American Athletic · Alex Mortensen, year 2 (3-5) · Protective Stadium · 45,000 · 21,153 avg in 2026
LastW 26–20 vs UL Monroe · Sat Sep 12 · Ike Esonwune 1 INT, 10 tackles
Nextat Louisiana · Sat Sep 19 · 8 pm ET · Cajun Field · Louisiana by 7.5 · series 4-4, lost the last 3 · Game preview
Updated Tue Sep 15 · through week 2
| Wk | Date | Us | Opp | Line | Opponent | Result | Record | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 4 | #55 | #70 | +25.5✓ | @Illinois | L 23–42 122 | 0-1 | 0-0 |
| 2 | Sep 12 | #55 | #163 | -9.5✗ | UL Monroe | W 26–20 131 | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Sep 20 | #58 | #35 | +7.5 | @Louisiana | |||
| 4 | Sep 25 | #58 | #75 | Navy | ||||
| 5 | Oct 3 | Samford | ||||||
| 6 | Oct 10 | @Memphis | ||||||
| 7 | Oct 15 | East Carolina | ||||||
| 9 | Oct 31 | @South Florida | ||||||
| 10 | Nov 7 | Charlotte | ||||||
| 11 | Nov 14 | @Temple | ||||||
| 12 | Nov 21 | UTSA | ||||||
| 13 | Nov 28 | @North Texas |
| Date | Opp | Result | Yds | TO | TOP | EPA/play | Success% | Explosive% | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12 | UL Monroe | W 26–20 | 381 | 2 | 31:53 | +0.210 | 50.7% | 101.0% | |
| Sep 4 | @Illinois | L 23–42 | 413 | 1 | 41:03 | +0.139 | 43.0% | 124.6% | |
| Season average (2 games) | 397 | 1.5 | +0.174 | 46.9% | 112.8% | ||||
UAB is the program its own university shut down — then brought back from the dead and watched win a conference title, a comeback story no other program in the sport can claim.
UAB fans never forget that their own university system — the one that answers to Tuscaloosa — tried to bury the program. Every season the Blazers exist at all, they say, is a win over the people who w…
The season in chapters
What fans said
Real posts from the day of the game, chosen by community score · usernames not shown
What it is like to watch them2025 · 4-8 · last season
✓ measured from 12 games · ranks are among American Athletic teams the same season
Recent form · last 10 games · incl. 2025
Cooling. 3-7 over the last 10, and won the last one.
Next Sep 20
vs Louisiana · away
~ our read on style
Market outlook
Sportsbook consensus · best odds across multiple books · 2026-09-14
the open questionis the portal class enough to move the needle?
Perry Fisher and Delvon Gulley arrive as the headline cornerback additions in UAB's second straight top-20 portal class — Dilfer's 4-8 record gets a secondary overhaul.
our readbackground
Trent Dilfer enters his third season at UAB with a 4-8 losing record to overcome, as the program's identity hinges on reviving the legacy of its 2017 resurrection and 2018 Conference USA title.
our readfront page
Dilfer's third straight top-20 portal class arrives with 73% production returning and Diezel Wilkinson at safety, proving this isn't just roster maintenance.
our readdeveloping
Mortensen inherits a 4-8 roster and 73% returning production — UAB’s third coach in five years faces the challenge of stabilizing a program defined by cycles of collapse and revival.
our readbackground
Trent Dilfer enters his third season at UAB with a 4-8 losing record to address, as the program's identity hinges on reviving its post-2017 resurgence amid a weak FBS tier.
our readbackground
BJ Hawkins Jr. is a legitimate money-down target -- his 3rd-down conversion rate ranks among the position's best, and his per-target value holds up in that spot too.
our readdeveloping
Corri Milliner produces at a notably LOWER rate when his team is an underdog than when favored -- he fades when the pressure is on, and his per-target value drops too.
