UAB Fall Camp Snapshot: Day TWO
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - July 30, 2025
UAB Fall Camp Snapshot
It’s been quite a recent whirlwind for UAB running back coach Danny Mitchell and not just because the Blazers opened fall camp on Monday. In fact, Mitchell missed the opening day of UAB fall camp while finishing up a weeklong opportunity with the Pittsburgh Steelers as part of the Bill Walsh Coaching Fellowship. It was the second time Mitchell was blessed with a chance to learn from a NFL organization. In the spring of 2024, Mitchell was one of 25 football coaches selected to participate in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers National Coaching Academy.
Mitchell stopped after practice on Tuesday to talk about his experiences with the Steelers and his UAB running back room that is led by Isaiah Jacobs, Jevon Jackson and Solomon Beebe. He also talked about Duke transfer Marquise Collins, who is working his way back on the field.
On being able to do join an NFL program for the second time: “Yeah, well let's first start with why the Steelers are the Steelers, right? Like we all know what makes them special. Mike T (Tomlin) is different now. He’s been the head coach there for 19 seasons. That is unprecedented. So that's got to tell you something. I mean, just think even at this level, down the road, Coach Saban didn’t even have 19 years at Alabama. To get to surround yourself with truly the best of all time is special. Every team meeting, I'm leaning in and I got 112 pages of notes. I'm only there for a week, just listening to this man speak and getting to be around and obviously the elite talent, but man, it's the culture there. He’s never had a losing season. In 19 seasons in the NFL at the Steelers, never had a losing season, never ever. That's what's crazy, man. So getting to be in that situation is incomparable. Tampa Bay was an incredible experience and getting to see how an organization works, but then now taking that step to go with the Steelers and see how an organization that's never (had a losing season). There's a reason for that and it starts from the top and trickles down and man, he makes you feel so comfortable. I felt like at home. I spoke at the last staff meeting and told them I appreciated Coach Tomlin for the environment he created, for me to even feel like I was confident to thank the entire staff in front of everyone. It's an invaluable experience that I know the rest of my career will shine from that. So, man, it was incredible.”
On how the experience helps immediately: “Number one, I got to work with Eddie Faulkner, who's their running backs coach. He's won a Super Bowl, and he's coached at that level with the Steelers for a while. I can't say enough great things about Eddie Faulkner. So how does that translate today? I literally, our first day, I wasn't even here for our first day of camp. The (individual drills) we did were the exact same indies he does. So I got to take the progression he teaches and the why behind it. And now on our progressions, all he's done is sharpen our direction. I think we've taken another step just because of that week, the intentionality of what we're doing. Football's always football, I've gotten to do this in 21 different countries. But to see the intentionality that they put together and why they do things. I try to always teach with the why and to sharpen my skills and take those, even the drills, and how it translates immediately to the field. I saw it in our pass protection today. That was an invaluable experience for our indie progression and things we're doing I get to take (and grow). Don Shula said a great quote, he said “Learn from everyone, but be like no one.” That’s what I got to do, I got to learn from the best of the best and now put it in put the spin of the way I see the game and ultimately getting our guys to be the best they can be.”
On missing the first day of fall camp to finish his week with the Steelers: “I was there the whole last day then I actually I flew out. So, I got back home around 10:30 last night. I was there all day (Monday). They had an off day (from practice) yesterday. I got to be around the facility and say goodbye to some of the guys. I got really close with the running back room. It was mixed emotions because I was so excited to get back here, but at the same time really sad to leave that room.
The emotion part (of missing the first day) is tough but this is where I think I have a special room (at UAB). To be able to not be here and production be there. They had a heck of a practice, man. That's what ultimately our goal as coaches is to do, right? I’ve said this when I’ve been a head coach, coordinator, all these things, the moment the coaches don’t have to be there is the moment you're ready to win a championship. We put that to the test (Monday). I'm not here and I don't have to be here. That's my goal. I joke with them, ideally by the end of the season I don't have to show up to practice, I get to go kick up my feet. I don't know how how (Trent Dilfer) will feel about that but yeah, man that that’s why I know we have a real special room.”
