UAB Football Preview 2026: It's Alex Mortensen's Program Now
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Sometimes college football programs are like little kids. If they're happy and things are fine, don't mess with what's working.
UAB came back from its self-imposed break from the world in 2017 with a roaring run under Bill Clark. He retired after winning 43 games in five years.
Bryant Vincent took over, went 7-6, won a bowl game, and that wasn't good enough.
UAB Has Been Through Enough — Now Alex Mortensen Has to Rebuild It Right
© David Butler II-Imagn Images
The powers-that-be thought it would be fun to hire Trent Dilfer as the program moved from Conference USA to the American Conference.
It did not go well.
Dilfer went 9-21, was dropped midway through last year, and Alex Mortensen stepped up from the offensive coordinator role into the big gig.
This is Mortensen's program now, and if nothing else, it'll be a different team with a new vibe and focus going forward.
But this won't be a quick fix. The goal this year is to start setting the foundation of players to make UAB a consistent winner again.
UAB Quick Hits
- Head Coach: Alex Mortensen (1st full season: 2-4)
- Best Case / Worst Case: Get to six wins and a bowl game/A fourth straight season with four wins or fewer
- Key Player: Ryder Burton, QB Jr.
- 2025 Record: 4-8
- Biggest Question: Can the defense improve enough to let the offense take over more games?
UAB Key 2025 Stats
- 1st Quarter Scoring: Opponents 132, UAB 62
- Sacks: Opponents 30 for 208 yards, UAB 18 for 91 yards
- Two Point Conversions: Opponents 3-for-3, UAB 6-for-12
Offense
Mortensen's offense didn't blow up after he took over midway through last year, but the ground game was far better.
It's a big redo across the board with just a few starters returning, but the transfer portal will help in a big way.
Even with all of the changes, be shocked if the Blazers aren't hitting over 400 yards per game again.
What’s Working
The quarterback situation isn't awful. No, there aren't any transfers coming in. The staff likes its situation.
Starter Jalen Kitna is done, but Ryder Burton is a decent option who stepped in and threw seven touchdown passes, but with five picks. Nate Rogers is also back after being the third option.
The offensive line might not be a powerhouse, but it wasn't bad over the second half of the season for the running game.
Guard Calib Perez and center Adam Lepkowski are back, and tackle transfers Keyon Cox (Oregon State) and Cooper Young (West Virginia) will at least bring depth.
Run well, and win. The Blazers hit the 200-yard mark on the ground three times and won all three, including the shocker over Memphis. This year's backfield should be stronger.
Rod Robinson is a 6-1, 235-pound back from Georgia, Ja'Vin Simpkins is a quick back from Coastal Carolina who came close to 600 rushing yards last year, and Bam McReynolds is a speed back from ULM who ran for over 600 yards.
What Needs Work
Turnovers. There was a lot of inexperience and a lot of pressing, and it showed in the turnovers – they were a killer.
The Blazers turned the ball over multiple times in seven of the 12 games, and three or more times in four games. Interceptions were the big issue.
The passing game wasn't bad in pure yards, but most of the top playmakers are done. UAB lost the top four wideouts – losing Iverson Hooks to Oregon and Xavier Daisy to Kentucky hurts.
Kaleb Brown is the veteran with just 17 grabs for the Blazers, and none of the transfers have any appreciable experience.
The passing game has to be crazy accurate. The Blazers stayed in most games, or won, the six times they hit 68% of more of their throws. They went 0-5 when they didn't. It'll be a work in progress.
Player to Watch
Ryder Burton, QB Jr.
He started his career at BYU, left for West Virginia, and settled in at UAB last season.
He wasn't used much over the first half of the season, but he was wonderful in the win over Memphis. Things fell off from there, but he's experienced enough to be the one to carry the offense early on.
© David Butler II-Imagn Images
Defense
Let's just press the reset button on this.
It wasn't that defense was optional in the Trent Dilfer era, but it struggled to keep points off the board – which, obviously, was sort of the point.
Only UMass allowed more points per game than the 38.3 the Blazers gave up. But help is on the way because …
What’s Working
Todd Grantham is a veteran assistant who knows what he's doing. The new defensive coordinator was with Oklahoma State last year, the NFL before that, and was part of the SEC world for most of his career.
He's the right veteran who can help the young Mortensen through the rough spots as the defense fights to improve.