our readdeveloping
Isaiah Jacobs sees a real spike in usage once the game is out of reach, and his efficiency in competitive snaps sits below the position baseline -- the numbers lean on the opponent giving up.
our readdeveloping
Iverson Hooks is a legitimate money-down target -- his 3rd-down conversion rate ranks among the position's best, and his per-target value holds up in that spot too.
our readdeveloping
Mortensen inherits an 80% returning roster and a 4-8 losing record — the third coach in five years faces the challenge of stabilizing a program defined by cycles of collapse and revival.
our readbackground
BJ Hawkins Jr.: a garbage time merchant signal screened this season.
our readbackground
Iverson Hooks: a depth dna signal screened this season.
our readbackground
Iverson Hooks: a garbage time merchant signal screened this season.
our readbackground
Jevon Jackson does NOT see a usage spike in garbage time -- his workload holds steady regardless of score.
our readbackground
Outcome band · UAB · 2026
Floor, base and ceiling come from the season-path projection, which plays out conference title games and the CFP — so a ceiling can run past 12 games.
UAB signed a top-37 transfer-portal class — 29 additions headlined by Ryder Burton (QB) from West Virginia and Perry Fisher (CB) from Maryland. Portal pickups are proven college players — the split isn't about development, it's about whether they fit the scheme and win their position battles. Coverage is split on whether volume or positional fit is the bigger story.
The off-field storyline driving the noise right now. Not analysis — the soap opera, and that's the point.
The 'portal class fills the gaps' believers -- upgrades at real positions of need.
The 'portal is a gamble' counter -- departure losses and the 'plug-and-play doesn't work' read.
Only 8 of 450 board posts mention it — below our floor to call a community stance. Shown as texture, not a verdict.
Board health this week (153 posts): 19% positive · 31% neutral · 50% negative. Team-level weekly mood — not specific to this event. The boards ≠ the fanbase: a self-selected vocal slice.
UAB: the fanbase's identity shifting.
The optimistic read: momentum, and the 'this is real' takes.
The analytical counter: rankings, results, and 'the hype is ahead of the tape' takes.
Nothing in our corpus yet — this door stays open for when there is.
This event was in 65 of 450 board posts (14%) over the last 60 days — a fanbase consumed by it. Fan text shown verbatim, attributed to the community not the individual poster.
Board health this week (153 posts): 19% positive · 31% neutral · 50% negative. Team-level weekly mood — not specific to this event. The boards ≠ the fanbase: a self-selected vocal slice.
More in this tab
UAB is the AAC program whose 2014 football program shutdown + 2017 resurrection + Bill Clark 2018 Conference USA championship + Protective Stadium 2021 define what dropped-and-revived-football-program looks like.
The program ledger
since 2025Illini release projected starters vs UAB
Illinois just handed Mortensen's staff a scouting gift — projected starters on tape before kickoff, and UAB's IOL depth questions get stress-tested against a Big Ten defensive front on day one.
Top 3 commits
Recruiting Footprint · 2026
AL leads the 2026 class with 3 commits. National footprint reaching 6 states.
Where they recruit · 2023-2026
72 signees across 15 states, 2023-2026. AL leads the pull.
Miles from home · 2026 roster
The median UAB player grew up 269 miles from campus.
Half this roster came from closer than that; half came from farther.
Straight-line distance from each player's listed hometown to Protective Stadium. Hometowns are placed at city-centroid precision, not street address — fine at this scale, but a player's true door-to-door number can differ by a few miles. 148 of 154 listed players have a geocoded hometown. Source: CFBD roster hometowns.
Top community posts · last 12 months · r/cfb
Fan confidence lower than any point since 2020
5th percentile among FBS programs
17 penalties committed, 2 drawn on opponents — ceding 127 yards of field position.
136 penalty yards committed vs. 9 drawn on opponents, 2026 season total.
Outcome band · UAB · 2026
Recruiting Footprint · 2026