BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Blazer fans heard from their new interim football head coach for the first time Monday morning.
UAB named offensive coordinator Alex Mortensen as interim coach shortly after it announced it fired head coach Trent Dilfer on Sunday.
“I am filled with Gratitude for the opportunity I was given at UAB and the incredible people I was able to come in contact with during my time there,” Dilfer posted on social media Monday. “Birmingham is an awesome city and my wife and I have been overwhelmed with the love we have felt from this city. As a competitor, it crushes me that we were not able to reach our standard of winning on the field, I wish I could have done more. I am truly thankful for every battle we were able to fight on and off the field. Love the Battle. Philippians 4:6-7.”
Mortensen said Dilfer being fired is not how he wanted to become a head coach, and he wishes the circumstances were different. He’s got, however, high hopes for this UAB team and wants to finish out the last six games of the season strong.
“The name on the front of the jersey matters,” Mortensen said. “The UAB matters. Obviously, this week is a special week with Children’s Harbor. That name matters. But even when it’s the name on the back of your own jersey, that name matters, too, because you’re representing yourself, and I think every single one of these players needs to understand that. What do you want your name to be associated with? I think we have a tremendous amount to play for, and we’ve got team goals, we can still go fight to win and compete in a bowl game. That’s obviously a tall order, and we can only do things one week at a time.”
Mortensen was brought on as UAB’s offensive coordinator in 2022 by Dilfer. He came to UAB from Alabama, where he worked for nine years under Nick Saban. Will he be reaching out to the legend for any coaching advice?
“I really enjoyed working for coach for nine years, and it was a tremendous experience,” Mortensen said. “So he has a lot of knowledge obviously and very savvy as a leader, so he’s certainly someone that at the right time I want to speak with.”
The Blazers stand with two wins and four losses, and they’re zero and three in conference play. Mortensen said while the team will be working internally to improve, he wants the players to focus on what they can control, which he said is their effort.
“Making sure that we play with the right kind of effort and intensity, and we talked about this yesterday,” Mortensen said. “That’s not just Saturday. That’s Monday through Friday. There’s still a price to pay during the week to play the way you want to play Saturday. That doesn’t change now and if anything, we’ve got to enhance and improve that process.”
UAB Director of Athletics Mark Ingram said the focus is on the team and how to best support them to be successful for the last six games. He said the search for the next head coach is on. While no names were dropped, he said the athletic department is already talking to potential candidates.
“We certainly want a track record of winning,” Ingram said. “That’s obvious, but you’re also looking for people who are high character, high-integrity people, and that’s not just lip service. When you can find a person who’s a high-character person, what you do is they go hire high-character people who will recruit high-character people, and you do better in the classroom, and you avoid a lot of off-field issues that some people don’t ever consider would go into a search.”
Despite the mid-season coaching change, many Blazer fans are still confident in their team. Some fans said letting Dilfer go was a valid decision. They said the record isn’t looking great right now, but many fans are still hopeful the season can be turned around with the last six games.
“[Dilfer] was a great coach for good, but we need better offense, a good offensive line and everything else,” UAB freshman Luther Williams said. “Anything to make us win games. I feel like he was really good, but he had to get let go. Next six games? Wins. I say wins. W-I-N.”
Williams doesn’t think Mortensen’s goal to get to a bowl game is too much for the Blazers.
“I say very likely,” Williams said. “I believe in our football team because they’re like our friends, too, so I believe they’re going to win. I believe in them, so we’re going to make it.”
Students like Caryss Singley agree that it was time for a change. She said one of her favorite things about UAB is its resiliency through anything.
“I like that within like our difficult situations, we can become a family and get through it together,” Singley said. “With their situation, to bring what they got, that’s all you can do at this point. So maybe next season we’ll see some growth.”
Mortensen’s first game as interim head coach will be just six days after taking the helm. It will be against No. 22 Memphis at Protective Stadium. His message to Blazer fans is one of hope.
“We’re going to try to represent the program with pride and with the kind of effort, toughness, discipline that reflects well upon it and go compete,” Mortensen said. “We’ll go put our best effort and try to–one this being the Children’s Harbor game–it’s a big deal. Obviously, it’s a Battle for the Bones, so there’s a lot to get excited about for a game like this, and we’re ready to go take it on.”
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