First Year Defensive Coordinator Steve Russ Looks For His Unit To Have A Fast And Physical Start To The New Season

By Steve Irvine

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - August 28, 2025

One of the most pertinent questions surrounding UAB football won’t be fully answered on Thursday against Alabama State at Protective Stadium. It will take many more weeks – perhaps all 12 regular season games – to come up with a well-researched answer. But the first step will be interesting.

What is that question?

How much improvement will there be by the UAB defense?

Numbers certainly tell the story how much improvement is needed for a group that was statistically one of the worst groups in the country over the past two seasons. Revisiting the cause of those numbers, when it comes to scheme and approach, wasn’t part of the plan that new  defensive coordinator Steve Russ constructed to turn the defense around.

“I've spent no time,” Russ said. “I've spent time studying the defense for personnel reasons. You know, whether it was trying to retain guys that were in the portal or how to best deploy guys, what could they do, whatever. But I did not study at all (the) scheme, you know, other than just some casual, well, that's what they were doing, whatever, but nothing from a cursory standpoint. To me, it's all about our system and where we're going. There's a lot of ways of skinning a cat in this league and in this business. I've been around a long time and I've been the one out, the one leaving when a new group's coming in and that's just part of life. I don't spend a lot of time looking at stuff like that. Because really, it doesn't matter, right? Nothing that they did last year has any bearing on this year whatsoever, period, in my opinion.”

This isn’t the first time that Russ has been called upon to bring a defense to life.  After spending two seasons as the co-defensive coordinator at his alma mater, Russ took over sole possession of that spot in 2014. In his first season, Russ dramatically improved the defense in all four major defensive categories. Two years later, the Air Force defense was 10th nationally in rushing defense and 33rd in total defense.

Revamping the UAB defense, though, is a bit more thorough. Trent Dilfer allowed Russ to basically choose his defensive staff, for the most part, and Russ was in charge of recruiting defensive players. What came out of the process was a promising defensive unit that showed improvement in spring practice and built on that improvement during fall camp.

“Right now, we're doing a better job playing team football,” Russ said after a preseason practice. “I'm going to keep it very vague. I think we're coming together as a group. You're going to play a lot better when you get 11 guys playing for each other. And that's a big thing. You get 11 independent contractors and you're not going to be very good. But no, I think we're executing a lot better than we did, let's say, when we first started. And we're learning how to play together as a group with the groups playing together.”

Denver Warren is the unquestioned leader on the defensive front but the strength of the line comes from depth provided by the continued progress of returnees Eamon Smalls, Jonathan Allen, Kyle Mosely and Demarcus Smith. Amorie Morrison and Jamichael Rogers are the sparks on the outside and Eli Ennis and Devin Hightower anchor a versatile group of inside linebackers. The secondary is filled with quality depth throughout with returning starter providing the leadership at safety.

At the middle of it all, though, is the energetic Russ.

“You know, it's a crazy energy, man,” Smalls said. “I love that guy. Like (he says) if you’re juiceless, you’re useless. You see him over there going crazy. We get a pick and we’re down the sideline and he’s running with us getting crazy. It definitely gets your juice up watching him out there.”

On Thursday, Russ and the defense will be on display when the football is kicked off at 7:30 p.m. at Protective Stadium.