By Steve Irvine
November 8, 2026 - BIRMINGHAM, AL
Give Lehvyn Slaughter an assist – a big assist – in the latest relentless performance on the football field by UAB defensive end Marlin Dean.
It shouldn’t have been an easy week for Dean. He spent several days fighting illness. He missed practice time. Holding down food was a chore. Yet, on Saturday at Protective Stadium he made life miserable for the Charlotte offense. So how did he get there after a tough week? How was he able to contribute four tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble and another sack on a 2-point conversion that is not included on the official stats?
A big part of the answer is the inspiration provided by Lehvyn Slaughter, who Dean was playing for in the 10th annual Children’s Harbor game.
“I feel great,” Dean said in the postgame press conference following the 23-12 win over Charlotte. “I felt bad, felt like under the weather but those kids, what they go through they got worse. What I had going on, that didn't mean nothing. You know? I'm ready to show out. I'm ready to play for Lehvyn. That's my kid and I'm ready to play for Lehvyn. Me and him had a celly dance. I finally got to do it out there. I hope he got to see it. So, that was my focus.”
Dean took the inspiration a step further. He shared his thoughts in front of his teammates on Saturday morning.
“I felt like this game wasn’t about us for real,” Dean said. “We met with those kids, had a sit down with them, learned about them, got to know more about them. The love for them grew over the week. Coming into this game, I wanted the focus for the team to be on them. We played our best I feel like.”
For the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Dean, Saturday was just the latest step on a winding path through college football. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Elberton, Ga. native, who spent his final high school season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., has a college resume that includes stops at Georgia, Butler Community College in Kansas, Utah State and Georgia State. Each one of those stops have contributed to his accomplishments thus far in his final college season.
“The player I am today is from the four to five years that I’ve been in college,” said Dean, who was at one time a 320-pound offensive tackle in high school. “I give it all to God. He was able to keep my head up through all those times. I’m able to show my ability to the fullest.”
His career high in sacks coming into this season was the seven he had at Butler Community College in 2023. His 32 tackles last season at Georgia State marked the most he had in that category since entering college. Although the stats he brought with him weren’t gaudy, UAB coaches felt like they had a special player when he was added through the transfer portal in January. It didn’t take long for his teammates to notice the headache that Dean creates for an opposing offense. And he continued to grow under the coaching of defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, defensive ends coach John Jones and defensive line coach Sam Mills III.
“Fortunately, I haven't had to pick him up a lot,” said running back Bam McReynolds of spring practice and fall camp reps of trying to keep Dean away from the quarterback. “But the times that I do, you basically have to make a choice. You know, you got to make a decision. Am I gonna let this, you know, 6-4, whatever he weighs kind of guy hit Ryder? Nah, I can't (do that). He comes off the ball with a lot of speed. He kind of overwhelms a lot of people with his speed, his technique and things of that nature. But when I have to block him, I'm kind of like the last line of defense. So basically I just have to tell myself, "You know, you gotta make a choice. It's the cards you're dealt."
Dean currently has 10.5 sacks, which is tied for the national lead with Colin Simmons of Texas. Dean has been part of three sacks in three games this season and also shares the national lead in forced fumbles with five. After Saturday’s three-sack performance, Dean is fifth in UAB history in single season sacks. Bryan Thomas, who had 14 sacks in 2001, is the UAB leader in that category. Dean is also in reach of the American Conference single season sack record if he can continue at his torrid pace. The current record in the conference is 14 sacks, set by Marcus Smith of Louisville in 2013 and matched by Nate Harvey of East Carolina in 2018.
Sacks are not the only way to mark the impact that he’s making on opposing quarterbacks. Pro Football Focus credits Dean with 17 quarterback hurries and four quarterback hits to go along with what they have recorded as 13 sacks. The official number of sacks is 10.5 but either way he has earned extra attention from opposing blocking schemes. Dean welcomes the extra attention but warns it might not be the best idea.
“I have noticed some more chipping, but the whole defense are ballers,” Dean said. “You can't just worry about me. You got to worry about everybody. I'm like if you just worry about me, you're doing a dishonor to the defense, man. You're doing dishonor to your team. You got to be able to able to come out and scheme through the whole defense, not just me.”
The UAB defense, as a whole, moved into the national top 20 in total defense, allowing 298.6 yards per game, for the first time this late in the season since finishing the 2021 season ranked 16th. The three seasons prior to 2021 featured UAB defenses that finished in the top 10 in total defense. This year’s defense hasn’t reached that standard yet but the Blazers continue to lead the nation in passing yards allowed per game (122.6). They’ve also led the way for a team that is one game short of reaching bowl eligibility for the first time since 2022. The first chance for UAB to reach the six-win mark comes at Temple on Saturday but the aspirations are set higher than simply becoming bowl eligible.
“I mean, it'll feel great, but right now we're in a race to the American Conference (title) and we trying to get a conference win,” said cornerback Delvon Gulley, who has two interceptions and seven pass breakups this season. “A bowl game, we know we can get that. That's not what we've been thinking about this whole spring, fall, summer. We still in the race to win the American Conference. That's what we are coming for. A bowl would be nice, though.”