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BIRMINGHAM – The UAB football team officially began the 2023 season on Monday morning at the Football Operations Center with its first fall practice under the direction of new head coach Trent Dilfer.

THREE OBSERVATIONS:

HEAD COACH TRENT DILFER:

OPENING STATEMENT:

"I'm just happy to be back. I told you guys from day one that I am learning on the fly. I learned that when our coaches were on vacation, you miss being together. The best part of training camp is that the tribe is back together. We're well aware that the journey is long, but we want to do it together. It's exciting to get camp going."

On training camp from when Dilfer played compared to being a coach:

"Drastically different but I would say in a good way. In fact, when we were finalizing practicing plans, we have had practice plans done for weeks. I made a comment to Mort (Alex Mortensen), people have complained about it, but there have been some really good rules. Acclimation is a really good rule. These guys need a chance to get used to heat, get used to the workload. We even take it one more extreme by layering the volume of work. We don't start 100% on day one. Some people have two practices. I never did. I believe in the evening being a learning time, recovery, more of a walk-through type pace. We are trying to get their bodies right for the season, not tear them down. This whole philosophy of breaking them, I think that was before they had the offseason training period. Now they have six weeks and there is a natural hardening of these athletes because of offseason programming that they don't need to be hardened during camp. They are almost taken care of to a certain degree. It is a little harder on coaches because you have to be creative on how to get them the volume and how to judge progression and execution."

On Jacob Zeno:

"He has done a great job. I have said from day one, I want a revelation, not a competition. He revealed himself in the offseason and needs to continue to do so. He has capacity to learn. His work habits, all the things you are looking for are there, and he is a very talented player. We look for him to continue to improve during camp, as well as the other quarterbacks too. We have good ones behind him too. The revelation could change very quickly if you're not on your Ps and Qs."

On having high standards:

"We have incredibly high standards. I have never shied away from that. I'm sure every other team can say the same thing. Talk is cheap. Doing it is hard. I believe in dreaming big. I have high standards. It is the daily grind that is ultimately how you accomplish that."

Season tickets for the 2023 UAB Football season are available starting as low as $99. Season ticket packages provide the most affordable way to catch the Blazers in action during all six home games. Fans may request more information here or by calling the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1.

Season ticket holders who have already purchased should keep an eye on their inbox for mobile delivery for your 2023 season tickets, which started today, July 31.

For more information on the UAB football team, be sure to follow @UAB_FB on Twitter and Instagram.

It may be the last day of July but the sights and sounds of autumn are already visible at the UAB Football Operations Complex.

The Blazers opened their first fall camp under head coach Trent Dilfer on Monday in Birmingham and will remain in helmets and shells this week while battling high temperatures and oppressive humidity.

RELATED: 5 things to watch as UAB football opens fall camp

RELATED: What UAB’s Trent Dilfer said about NIL tampering

Here are some observations from the limited access period provided to the media:

-- Dilfer had his team ready and willing to run through a brick wall Monday morning but prefers the gradual approach rather than going too hard, too fast and too soon. The first-year head coach was pleased with the offseason conditioning program and expects to be in even better shape before the season kicks off in a month.

“There’s a natural hardening that goes on with athletes because of offseason programs. They don’t need to be hardened at camp, they need to be almost taken care of to a certain degree. I appreciate that, I like it from a player’s standpoint a lot. It’s a little harder for coaches because you have to be creative on how you get your volume installed and how you judge progression and execution.”

-- Jacob Zeno, fresh off his appearance at 2023 AAC Media Days, has the confidence and comfort of a man in charge and the redshirt junior should fend off any usurpers to the crown during fall camp. By far the most experienced quarterback on the roster, Zeno has taken the lead for an offensive expected not to rely solely on its punishing run game as it has in the past.

“It’s a blessing having Coach (Dilfer) here and he’s a tremendous help,” Zeno said. “I’m focusing on my job and doing the little details to make sure I got everything right. I’m just like a sponge, I’m taking it all in.”

