UAB’s Dilfer Recaps First Day of Fall Camp

By Steve Irvine

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - July 28, 2025

Proclamations weren’t part of Trent Dilfer’s process as he entered the opening day of fall camp of his third season as the UAB football head coach. So, the answer was pretty simple when he was asked if anyone stood out in the team’s first practice on Monday morning.

“I'm not going to make a whole lot of predictions,” said Dilfer, who was 7-17 in his first two seasons. “Again, I don't know (how good this team will be). I'm not afraid to say I don't know. We'll see as it unfolds, and I'm sure you guys will be able to see guys make plays. Today we didn't make enough plays on offense, so we need some guys to make some plays.”

UAB entered camp with 48 current players not on last season’s roster and the only returning starters are quarterback Jalen Kitna, offensive lineman JonDarius Morgan and safety Sirad Bryant. It won’t be hard to find an open battle for playing time during the Blazers fall camp.

That process – at least the fall camp portion of the process – began on Monday with the players in shorts and helmets. The practice, which lasted less than three hours, had a different feel than during Dilfer’s first two seasons.

“If you've noticed, those of you that have been here, it is a much shorter practice, but more intensity to it,” Dilfer said. “There is a lot more classroom, walk through, a lot more teaching to prepare us for a game-like environment on the field, not a lot of fluff. We have cut out a lot of the fluff and made up for those principles that we used to try to teach at practice, we are trying to use in other arenas.”

Keeping the players as fresh as possible is also a concern.

“We also care about the players' health,” Dilfer said. “As all of us old guys have grown in this game, it used to just be 30 days, kill them, and see what we come out with. Now we are really trying to make sure in training camp that we are building them up and not tearing them down. So you have to be strategic with that where we are still getting the work we need to get, you are still developing the resilience and fortitude that you need, but at the same time we are not beating up on bodies."

Bryant was asked about the different approach following Monday’s practice.

“We get in, get good work, be very intentional, try to make sure guys are dialed in at all times so we don't miss any reps,” Bryant said. “Like there are guys on the sidelines not getting many reps, but everybody needs to be paying attention so we can all maximize our potential. Like Coach Dilfer mentioned in his reference to squeezing water out of the towel with our potential being the water. He's just trying to maximize our potential so we can be the best team all together and win this conference."

It didn’t take long on Monday to notice that depth – at least when the team is healthy – appears to be improved. But it will take time to prove if that is correct. Linebacker and the secondary, both at cornerback and safety, seem to be good snapshots of this. At linebacker, there doesn’t seem to be much separation between a group that includes Eddy Toussom, Tylan McNichols, Calvin Pitcher, Devin Hightower and Eli Ennis. The secondary could very well be the deepest area on the defense.

“We have a lot of positions up for grabs,” Dilfer said. “I think what that does is it allows the people pushing for those positions, one to push themselves, to elevate, and actually elevate the guy or the guys that you are going against. When that unfolds, either you have a defined starter at that position, or you are going to use a rotation at that position. Either way, you are better off because you have revealed who you are. We are excited about the amount of players competing for spots and we've seen signs from a lot of them through the offseason and through today's practice that are encouraging but we will not know anything about this team until multiple padded practices and going through some real adversity in camp and right now we are just getting everything installed and then start the evaluation process."