Posse Moves Into UAB’s QB Mix Behind Burton

By Steve Irvine

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - April 14, 2026

Adrian Posse is truly competing for a job for the time since arriving at UAB in 2024.

The first two college football seasons for the 6-foot-4, 215-pound quarterback from Miami has been filled with working and waiting for his turn to compete for a job. This spring, that opportunity arrived. Posse is currently competing with classmate Nate Rogers for the backup quarterback spot behind starter Ryder Burton. Obviously, winning that spot won’t get him on the field right away, provided Burton remains healthy, but it does put him one play away from taking over. And the backup job won’t be completely decided until fall camp but this spring has been critical in the process.

“This spring, I mean, it's really about me growing as a player, developing as a quarterback,” Posse said late last week. “Obviously, sitting behind two years, I've learned a lo, and I'm just ready to draw on that and play a little bit. I've gotten a little better with picking up the defense, learning what to throw, certain coverages, but it’s definitely an area you still need to grow. I think the game is really played in the film room. That's where all the reads and all the decision-making really happens.”

Posse arrived at UAB as a former three-star recruit from Miami Northwestern High. His style is certainly different from Rogers.

“I'm definitely, I would say I'm more of a pro-style, traditional quarterback,” Posse said. “I do like to throw the ball, but I can still escape, still have some influence doing that. Nate is great, he's a dog. I mean, he runs the ball really well. He's a great passer and I'm just trying to get better with him every day.”

While Posse will never have the running skills as Rogers that is an area that he’s developed over the time at UAB.

“Gosh, you know, I think when a freshman comes in, there are just so many areas to improve that,” said UAB head coach Alex Mortensen, who is also the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. “I could talk about a lot of things. I'll talk about one thing specifically because I think Adrian's probably improved in every area. But I think he's really done a good job with his body. You know, Adrian is a guy that if you just watched him, you'd say, ‘Man, he has some fast twitch qualities.’ You'd see his quickness in his feet and in his arm but he also probably was a little heavier than he needed to be. So if he had to take off and move he's carrying some extra weight. His body looks great (now). He's really gotten a lot leaner. So now those fast twitch and those quick qualities can come to life a little bit when he's had to scramble or if we have a designed run, he can actually really get out and go a little bit.”

Posse has been splitting the No. 2 reps with Rogers during the spring. Mortensen said the offensive philosophy won’t change if either has to play in relief of Burton.

“You do hear coaches comment on this at times where they say, hey, we want all our quarterbacks to be the same so we don't have to feel like we have multiple offenses or have to practice multiple things,” Mortensen said. “Some people like having a change of pace and a guy that's different so defenses have multiple things to prepare for. I think there's pros and cons to doing it either way. My feeling is this, play the guy that gives us the best chance to move the ball and win. Our offense is broad enough and flexible enough to adapt to whoever that is.”