No. 29 Fits Cam Cunningham Just Fine

By Steve Irvine

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - August 12, 2026

Cam Cunningham looked to make a change after finishing his first spring practice at UAB. In the transfer portal world that generally means he would search for a new football home.

In this case, though, it had nothing to do with the transfer portal. This one was much more simple. This one involved a jersey number.

Cunningham, a 6-foot-3, 325-pound nose tackle, wore No. 95 during UAB’s spring practice. He decided after spring that he wanted something a little less traditional when it comes to defensive linemen. He wore No. 8 a year ago at Youngstown State but that number is being worn by teammate Nigel Tate. However, even if that number was available, Cunningham said it wasn’t non-traditional enough.

Before he sought another number, though, he asked UAB head coach Alex Mortensen for permission. He was told to pick any available number. Cunningham chose No. 29, which has generally been worn by running backs or defensive backs and occasionally by a receiver. It’s certainly not a number that is associated with the defensive line.

“I just feel like it was different,” Cunningham said. “There’s no other nose tackle (or) d tackle in the country wearing No. 29. I just wanted do something different, start my own legacy. I just wanted to be remembered.”

Not everybody was happy with the decision.

“My d-line coach (Sam Mills) was mad,” Cunningham said with a laugh. “You know, he was like, ‘Man, you went from looking like a big 6- 3, 330 pound tackle to a little 5-11, 290 d tackle. Man, what are we doing?’ I really thought it was going to fly under the radar.”

Truth is there is little that Cunningham has done since arriving at UAB that’s flown under the radar. Pretty much everyone you ask about the defense inside the program mentions his play during spring practice and now into fall impact. He is making an impact no matter what number is on his jersey.

“I'm going 100 miles per hour, you know, for the times where I couldn't, being injured and all,” Cunningham said. “That’s really why I'm giving everything I have. I'm dedicated to the process. Every day I'm focused on, ‘Hey, I gotta be the best version of Cam Cunningham today.’ Tomorrow's gonna take care of itself, but I gotta dominate today. So having that mindset is really why my name keeps popping up, I'd say.”

Like so many on the UAB roster Cunningham has his own unique story to reaching this point. His college stops before arriving at UAB consist of Division II programs Saginaw Valley State and Fayetteville State and FCS participant Youngstown State. His football path began at Portage Northern High in Michigan, where he played alongside his twin brother Cory. The Cunningham brothers played a different role.

“We have the same height and length, but there’s just 100-pound difference,” Cunningham said. “Growing up, I used to eat all his food and bully him. Every recruiting visit, coaches coming to our high school, were like ‘Are you guys really twins?’ or ‘Are you guys cousins? There’s no way you are twins.’ It was definitely crazy.”

Cam played defensive tackle at 295 pounds and Cory was a 195-pound wide receiver. But they found a way to get closer to each other on the football field. Cam talked his way into playing tight end on offense while Cory was able to play some defensive end. After graduation, both moved on to Saginaw Valley State where the season was canceled in 2020 because of Covid-19 restrictions. Cam played in two games the following season before getting hurt. After the season, Cam moved on to Fayetteville State. He played in 17 games over three seasons, again facing some injuries.

“Fayetteville State is everything to me,” Cunningham said. “I came, came immediately and played, made an impact. I had a lot of injury problems though. But Fayetteville State was a great experience.”

He earned his degree at Fayetteville State and would have been content to stay there. But, following the birth of his daughter, his outlook changed.

“I really just told myself I want to go all in, give myself a shot to see if I can compete and go to the NFL,” Cunningham said.

He took a step up by playing in 13 games at Youngstown State and contributing 18 tackles and one interception for a team that lost to Yale 43-42 in the first round of the FCS playoffs. Now he’s trying to make a name – and a number – for himself at UAB and succeeding.

“I mean, the best D-linemen, they're just tough to block,” said UAB head coach Alex Mortensen. “I do think he's a guy that's tough to block. I think he's got good power and balance. I also think he does a good job of being able to shed blocks and get off of blockers and then he can push the pocket when it’s a pass. He’s got the ability to pressure from the inside, which is really hard for a quarterback to deal with.”

He also has the motivation of his journey to help drive his success.

“I wouldn't change a thing,” Cunningham said. “It’s kind of what Coach Mort said (recently) in a  team meeting. He said, ‘The process is everything.’ For me, just going through so much adversity in college, coming in and popping off immediately at Fayetteville State after going through COVID at Saginaw Valley. Getting injured and having to sit out a second. Then coming back and having a good season and getting injured again. Betting on myself, going in the transfer portal, going over to Youngstown State and showing out and jumping up here. All of that, the process, means everything to me. I’ve literally played at almost every level of college football.”