Trent Dilfer had never been a college coach of any kind before UAB hired him as its head coach three years ago.
After two and a half disappointing season, the school has seen enough and is ready for another reset, firing Dilfer on Sunday. He went 9-21 overall, including a 2-4 mark this season.
“We have made a decision to part ways with Head Football Coach Trent Dilfer. We agree that — unfortunately — our on-field performance has not lived up to the standard of winning we have for the program. This decision will allow us to move forward in the best long-term interest of the program,” athletic director Mark Ingram said in a statement.
“… I wish Coach Dilfer the best and thank him for his class, tireless work and commitment during his tenure at UAB. While his efforts did not translate into a winning record, each young man who played for him will be a better person as a result.”
UAB named offensive coordinator Alex Mortensen as interim head coach. The former Arkansas quarterback is the son of longtime ESPN NFL reporter Chris Mortensen and spent nine years in a support staff role at Alabama before joining UAB.
Dilfer, a first-round NFL draft pick in 1994 out of Fresno State, played for five teams through the 2007 season. He later served as an analyst for NFL Network, ESPN and FS1.
Dilfer was also involved as an instructor with the Elite 11 quarterback camp series before diving fully into coaching in the high school ranks at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, which he led to two Tennessee Division II Class AA state championships before getting the opportunity at UAB.
UAB’s only win over a FBS opponent this year was against Akron while the Blazers lost each of their other four games after FBS competition by two touchdowns, including a 53-33 loss at FAU in Dilfer’s final game.
The Blazers have proven to be a tough job. Since the program was launched in 1996, UAB has had just nine winning seasons, including six straight from 2017-22 — right before Dilfer arrived.
Dilfer was one of three FBS head coaches fired Sunday, along with James Franklin at Penn State and Trent Bray at Oregon State.
Overall, seven head coaches have been fired during this season, including Brent Pry at Virginia Tech, DeShaun Foster at UCLA, Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State and Sam Pittman at Arkansas.