After a 4-8 season in 2023 that was plagued with an inconsistent defense but highlighted with a high-powered offense, UAB football went into the offseason looking to find a way to get both sides of the ball to gel, they have done that and now head into the 2024 season with a chip on their shoulder.
Representing UAB at the 2024 Media Days was QB Jacob Zeno and LB Michael Moore, both off big personal seasons in an overall down year, and Moore explained that this season has a little more behind it than just wanting to improve on their 4-8 record.
“This season is personal… We’ve learned some stuff recently and so this season is more personal than most people think. It’s a lot of politics, a lot of he said, she said, and we hear it, we are just not going to acknowledge it, just know when the season comes, we are going to be ready,” Moore said.
With ulterior motivation backing the blazers heading into this year, confidence should be sky high heading into this season, however following a year in which they allowed a minimum 20 points in all but 1 of their games, this offseason was crucial to help the blazers get that unit to gel and provide more defensive resistance this season.
The squad brought in 10 defensive recruits this offseason, highlighted by defensive ends Antavious Elder and J’Quan Mason, and 6 defensive players through the transfer portal including, Tariq Watson a DB from Minnesota, Demarcus Smith a DT from Ole Miss, and Tyjohn Jones a DB from Youngstown State.
Between those additions and another offseason of continuity under Coach Trent Dilfer, LB Michael Moore is excited for this season because the defense is in a better spot now than they were this time last year.
“Last season, we didn’t do the little things right, that’s what it’s always been, communication and execution from a defensive standpoint. I’m really excited about what we can do, because this time of year Vs last year, we’re more bought into the program, people are starting to do the little things on their own instead of having Coach Dilfer or our position coaches telling us what to do, we have to handle that on our own, Moore said.
The offense was not much of an issue this past season, as Jacob Zeno flourished in his first season as the starter, completing 73.6% of his passes and throwing for over 3000 yards with a QBR of 155.6, finding a way to be a bright spot in a tough year for the blazers. Zeno has found a way to be a consistent grinder at the CFB level, spending 2 years at Baylor before transferring to UAB in 2021 where he started 2 games before winning the starting job in 2023.
Zeno was a freshman at Baylor in 2019 where he witnessed the Bears go from unranked in the preseason, to finishing 11-1 in the regular season, and ultimately 11-3 as they lost in the Big 12 Championship to Oklahoma and Sugar Bowl to Georgia. Although that season may not have ended how Zeno or Baylor would have liked, it’s the memories of success and the championship culture at Baylor on which he still draws inspiration from in 2024.
“I always lean back on my old experiences, being at Baylor, being around those pros. They taught me a lot about leadership, practice, about how to take care of your body, so I’m always constantly going back and remembering those days,” Zeno said.
After a successful season in 2023 where Zeno was arguably one of the top QBs in the AAC, it would have possibly been expected for him to mull offers and look to transfer to a P5 program heading into his final years of eligibility. Although Zeno may have received some outside interest, after a season in which the team felt like it could have gone much different if it wasn’t for a few situations, Zeno believed that UAB was the best place for him to continue his college career.
“Being around Coach Dilfer, Coach Moore, Coach Coleman and the guys, if you looked back at last year, we were 1 play here one play there from it being a different season. I just realized it’s the first time in the offense, first time with the coaches so if we can come back and all stay together, then the sky’s the limit,” Zeno said.
With Zeno back, the offense in full force, and the defense being revamped and led by veteran Michael Moore, UAB could be in a bounce back season in 2024 and heading into training camp season, Zeno believes that his squad is firing on all cylinders and that the spring & summer has put UAB in a really good position heading into the fall.
“Really nothing (that we have to work on) we hit everything in the offseason, so now we just have to put our head down and go to work,” Zeno said.
UAB will officially head to work on August 29th at 8:00 PM as they take on Alcorn State from Birmingham in the season opener, they will the head on the road for their final 2 games of non-conference play, as they travel to ULM and Arkansas for back to back road battles to round out the first 3 weeks of the season.
