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There could be some drama unfolding surrounding an FBS head coaching hire. It’s been reported that a number of UAB players are in opposition to the Athletic Department’s conducting of a national coaching search.
Members of the football team have penned letters to the school President in an attempt to keep interim coach Bryant Vincent at the helm. Vincent, who’s led the team in all 12 games this season, took over for Bill Clark following his retirement. UAB is 6-6 this season and preparing for a trip to the Bahamas Bowl.
The letter read as follows:
[School President] Dr. Watts,
Good morning, I know that you are a busy man, with a busy schedule. We called your secretary to set up a meeting with our team, but she said that you were too busy to meet with us. We, as a team, respect your time and schedule.
We, as a team, want our voices to be heard. We fought for and have brought championships and bowl wins to this University. Championships and bowl wins have never been done in the history of this program. We have accomplished things that nobody thought would ever happen here.
On June 27th, Mark Ingram told us that he would conduct a national search for our coach. That was all he said. He didn’t talk to any of us players or ask any questions. That was all he said! He didn’t talk to us again until November 28th! That was after the season! We went through an entire season of uncertainty and stuck together to reach bowl eligibility for the 7th straight year.
We, as the players and the team, want our voices to be heard… We believe in Coach Vincent and want him to be our head coach.
Sincerely, UAB Football Team
These letters come at a crucial time in the UAB coaching search as Super Bowl winning QB Trent Dilfer has been targeted as the top choice.
In fact, many believe the hire to be done deal, which would certainly provide a splash hire for the Group of Five university. Still, that hiring could come at the risk of having players leave the program over unhappiness of seeing their current head coach canned.
Would Dilfer’s status as a former NFL player outweigh the bond already formed by the players with Vincent? It appears that the Athletic Director has a tough decision to make in the coming days.