Blazers return after long break
Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel ranked all 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country ahead of the 2017 season. The Sentinel staff provides a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 130 to our projected No. 1 team.
UAB Bill Clark (6-6, entering fourth season; 6-6 overall)
None (6-6 record in 2014, the program’s last season before it was briefly shut down)
UAB returns to competitive football for the first time in more than two years after the program was briefly shuttered due to financial concerns. The public outcry following school’s decision led to a fundraising campaign that generated more than $43 million. The school reinstated the football program in 2015, but NCAA rules required the Blazers to go through a training and preparation adjustment period. UAB is finally clear to resume play in 2017.
None season, with just 13 seniors returning from the 2014 team. UAB coaches have worked to offset this by loading the roster with players who transferred from FBS or junior college programs.
Clark faced the unenviable task of rebuilding the football program basically from scratch starting in 2015. With depleted ranks, the Blazers coach and his new staff were forced to start recruiting at every level, targeting a mix of high school stars, junior college players, FBS transfers and walk-ons to field a full team.
The roster grew from 57 players in 2015 to 105 players heading into the summer camps in 2016. Thanks to a second round of fundraising, school officials were able to break ground on a new $22.5 million, 46,000-square-foot football operations center in April 2016, with the facilities expected to be fully operational this summer.
There are also discussions about building a new football stadium to replace the aging Legion Field. Regardless of whether the new stadium can be constructed soon, UAB appears to be ready to rejoin the FBS ranks. But it will likely take time before the football program returns to the same competitive level.
The Blazers, however, don’t seem willing to accept their two year break from competition as an excuse for any losses they collect during the 2017 season.
“They’re high,” Clark said of his expectations for this group. “I think it doesn’t change the fact that you’re used to winning and being successful. I don’t want to change that. I do think my biggest goal coming into this year was to be competitive. I know that sounds like you’re covering yourself. I think being competitive means you’ve got a chance to win every game – that’s a high goal. But we’ve got high expectations but we’re also realistic. But I expect us to win.”