BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — It was the voice of God that spoke to Trent Dilfer. Never mind that he is UAB’s rookie head coach straight out of a high school job. Dilfer knows there is going to be skepticism when he recounts this particular life-turning point.
It might sound trite to some, inspirational to others, but Dilfer swears it’s true. The event even has a date: October 2018.
The former Super Bowl champion, NFL analyst and Elite 11 mogul was comfortably retired in his 40s.
“I’m at church one day,” Dilfer told CBS Sports, “and I don’t want to bang you over the head with the Bible, but I audibly hear the voice of God say, ‘Quit saying no to me.’ And I am rocked.”
Dilfer is staunchly religious; this isn’t some off-the-cuff claim. There is an investment there. Heck, he comes to the Blazers having just turned around Lipscomb Academy, a private Christian school in suburban Nashville.
Blazers athletic director Mark Ingram was met with another brand of skepticism — by his own search committee when seeking to replace Bill Clark. Dilfer is well known, sure, but he’s certainly not a traditional hire. He hasn’t so much as been a college assistant, and the list of high school coaches who make a successful jump to FBS head coach is shorter than third-and-a-foot.
“You really think I ought to hire a high school coach?” Ingram asked a person who recommended Dilfer during the process.
When the friend agreed and persisted, Ingram relented and agreed to an interview.
“What the hell?” he said. “The guy won a Super Bowl. What’s 10 minutes with Trent Dilfer?
“We were on the phone for an hour and a half.”
The rest of the story is sitting on a couch in the UAB football coach’s office.
Dilfer talks a lot. Dilfer talks a lot about himself. You should know that by now if you have watched him on various platforms over the years. That is not a criticism. As a talking head, better to have someone like Dilfer than a collection of cliches in a polo who doesn’t impart any knowledge.
Dilfer tells you everything … or so it seems.
The Blazers are making the jump from Conference USA to the AAC with their own leap of faith. Ingram is staking the program’s future — along with momentum it has created with a new stadium while entering a new conference — on first-time college coach. The transition, the recruiting, the appearances in the state and community can be summed up by the program’s…
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