-- Additionally, the quarterbacks were seen in red practice jerseys, in contrast to the black they wore under Bill Clark, and the offense worked in whites while the defense was in black.

“It was different,” Zeno said. “That’s my first time in red. Back at Baylor, we had orange, and then last year we were in black. I’m liking it.”

-- The offensive line is searching for five new starters and there is plenty of competition to go around between upperclassmen and newcomers. In the first viewing session, the first-team offensive line was composed of Will Parker (LT), Luke Jones (LG), Brady Wilson (C), Quez Yates (RG) and Trey Bedosky (RT), while the second team was manned by Tennyson Hadfield, Brennan Moran, Adam Lepkowski, Jalen Nettles and Logan Moore.

“I’m really excited about their length, athleticism, their desire and their fire,” Dilfer said. “They have all the qualities you’re looking for. They’re not really experienced, I don’t have to tell you guys that, so we got to speed up their learning curve.”

-- The Blazers are relatively healthy entering fall camp, save a few nagging injuries suffered during spring, and freshman defensive lineman Eamon Smalls was one of those walking in a boot during the viewing session.

“We have a couple of soft tissue things we’re keeping an eye on,” Dilfer said. “We have some guys back to participate and obviously added some guys since spring so we’re a better roster right now than we were at the end of spring. We’re healthier and in better condition because they had more time with Lyle (Henley) and his team really increased nutritional processes that have helped us.”

-- With as many newcomers as the Blazers welcomed during the offseason, there are a lot of new numbers for returning and incoming players. However, there is a battle on defense between linebacker Desmond Little and cornerbacks Colby Dempsey and BJ Mayes for the right to wear the number one on their uniform.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Classes begin in three weeks, and some students at UAB are still wondering whether they’ll be able to live on campus this semester.

While some of the students were denied housing within the last week, others say they are still waiting for answers. One student, who wanted to remain anonymous, said that if she doesn’t get a dorm, she’ll have to put her education on hold since she lives three hours away.

She says she applied for on-campus housing back in March and gave a $275 deposit, but she’s still waiting to see if she’ll have living arrangements.

The most recent email she got from UAB on June 23 read, “Following this round of Fall 2023 housing assignments, the Assignments Team was unable to place you in a specific building. We will place you prior to the beginning of the Fall 2023 term. We continue to receive cancellations each week and evaluate space as the summer progresses. As additional space opens up, we will continue placing the remainder of our applicants into their highest preference available.”

The email said the next round of assignments will be sent by email on July 21 and then August 7. The student said after she heard nothing on July 21, she called and emailed the university who gave no answers.

“It’s not fair, especially for the ones that stay hours away. It’s not fair. The least they could do is give an update instead of us waiting or we’re calling, sending emails and no one has responded... You know, it’s been hard so it’s really just the act of not knowing or -- do I have to cancel this semester or take a semester off?”

WBRC reached out to UAB about the concerns. A representative sent the following:

“We can assure you that UAB Student Housing communicates with students interested in our residence halls, particularly this close to the start of the semester. Housing applications are addressed on a first-come, first-served basis. Those who secured rooms earlier have priority; we don’t always have available space for some students who delay their choice to request on-campus housing. All students who committed to student housing in time and secured a housing contract for the fall semester will be assigned a room.”

In that same email, quotes were attributed to Director of Student Housing Marc Booker:

· Student Housing in in high demand – which is a testament to the quality of our residence halls and UAB’s on-campus experience. In fact, this year we had more upper classmen than usual wanting to remain in student housing. We accommodate as many students as we can, but there are space limitations.

· We built two new residence halls (2015 and 2021) in the last several years and encourage students to submit housing applications as soon as they know they want to stay on campus.

· Students with questions are encouraged to reach out to UAB Student Housing.

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The UAB football team opened fall camp Monday at the UAB Football Operations Complex in Birmingham and enter a new age in the American Athletic Conference under new head coach Trent Dilfer.

The Blazers were 56-32 overall and 38-17 in Conference USA during the Bill Clark era (2014-2022), including last year under interim head coach Bryant Vincent, and aim to keep their winning ways as they open the season, Thursday, Aug 31, against North Carolina A&T at Protective Stadium.

