Trent Dilfer's Most Noteworthy Comments from the AAC Media Days
Dilfer took the stage on Tuesday to talk about the Blazer defense, his NIL philosophy, and more. He also endorsed a salary-floor revenue-sharing model that could become trendy among G5 conferences.
Earlier today, UAB football head coach Trent Dilfer took the stage at AAC Media Days to answer questions about the rebuilt Blazer defense, the importance of NIL collectives, the lessons he learned from an up-and-down debut campaign, and several other topics.
Fiery and defiant at 2023’s event, Dilfer took a more laid-back tone this year, acknowledging last season’s “humbling” 4-8 record and making it clear that the Blazers aim to improve on their failures.
Steve Irvine published a full transcript of Dilfer’s comments at the Banner. The remarks that stood out are highlighted below.
On the struggles of last season:
Excited to be back. You know, in my life as an NFL quarterback, 4-8 usually gets you fired. Somehow [UAB] held onto me.
[2023] was a tough year, humbling, which is a good thing. I think anytime you go through really low valleys and you embrace it and you own it, you can learn a lot from it. I did. Our players did.
On quarterback Jacob Zeno:
He has to be [an extension of the coaching staff when he’s on the field]… I played for Jeff Tedford in college, and I was an extension of his mind. I thought the same thoughts, you know, like I could finish the sentences for him. I got in the NFL and I didn't really have that simpatico relationship with a play caller… The expectation is perfection [with Zeno]. That's what we're shooting for in our preparation, how we play.
To Jacob's credit, he has never flinched. He has continued to get better. He's never rested on the success he had last year. He was hungry to get back at it. He obviously turned down other massive opportunities to stay with us. We're really proud of him and the progression. We're looking for great things.
On linebacker Michael Moore:
[He was a] position switch guy when we got here, so he was learning on the fly last year. He finished the season banged up a little bit but has done a great job in the offseason getting his body ready to play a complete season this year…
He's an NFL athlete. His length, his athleticism, ability to bend, versatility to play inside against the run, to move on the edge, to cover, to extend versus open sets. It's invaluable. You have to have this type of player to play any type of good defense.
On the new-look defense:
We have been steadfast on looking at our defense very critically, owning how terrible we were last year, and going to work to fix it. It was the first thing we talked about when the season was over. It's been countless sleepless nights trying to rebuild it, and we feel like we've done a good job putting ourselves in position to where we can put really good defense out there…
We signed 21 players out of the portal, and 14 of those are on defense. I expect all 14 to contribute. I mean, there's a possibility we'll have nine new defensive starters this year. We lost one. We lost [Mac McWilliams], a very, very good player, to UCF, but were able to replace him with an equally good player…
I believe all 14 [incoming defensive transfers] will contribute, I really do. None of them were brought in to develop, they were all brought in to contribute. There's definitely a talent piece to that. We focused on length, we had to get long…
You've got to stop critical moments. College football offenses have a massive advantage. Not a little advantage, it’s massive. You're not going to stop everyone… [but] you can steal a possession here or there, you can get them in behind-the-sticks situations. So, we've got to play those critical moments better and take advantage of those moments when we put the team behind the eight ball.
On his scheduling philosophy:
I have nothing to do with our schedule. I'm the newbie. I did in the interview process, ask Mark Ingram, our AD, his scheduling philosophy. He agreed with SEC opponents, obviously it's a good payday for the school, which we need. I agree with that I would like to play an SEC opponent every year…
I don't think you should be scared of [great opponents]… We'll continue to not shy away from anybody. I've told [USF coach Alex] Golesh, we'll play USF in the Walmart parking lot if he wants a double header. I just think that's the way we're wired… You face the lion face to face. You don't run away from the lion. So that's the approach of our program. I think the conference has that approach too, which I'm really proud of.
On NIL collectives and fundraising:
You know, NIL is something that’s a reality we're all facing. Some of us have the opportunity to generate a lot of money for the collectives. Some of us don't…
It's really nothing I can control. Do I fundraise relentlessly? Yes. Does Andy [Kennedy] fundraise relentlessly? Yes. Are we as successful as some others? I don't know…
We're trying to work with our collective to help our student athletes be compensated in a way that is appropriate... I do think that, again, on this topic, a student-athlete feels valued in more ways than just economically. We've been able to recruit some really fine players that were offered a lot more money elsewhere, because they felt the value, not just we were able to collect was able to help them in one way, economically, but a fraction of what they're offered other places. But they also feel valued by opportunity. They also feel valued by connection.
Dilfer also told On3.com that he endorses a salary-floor revenue-sharing model proposed by new AAC commissioner Tim Pernetti.
The recent House v. NCAA settlement will allow schools to share revenue with their athletes up to a “salary cap” of $22 million, a number that few, if any, AAC teams are expected to be able to hit. “No, God, no,” Dilfer said when asked whether UAB would be one of them. “We’re not even in the stratosphere.”
Rather than focusing on reaching the spending cap, the AAC is concentrated on setting a baseline level of investment that all of its members must reach.
“I do think it’s important that we set a floor, so all our institutions are investing at a minimum level – it’s important just to create more competitive balance,” Pernetti told On3. “To be part of this conference, we expect you to invest at a minimum level.”
Dilfer enthusiastically agreed with Pernetti, claiming the AAC needs to “get everyone playing the same game.”
“You’re going to a Blackjack table and some are going to the $5,000 minimum hand and some are going to the $5 hand table,” Dilfer said. “We all need to be playing at least the $100 hand. And if someone can go play $5,000 [table], good for them. Every institution at least has to be committed to at least getting to a floor.”
“We all have to be in the game. If you want to be the Yankees, more power to you. But at least be the Royals.”