By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP College Football Writer
Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer, who has been coaching a high school team in Tennessee for the last four years, is the leading candidate to become the new coach at UAB, a person with knowledge of the search told The Associated Press on Tuesday night.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because UAB was not making details of its search public.
Dilfer, who led the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl championship in 2000, has been the head coach at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, since 2019. He has guided the school to three state championship games, including one scheduled for Thursday against Christ Presbyterian Academy.
He has no previous college coaching experience.
A text message to Dilfer was not immediately returned.
Football Scoop first reported UAB was targeting Dilfer.
A former first-round draft pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1994, Dilfer played 14 NFL seasons. After retiring in 2008, he went in broadcasting, working for ESPN as an NFL analyst until 2017.
At the same time, Dilfer became involved in the Elite 11 quarterback camp for the top high schools prospects in the country.
He moved into high school coaching at Lipscomb Academy, a private Christian school in the suburbs of Nashville. The team is 12-0 this season.
Early in the 2021 season, Dilfer issued a public apology after a video on social media showed him pushing and shouting at one of his players. The player was the son of a former NFL teammate of Dilfer’s, kicker Phil Dawson.
UAB is trying to fill an opening created when Bill Clark stepped down in August, citing back issues.
Offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent was named interim coach and led the Blazers to a 6-6 record this season.
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