Here are five things to keep in mind as the Blazers open fall camp:

Position Battles

UAB returns about half of its starters and is in need of new leaders at various positions throughout both the offense and defense, as well as a new punter to wage war on field position.

Jacob Zeno is entrenched as the starting quarterback and it would take a monumental effort from the rest of the room to usurp him during fall camp. Jermaine Brown Jr. has first dibs on carries at running back but the Blazers have the ability to go five to six men deep at the position. The passing game returns experienced receivers and there are more than enough new additions in which to spread the ball.

However, the offensive line will see the most change and competition with five new starters needed following the departure of a unit that led the way for both Spencer Brown and DeWayne McBride.

Defensively, Fish McWilliams was an every-game starter last year on the defensive line, along with Michael Fairbanks II at SAM, and there should be plenty of reps to around for a position expected to rotate at a high volume. Jackson Bratton earned plenty of snaps behind Noah Wilder before taking over in the middle of the UAB defense but the other middle linebacker spot is up for grabs among a talented but less experienced room. The outside linebackers are without Kelle Sanders but have enormous potential with a few returners and an influx of transfer power.

In the secondary, the Blazers face the tall task of not only replacing starling Thomas V at one cornerback spot but also safety Jaylen Key following his post-spring transfer to Alabama. Colby Dempsey has the first opportunity to secure the role opposite of Mac McWilliams and UAB brought in a couple of transfers expected to compete right away along with true freshman Ricky Lee III.

Kyle Greenwell departed after a consistent and productive career at punter and Caden Long has the advantage over Arkansas transfer Patrick Foley heading into fall camp.

Freshmen Flood

Dilfer and staff signed an enormous class in their first recruiting go-round and 20 of the 33 official signees on national signing day were freshmen. Only a handful enrolled early for spring practice but the entire lot -- plus a few walk-ons -- are now on campus and ready to contribute to the program.

Comprising almost half of the signing class, defensive line and wide receiver were positions of focus and the Blazers stocked up on both in the offseason. Pinson Valley standout Amare Thomas enrolled early and has the ability to break into a deep receiver rotation and any arriving linemen have the chance to grab a piece of the cake with a defensive staff that intends to keep the position on a constant rotation of fresh faces.

UAB signed four prep offensive linemen that will help fill the void by five starters lost and former prep teammates Everett Roussaw and Ricky Lee III were early enrollees and should compete for time at linebacker and cornerback respectively. Jaylyn Ferguson and Chris Bracy are both talented additions to a defensive backfield in need of a supporting cast.

Reinventing the Steel

Offensively speaking, during the Clark era, the UAB offense was known for its dominating rushing attack – powered by Jordan Howard, Spencer Brown and DeWayne McBride – and a boom-or-bust mentality in the passing game. The former isn’t changing anytime soon but the aerial attack is upgrading to modern times with a think-tank of assistants and the addition of multiple receivers from the transfer portal and prep ranks.

Jermaine Brown Jr. quietly put up more than 2,000 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns behind Brown and McBride and leads a stacked unit tasked with more than just toting the rock. The offensive line needs five new starters but the clean slate may not be a negative in placing the right pieces together for an offense designed to perform at a high level in both facets.

Offensive coordinator Alex Mortenson and his collective of quarterback whisperers are an intriguing addition to the UAB staff and have accepted the challenge of guiding Jacob Zeno from Big 12 transfer and CUSA backup to one of the most efficient and productive quarterbacks in the nation. With an already deep receiver pool on hand, UAB signified its commitment to expanding its usage at the position by bringing in plenty of talent to develop and supplement future losses.

D-Line Swarm

Fish McWilliams and Drew Tuazama lead a deep group of defensive linemen that was made even stronger by the addition of multiple prep signings in the offseason. Considering the advent of the spread offense around college football, the ability to maintain afresh and aggressive defensive line is paramount.

