The UAB football program opened spring practice Tuesday at the UAB Football Operations Complex in Birmingham and looks to return to its winning ways.

“Probably every team that starts spring ball is all tingly, they’re excited to get back to ball,” UAB head coach Trent Dilfer said. “We did a really good job of being enthusiastic but also dealing with some things that plagued us last year. Emotion trumping execution. Energy trumping focus. It was a really nice balance of focus with good energy and communication.”

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UAB is coming off a 4-8 season in its first season under Dilfer and returns multiple starters on each side of the ball while adding 20 spring enrollees.

Here are five things to keep in mind as the Blazers open spring practice:

Building a Wall

The Blazers gave up 32 sacks last season while dealing with multiple injuries and a few midseason rotations but do return four starters on the offensive line, along with a couple of part-time starters, while bringing in two talented linemen from the portal.

“It’s hard right now because we’re just in helmets,” quarterback Jacob Zeno said. “We’ll find out when we put the pads on.”

Senior center Brady Wilson leads the group and left tackle Will Parker and right guard Quez Yates opened practice at their respective positions from last season.

Transfer portal additions DJ Jones (Murray State) and JonDarius Morgan (South Carolina) have a leg up on some of UAB’s younger linemen and were taking first-team snaps to open practice. Jones has taken up residence at right tackle while Morgan is set at left guard.

“They earned it in the winter,” Dilfer said. “We didn’t sign any portal guys that were told they were going to start. They all had an opportunity to earn a starting position, that’s why they’re in the portal, and they’re our kind of guys. They’re not asking for money, they’re not asking for entitlement. They’re asking for an opportunity. They love football and what football brings them.”

Zaire Flournoy returns after missing last season with an injury and Luke Jones, Tennyson Hadfield, Adam Lepkowski and Trey Bedosky all have playing experience. Redshirt freshman Jordan Hall and Logan Moore are expected to compete for playing time.

The biggest question mark as spring practice opens for the Blazers is who will be coaching the offensive line after Eddie Gordon was hired by the Green Packers as an assistant offensive line coach.

Dilfer has not made a full-time hire yet but has relinquished control of the offensive line to former UAB offensive lineman and assistant director of player development Matt McCants, who will serve as interim volunteer coach until a hire is made.

“It’s Matt’s offensive line for now,” Dilfer said. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do there long-term but Matt’s doing a great job. It’s amazing. He’s a great football coach and a better human. Our people lean on him for a lot and he’s been invaluable that way.”

Retooling the Defense

UAB was one of the worst defenses in the nation last season, statistically speaking, and finished the year ranked 118th in total defense (435 ypg), 123rd in rushing defense (197.1 ypg) and 88th in passing yards allowed (237.9 ypg).

The Blazers were a perennial top-ranked defensive unit under former head coach Bill Clark and defensive coordinator David Reeves and this season will prove whether current defensive coordinator Sione Ta’ufo’ou’s system will work on the college level.

Despite allowing a mountain of yards, UAB was a force in producing turnovers and finished with 21 for the season — 10 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries — and a plus-1 turnover margin.

The defensive line should be much improved with senior Kevin Penn stuffing the run in the middle and a horde of young defenders causing chaos on either side. Michael Moore’s move to middle linebacker late last season was a stroke of brilliance and he’ll pair with true sophomore Everett Roussaw, along with experienced returners and some key transfers.

“The bond is crazy,” Roussaw said. “We hang out a lot off the field. The room is very tight and anything we need help with, on the field or off the field, we’re always there for each other. That carries onto the field and it’s a real brotherhood.”

As far as the secondary, Mac McWilliams and Colby Dempsey are locked in opposite one another at cornerback, along with Ricky Lee III, and the backend will see plenty of competition between returners Ike Rowell, Chris Bracy, Ray Thornton III and AJ Brown and portal additions Sirad Bryant and Adrian Maddox. Keon Handley Jr., who moved to safety last spring, is back after missing all of last season with an injury.