On what jumps out about the players in the running back room: “The camaraderie is number one. This is a room that touches the ball, more than any other position in impactful ways, other than the quarterback. The running back is touching the ball in very impactful ways. I think what makes it so special is you have, we all know it, we have a three-headed horseman back there with Isaiah, JJ and Beebe. And then when Marquise gets healthy and our two walk-ons with Amari (Brundidge) and Drew (Patterson), there's such a cohesion with that group that's going to make this really, really exciting. When we go out into game day, I really, truly believe that this group's going to be ready to go. And, man, I'm not shying away from where we know what we have to do. We know what we're doing, we're going into battle 12 days of the year. This is the group I'd go in battle with. I'd walk a dark alley with this group. That's what this room's about, man. I love these dudes.”
On the versatility of the top three backs and the difficulty of keeping everyone involved: “Well, that's our job as coaches. Our job as coaches is to make sure that our best players are touching the ball as many times as possible. Our job as running backs, though, let’s start back where I started with camaraderie. Our job as running backs is to be one of the major pieces (with) the other 10. So why does it matter? Why did I start with camaraderie? The greatest advantage is they’re all different and they're all different in extremely electric ways. (Jevon Jackson) is kind of a combination of both. Isaiah is your bruiser and the leader, the voice of that room. Beebe is a slasher, can play some receiver. He can do a lot of different things. The ball is naturally going to find all three of them, because their focus is to be the best version of themselves. And then it's our job as coaches, to make sure we use those strengths and put them into positions that they're going to keep succeeding.
Ultimately, what you really want, the best games we're going to have, I'll tell you right now, you'll see it, all three of those guys are doing what they're capable of doing. If you stop one or two and the other ones aren't doing their thing, then we ain't playing great team football. I don't see any negatives. I see it as a great advantage, because they're going to be (involved). The other part of it is, that we haven’t talked about, this is a hard game, man. Sixty minutes, and it's physical, it's violent. There is a trust factor that this room has. I think one of the misconceptions in this game is, hey, we got to be tired to play. No, dude, we want to be fresh when we're playing. We got three. You’ll see, they're not only playing in the backfield. They're gonna play in a bunch of different spots. Look at our special teams. They’re kicking the ball to Solomon. JJ and Isaiah, they’re protecting for him. They're on the kickoff team. They're big components of this entire team, that's what makes this room special. I'm the oddball out in this room. I'm just trying to get out of the way, man.”
On Isaiah Jacobs as a leader: “I think that's important at any level, anywhere. I'm going to go back to the Steelers experience. If anything, what I took away from that room, other than just watching the talent and all the great drills, schemes and all that, is the camaraderie. The camaraderie of that Steelers room, in all honesty, and I told this to Eddie, was validating to feel ‘Oh my gosh, this is exactly how our room feels.’ To see how their five guys all work together. They’re I the exact same situation, they got three horses. That's what we have and when you have three horses you want them all running the race together. If they're all starting to pull away, you got a rodeo. We’re not playing for a rodeo, man.
Going back to Jacob. It's so similar because Isaiah is so similar the Steelers lead man Jaylen Warren. I didn’t know this, I said ‘Isaiah you remind me so much of Jaylen.’ He’s like ‘Hindley (Brigham) told me the same thing.’ It's amazing how things work out. To be able to solid force that I can rely and JJ, although he's new, he's a senior. He's a professional. He'll be ready to play in that league at some point. You see the electric (ability) with Beebe and his personality, the bubbly personality, it's such a great mix of people. It makes it so easy to coach.”
On Marquise Collins fitting into the mix when healthy: “The hardest thing for Marquise right now is the waiting period. I say that for everyone. Marquis has really not played football in two years. A lot of people are like ‘Man, what's he gonna be like?’ When you go back to his high school highlights, he was one of the highest recruited running backs in the country. When you go back to what he was doing at Duke, before he got dinged up, he was there (number) one. His hardest thing is he's so close to being healthy. Now he feels it. I’m not big on predicting how explosive you can be. All I've seen is the same consistency he's shown his whole life when he's been on the field. His only missing component is he hasn't been on the field. Once he's on the field, I'm expecting the exact same thing he's always done. I know he's ready for that too. When his time comes, he'll be ready. I'm really fired up.
And again, you said the character part, that's why we chose to have Marquise here. He fits the room. He fits what we want. He's going to be just another (piece). We want guys who can add to the race and he’s one that's going to fit.”