Steve Irvine’s 11 to watch for UAB entering 2025 season
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - August 21, 2025
UAB head coach Trent Dilfer said following last Saturday’s scrimmage at Protective Stadium that the competition to work into the playing rotation would continue through most of this week in practice. He also said that the depth chart would actually start to take shape on Monday for the Aug. 28 opener against Alabama State at Protective Stadium.
Dilfer added that some players not on the top of the depth chart should still expect to play a key role. His plan, Dilfer said, is to play a lot of players, which is certainly not uncommon.
“So just because you're not a starter doesn't mean you're not going to play a lot of snaps,” Dilfer said.
The official depth chart might not be released publicly until early next week. While we wait on that, let’s look at 11 players could be integral to UAB’s success this season. Some of them will be listed with the starters while others could be lower on the depth chart. Some could player a bigger role one week than the next, depending on game plans. All of them showed during fall camp to have their own unique reason why they are important to the team’s success.
Jalen Kitna – It’s not breaking news to pinpoint the team’s unquestioned quarterback starter as one of the players critical to the team’s success. In this case, though, that distinction may be magnified. If Kitna makes good decisions and takes care of the football the offense will have success. Simple as that. For the most part, during fall camp, Kitna showed he is ready to take that step. But the real proof comes once the season unfolds.
Solomon Beebe – UAB enters the season with three No. 1 running backs. One of them will take the first snap on Aug. 28. All three will play an important role. Truthfully, Isaiah Jacobs or Jevon Jackson could also fit into this spot on the list. However, Beebe is perhaps the most versatile of the three, at least with creating ways to get the football in his hands, and will called upon to make plays in a variety of ways. He is the most explosive of the three and also will make an impact in the return game. Don’t be surprised if Beebe returns a kickoff – or maybe more than one – for a touchdown this season.
J.C. Sivley – Once again, this is a position that basically has three starters. Sivley has been at UAB longer than the other two – Elijah Lagg and Antonio Ferguson. But, played in just eight games over three seasons. He’s healthy and could take a large leap forward this season. Remember Sivley was a 6-foot-6, 220-pound wide receiver at Helena High. He’s now listed at 255 pounds. Look for all of UAB’s top three tight ends to share the field.
Brandon Sneh/Logan Moore – It appears that one of these two will start at the critical left tackle position, so we will count this as one person. Moore spent all of spring practice and the first two weeks of fall camp lined up with the 1s at left tackle. Last week, Sneh was inserted with the top group at left tackle and Moore slid over to right tackle. Dilfer and offensive line coach Matt McCants indicated throughout fall camp that the lineups on the offensive lines, primarily the first and second line, would fluctuate as they worked toward finding a rotation. Will the first line look like it was much of the first two weeks when Moore and JonDarius Morgan were the tackles, Barry Walker and Calib Perez were the guards and Baron Franks II was the center? Or will it look closer to last week when Sneh and Moore were the tackles, Perez and Morgan were at guard and Adam Lepkowski was at center? Or will it be a mixture of those two lineups and maybe even include a twist like Nelson Ramirez at guard or Rod Orr Jr. at one of the tackle spots? The best answer is even with the depth chart for the season opener coming out early next week, the offensive line could be fluid for a while. And probably what’s most important is they find a dependable rotation that stretches farther than the five starters.
AJ Johnson – The 6-foot-3, 200-pound transfer from East Tennessee State is probably not the favorite, at least on paper, to lead the team in receptions. At this point, it seems the best guess at the reception leader, depending on health at the position, is Corri Milliner, Iverson Hooks or Kaleb Brown. But Johnson might be the most physical receiver in the rotation, which is important. Johnson and sophomore Xavier Daisy (6-3, 210) are the biggest wide receivers on the roster. Johnson can also stretch the field and plays with confidence.
Demarcus Smith – Denver Warren should be one of the top defensive linemen in The American and Eamon Smalls has had a strong camp now that he’s healthy. The numbers at defensive tackle also look solid. With all that said, it will be a huge boost if Smith continues what he’s done in fall camp into the season. The 6-foot-3, 305-pound Birmingham native needs better production than last year when he had nine tackles in nine games. He appears on his way to providing a spark on the defensive front.
Amorie Morrison – There is no reason to doubt that the 6-foot-4, 265-pound transfer from Old Dominion is one of the top players at his position in the conference. He needs to provide a pass rushing spark at defensive end to help the Blazers defense on the edge. Morrison also should be strong against the run.
Devin Hightower – The transfer portal addition has quietly gone about being a playmaker at inside linebacker. He’s part of a rotation that seems to be evenly matched among the top five linebackers. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound redshirt senior, who has played collegiately at Michigan State, Cincinnati and Rhode Island, appears to be in line to be a starter right now but the minutes will be shared. A year ago, Hightower had 92 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in his second season at Rhode Island. Can he come close to reaching those numbers at UAB?
Perry Fisher – The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Maryland transfer could share the nickel position with UNLV transfer Jeremiah Vessel. Fisher could also line up at cornerback. His versatility should pay off. Fisher was a high school quarterback at Lincoln High in Tallahassee, Florida.
Pierre Royster – The 6-foot-2, 200-pound transfer from Saint Francis, which is transitioning from FCS to DIII after this season, is a hard-hitting presence at safety. Royster had 110 tackles in two seasons at Saint Francis after playing two seasons at Norfolk State. Finding snaps for all the safeties could take some creativity but Royster will definitely play an important role.
Patrick Foley – He enters his third season at UAB ranked No. 2 in school history in career punting average (42.27). Foley averaged 43.7 yards per punt on 41 punts last season. He fell two punts short of reaching the requirement for inclusion in the national statistics. He would have been tied for 27th in the country in punting average if eligible. Foley was eligible for inclusion in The American statistics and finished fourth in punting average. Jonah Delange was not the lone specialist weapon for UAB last season.