It may be the last day of July but the sights and sounds of autumn are already visible at the UAB Football Operations Complex.

The Blazers opened their first fall camp under head coach Trent Dilfer on Monday in Birmingham and will remain in helmets and shells this week while battling high temperatures and oppressive humidity.

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Here are some observations from the limited access period provided to the media:

— Dilfer had his team ready and willing to run through a brick wall Monday morning but prefers the gradual approach rather than going too hard, too fast and too soon. The first-year head coach was pleased with the offseason conditioning program and expects to be in even better shape before the season kicks off in a month.

“There’s a natural hardening that goes on with athletes because of offseason programs. They don’t need to be hardened at camp, they need to be almost taken care of to a certain degree. I appreciate that, I like it from a player’s standpoint a lot. It’s a little harder for coaches because you have to be creative on how you get your volume installed and how you judge progression and execution.”

— Jacob Zeno, fresh off his appearance at 2023 AAC Media Days, has the confidence and comfort of a man in charge and the redshirt junior should fend off any usurpers to the crown during fall camp. By far the most experienced quarterback on the roster, Zeno has taken the lead for an offensive expected not to rely solely on its punishing run game as it has in the past.

“It’s a blessing having Coach (Dilfer) here and he’s a tremendous help,” Zeno said. “I’m focusing on my job and doing the little details to make sure I got everything right. I’m just like a sponge, I’m taking it all in.”

— Additionally, the quarterbacks were seen in red practice jerseys, in contrast to the black they wore under Bill Clark, and the offense worked in whites while the defense was in black.

“It was different,” Zeno said. “That’s my first time in red. Back at Baylor, we had orange, and then last year we were in black. I’m liking it.”

— The offensive line is searching for five new starters and there is plenty of competition to go around between upperclassmen and newcomers. In the first viewing session, the first-team offensive line was composed of Will Parker (LT), Luke Jones (LG), Brady Wilson (C), Quez Yates (RG) and Trey Bedosky (RT), while the second team was manned by Tennyson Hadfield, Brennan Moran, Adam Lepkowski, Jalen Nettles and Logan Moore.

“I’m really excited about their length, athleticism, their desire and their fire,” Dilfer said. “They have all the qualities you’re looking for. They’re not really experienced, I don’t have to tell you guys that, so we got to speed up their learning curve.”

— The Blazers are relatively healthy entering fall camp, save a few nagging injuries suffered during spring, and freshman defensive lineman Eamon Smalls was one of those walking in a boot during the viewing session.

“We have a couple of soft tissue things we’re keeping an eye on,” Dilfer said. “We have some guys back to participate and obviously added some guys since spring so we’re a better roster right now than we were at the end of spring. We’re healthier and in better condition because they had more time with Lyle (Henley) and his team really increased nutritional processes that have helped us.”

— With as many newcomers as the Blazers welcomed during the offseason, there are a lot of new numbers for returning and incoming players. However, there is a battle on defense between linebacker Desmond Little and cornerbacks Colby Dempsey and BJ Mayes for the right to wear the number one on their uniform.