On the coaching side, Dilfer replaced Earnest Hill, who left to become defensive coordinator at Louisiana-Monroe, with C.J. Cox, who will coach safeties and allow secondary coach Kenneth Gilstrap more 1-on-1 time with the cornerbacks.

“He’s been phenomenal,” Dilfer said. “He stepped right in and really helped out secondary. C.J. dove into the culture, as well as the system, and he’s added real nice value with some schematic stuff.”

Fresh Faces

Along with 81 total players returning to the fold, UAB brought in 20 new players by way of early enrollees and the transfer portal.

When considering breakout seasons from freshmen Amare Thomas, Everett Roussaw, Ricky Lee III and Chris Bracy and transfers Isaiah Jacobs, Will Parker, Desmond Little and Kendall Johnson, it is not too far-fetched of an idea that other younger players will have an opportunity to make the field this fall.

“There’s opportunity everywhere,” Dilfer said. “We have very few guys that you would pencil in as a starter. We have a lot of good football players and we have a long way to go before the season.”

Offensive lineman transfers JonDarius Morgan (South Carolina) and DJ Jones (Murray State) were already spotted working with the first team during the initial session of spring practice and running back Armoni Goodwin (LSU) has an excellent chance of breaking into the rotation with Jacobs sidelined for spring and only three other running backs available.

Defensively, OC Brothers (Purdue), Ezra Odinjor (Georgia Tech) and LeDarrius Cox (Indiana) add instant depth to the front seven and safeties Sirad Bryant (Georgia Tech) and Adrian Maddox (Alabama State) bolster a secondary that lost experience to the portal.

New Weapons Emerge

Not only did quarterback Jacob Zeno lose his roommate, Tejhaun Palmer, to graduation, but he also lost his top target. Fortunately, freshman sensation Amare Thomas returns for his sophomore campaign to lead a promising receiving corps.

“We lost T-Palm so we’re trying to find another,” Zeno said. “A big, physical guy.”

Thomas set the UAB single-season record for catches by a freshman last season, grabbing 53 receptions for 437 yards and three touchdowns, and only one other receiver on roster (TJ Jones) had more than 200 yards last year.

Along with Jones, speedster Brandon Buckhaulter is a threat from any area on the field, notably on laterally-moving plays, and Iverson “Strap” Hooks returns after his season ended prematurely last year. Former Fairfield standout and Indiana transfer Malachi Holt-Bennet will have an opportunity after minimal work last season and the rest of the room will be competing to provide quality depth for Zeno and the other quarterbacks.

“It’s almost what Dilfer said about the quarterback competition (last year),” Zeno said. “They’re going to reveal themselves. This is only the first day and we have two and a half weeks of practice. That guy will reveal himself.”

Isaiah Jacobs is still sidelined after suffering a season-ending injury last year and Lee Beebe is expected to take the lion’s share of the load in the backfield. LSU transfer Armoni Goodwin and Lee Witherspoon will also have plenty of reps this spring, along with redshirt freshman Dylan Peterson.

What is a Spring Showcase, anyway?

In lieu of a traditional spring game, UAB will host a spring showcase on April 6 to conclude its spring practice. But what is a spring showcase?

Well, it’s essentially a spring game catered toward the fan.

“It’ll be a spring game scrimmage format,” Dilfer said. “It’s going to be our one opportunity to scrimmage like a game.”

Rather than the anonymity between player and fan in a traditional spring game, Dilfer opted to go with a more intimate approach as fans will be level with the action at Legacy Pavilion.

“I wanted the fans to be up close and more personal,” Dilfer said. “This is for the fan base. Why sit in a beautiful stadium with 4,000 other people and not get to feel, taste and smell it. Touch it or whatever. They can be on the sidelines. They can hear the chatter from our team. They’ll be able to see different drill sets before the scrimmage starts and be there right in the action.”