The Blazers went after edge rushers. Marlin Dean is a pure hybrid pass rusher from Georgia State who can step in right away and potentially be one of the most disruptive forces, and he's not alone.
Tylin Jackson from Eastern Washington was a strong signing, and Blanche Gold from Morgan State is a veteran.
There's size on the inside. Boston College transfer Sterling Sanders is a 305-pound tackle, and the hope is for 330-pound fellow former BC lineman Nigel Tate to be ready to go.
305-pound Kyle Mosley was part of the rotation, and now he needs to be more of a factor.
What Needs Work
(Deep breath) … there are way too many problems that have to be fixed, and it starts with generating third down stops. UCLA and Air Force were the only two defenses worse on third downs.
The Blazers allowed teams to convert 49% of their chances, and it was a struggle that didn't get better, allowing 60% or more three times in four late games. That was bad, but …
By a mile, the Blazers had the least efficient pass defense in America. UMass had the second-least efficient pass defense with a 168.99 rating. UAB was at 176.3, allowing a nation-worst 9.7 yards per attempt.
When it comes to the rating, it was the worst in college football by far since Akron's horrendous six-game season in 2020.
UAB didn't allow fewer than 24 points in any game, and got hit for 42 or more five times and 53 or more in three of those.
The 38.3 points per game were only worsened by the 38.6 allowed by the miserable UMass squad.
Player to Watch
Chris Burge, EDGE Soph.
The 6-3, 250-pound pass rusher is one of the few veteran Blazers back in the mix. He only came up with a team-high 3.5 sacks last season and five tackles for loss, but he's got the talent to do a whole lot more.
Keys to the Season
- Generate more pressure up front to give the secondary a little help.
- Put a few more points on the board, but keep moving the ball like last year's bunch did.
- More from the special teams. The punting game has to do a better job of flipping the field.
Player Who Needs To Shine
Kaleb Brown, WR Sr.
The Blazers have other interesting receivers in the mix, but when it comes to real experience, Brown is it.
He started out at Ohio State, went to Iowa and caught 23 passes in two years, and last year he caught 17 passes for 255 yards and two scores for the Blazers.
Biggest Concern
Just start doing more on the defensive front.
Get into the backfield, stop the run, hit the quarterback, force some pressure … something. As long as the line can start to hold its own a little bit, everything else will be better.
Biggest Game
East Carolina, October 15
Will this year be different for UAB? If it's hoping to do much of anything in the conference chase, it has to somehow split the early American dates against Navy and at Memphis, and then take down the Pirates in a big home game moment.
Transfer Portal
The UAB coaching staff took a slew of swings, and now there's an upgrade of the starting 22.
The Blazers needed an overhaul of players, and here they come. It starts with the secondary, and they kept on loading up with tough prospects.
Best Signing
Marlin Dean, EDGE (Georgia State)
The pass rush is the biggest overall thing that needs changing, and getting Dean from Georgia State is a big help.
He's got the 6-5, 240-pound size with two years of experience. He started out at Utah State, moved to Georgia State, and made 32 tackles with a sack and three tackles for loss last season. Now he has to turn it loose.
Biggest Loss
Iverson Hooks, WR (Oregon)
He's good enough for Oregon for a reason. The fifth-year senior isn't all that big, but he can move, leading the Blazers with 72 catches for 927 yards and seven touchdowns after making 25 grabs over his first three years.
Other Names to Know
- Guylijah Theodule, CB (Southern Miss)
- Diezel Wilkinson, S (Montana)
- Draden Fullbright, CB (Oklahoma State)
CFN Season Prediction
The coaching staff is far better, but the talent level overall isn't strong enough to make a big move in the American Conference.
Fortunately, the league isn't anything amazing, and the Blazers miss Army and Tulane – those two might play for the conference title.
The defense needs a night-and-day improvement, and it doesn't have the veterans or sure-thing playmakers to do it. It'll be better, though.
CFN Prediction: 4-8
The offense wasn't horrible last year – it just didn't do enough to keep up with the miserable defense. It'll be enough, though, to likely get by ULM, Samford, and Charlotte at home.
There will be at least one upset along the way – like the out-of-the-blue Memphis game of last year – and the chance is there to flirt with a five-win season if everything breaks right.
But this will more likely be the season to get to next season. Mortensen should have things a bit more settled by then.
Related: American Conference Football Win Totals 2026: Spring Predictions for Every Team
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