Birmingham area signees Emmanuel Waller (Oak Mountain) and Connor Knight (Hewitt-Trussville) were instrumental in starting an avalanche of prospects that include Jonathan Allen, Miquon Merriweather, Tyler Thomas and Eamon Smalls, the latter of which is currently sidelined with an injury. Along with a large number of freshmen, former Florida State transfer Antavious Woody joins the cause after redshirting his first year with the Seminoles.

Expect almost everyone from McWilliams and Woody to get their fair share of reps during camp before a true depth chart can be determined. Tyrique Howard, Joker Hill and Kevin Penn round out the experienced returners in the room but it would not be surprising if one or more freshmen made their way into the rotation.

Seniors Bestowing the UAB Wisdom

Although there are gaps in experience at varied positions, senior leadership exists throughout the roster and in critical positions to ease the transition for transfers and underclassmen.

The Blazers are retooling the entire offensive line and quarterback Jacob Zeno, running back Jermaine Brown, wide receiver Tejhaun Palmer and tight ends Terrell McDonald and Bryce Damous are carrying the load of responsibility as the unit settles into a confident mindset. Brady Wilson and Trey Bedosky have starting experience and will be leaned upon to guide the rest of the green line.

Fish McWilliams and Michael Fairbanks II are guiding a deep but young defensive line group while Jackson Bratton has assumed leadership in the middle of the defense. In the secondary, Mac McWilliams is seeking to play a full season -- ending prematurely the past two years -- but is the most talented corner on the roster. The loss of Jaylen Key (Alabama) is substantial but Keondre Swoopes and the Miller twins (Damien and Damon) should provide enough stability in the backend at safety.

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As the awful season for the White Sox continues, all eyes are on the farm system to produce some talent to make the team competitive again. In Birmingham, the players are getting closer to the pros, as a lot of them can make the jump from AA to the MLB, although with the Sox it is not too common. Here are some of the top performers in Birmingham so far…

Jose Rodriguez

Rodriguez is having another solid year in AA, and we could potentially see him back up in Chicago after the trade deadline.

This season to date, he has hit .258 with 14 home runs(the most on the team), and 37 runs batted in. He also has 17 stolen bases to go along with that. Rodriguez has legitimate 20-20 potential, he just needs to develop a better eye at the plate, as he doesn’t walk much and strikes out a decent bit.

I would like to see what he can do at the major-league level, as the White Sox will need to figure out who has a spot on the team when they are good next(if that ever happens). At worst, he could be a good backup utility infielder that has great speed. At best, he is a 20-20 threat at a middle infield position. I’m curious to see how the Sox view him, and hopefully, we get an extended look where he at least gets some at-bats this season.

Matthew Thompson

While his overall stats may not look great this year, his last few starts look like he is finally breaking out.

If Thompson can cut back on the walks, he could be a legit threat to take a back end of the rotation spot in a year or so. He has elite strikeout stuff but his control can be an issue. That seems to be a problem for a lot of young pitchers who have high strikeout numbers.

He is a player that the White Sox could lose in the Rule 5 draft, so he would have to be added to the 40-man roster to be protected. At this point in the year, he is basically fighting for his spot on the 40-man, or another team can come and pick him up. Hopefully, he continues to pitch well, as he was a second-round pick just a few years ago.

Other News In Birmingham

The biggest news out of this article is White Sox top prospect Colson Montgomery getting called up to AA.

This is a big step in his development and one step closer to the majors. If he plays well and the White Sox sell off some of their infielders at the deadline, he could compete for a roster spot in spring training.

The prospects the Sox got in return for Giolito have begun to play for Birmingham and have struggled a bit but there is no reason to overreact as it is still early.

So far Quero is 2 for 11, but he has walked once. Not the best start, but it shouldn’t take him too much longer to get acclimated to the new team.

Ky Bush also had a start the other day, and it wasn’t pretty. He finished with 3.1 innings, 12 hits, 2 home runs, and 7 earned runs. Not the start you want to see out of a new pitcher, but it is only one start so no need to overreact. He will look to bounce back in a few days and silence the doubters.