Sports

Trent Dilfer Accuses Unnamed Rivals Of Poaching UAB Players To Ride Bench For Top NIL Dollars

#UAB Blazers
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UAB football coach Trent Dilfer

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UAB football coach Trent Dilfer appeared on the McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning podcast this week to speak on the future of the Blazers program. While on air, he dropped an interesting tidbit about the school’s NIL situation.

Dilfer cried poor during the interview, suggesting that the university hasn’t made the financial commitment to on-field success. He says there’s no money available to be spent on top talent.

“How do you have no money and go into the portal and create more talent?” he asked. His stance on UAB’s NIL disadvantage has been noted throughout his time in Birmingham. He’s also been vocal on tampering.

“To coerce a player off a roster, whether you do it through a person, an agent, or a collective, is cheating,” he said in a press conference last year. “It’s against the rules.”

With that being said, he insists that he wants what’s best for his players. If that means taking a higher paying position with a Power 4 program, so be it.

“I support the kids… That situation happened. I hugged a kid that left to go to a power school and said, ‘I think it’s the best decision for you.’

“I am kid-centric… Tampering and supporting a kid are two different things. I believe I have the emotional intelligence to do both.”

-Trent Dilfer

Unfortunately, the UAB football team isn’t fending off P4 poachers alone. Trent Dilfer claims that league rivals are also swiping his top players with unmatchable NIL inducements. The Blazers are getting hit from every direction!

“In our conference, again not going to use schools, we have two teams that will go to our roster and sign double or triple what these guys can make on our roster and make them backups on their roster so that we can’t have them,” he said.

Dilfer says UAB can’t match the offers being seen by rivals. Making things worse, this is the backup payroll – not the starting lineup rate! The Blazers are losing players that would rather sit on the bench to land a paycheck than get on the field at a lesser price.

If that actually is the case, it doesn’t instill much confidence in the future of the program. Every player that makes a notable contribution will likely be gone in due time. Some might be facing off against the Blazers in future seasons (or at least watching along from the sidelines).

UAB athletic director Mark Ingram promised to make “additional investments” into football success after last year’s 3-9 campaign. That hasn’t paid dividends to this point in terms of recruiting or roster retention.

Trent Dilfer continues to voice his displeasure with the school’s current NIL situation. The lack of funds has ultimately led to an uncompetitive product being put on the field. After going 7-17 in his first two seasons, the head coach will need to overcome his financial disadvantage and find a way to win.