head coach, and missed big. The program will look to get on track with its next hire.

(This story was updated to add new information.)