Veteran Coach Todd Grantham To Join UAB as DC

By Steve Irvine

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - December 30, 2025

Veteran college and NFL coach Todd Grantham will be the defensive coordinator on Alex Mortensen’s first staff as the UAB football head coach.

Mortensen chose Grantham after deciding to let Steve Russ go after one season at UAB. Grantham comes to UAB after spending the first part of the 2025 season as the offensive coordinator on Mike Gundy’s final staff at Oklahoma State. Gundy was fired in late September and Grantham was let go about a week later. The news of his UAB hiring was first reported by On3 Sports and was confirmed by the Banner.

Grantham’s college coaching career has been spent entirely at Power Four schools, beginning in 1990 when the former Virginia Tech defensive lineman began a six-year stint as the defensive line coach at his alma mater. He’s also been part of the staff at Michigan State, Georgia, Louisville, Mississippi State, Florida and Alabama. He served as the defensive coordinator at Georgia, Louisville, Mississippi State and Florida. He also was the assistant head coach at Georgia from 2010-13. His 2011 Georgia defense was 5th in the country in total defense and the lowest the Bulldogs finished in that category under Grantham was 45th. Grantham and Mortensen served together on the Alabama staff in 2022.

Grantham also coached in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. He was the defensive line at each of those stops except for Cleveland, where he was the team’s defensive coordinator from 2005-07.

He becomes the third UAB defensive coordinator since the 2022 season ended. The Blazers struggled in Russ’ first season as the defensive coordinator but did some good things in the second half of the season. The Blazers finished 118th in total defense (423.3 yards per game), 120th in rushing defense (191.1 ypg), 134th in team passing efficiency defense, 133rd in scoring defense (38.3 points per game), 132nd in third down conversion percentage defense (.490) and 110th in red zone defense (88.2 percent).

Russ, cornerback coach Ryan Lewis Sr. and nickels coach Tee Mitchell are no longer with the program. It is unclear what will happen with the remaining members of the defensive staff.