Pete Thamel announces ‘breaking news’ amid college football coaching carousel

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It was a tough 2025 college football season for UAB.

UAB finished the season with a 4-8 record, but not before the program fired former head coach Trent Dilfer. UAB was 2-4 halfway through the season when the school decided to part ways with Dilfer. Dilfer finished his UAB tenure with a 9-21 overall record.

After Dilfer was dismissed, Alex Mortensen took over as interim head coach and led UAB to beat Memphis and Tulsa. The Tulsa victory came this past Saturday. UAB quarterback Jalen Kitna finished the game with 166 yards through the air, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.

He had a nice audition for the job, and according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, it was enough for the school to give him the full-time job.

Before Dilfer took over the 2023 season, UAB was coming off a 2022 season that ended with a win in the Bahamas Bowl. UAB went 6-6 in the regular season before finishing 7-6, thanks to a victory over Miami (Ohio).

The 2021 season was even better for UAB, finishing with a 9-4 record that included a win in the Independence Bowl. The school hopes that Mortensen can get the football program back to those types of seasons since the last few years have been rough.

The best season in UAB history came in 2018, when the program finished 11-3. Bill Clark was the head coach of that team and helped the program win the Boca Raton Bowl over Northern Illinois. It’s the only 10+ win season in UAB history.

Related: Deion Sanders Makes Major Move At Colorado After Disappointing 3-9 Season

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 5, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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