Emmanuel Waller received the routine defensive lineman glow-up for the UAB football team in the offseason but has yet to reach his final form.

The true sophomore made his debut last year, along with half of his fellow signees, and is expected to take on a much larger role for the upcoming season as the Blazers close out spring practice this week with its annual spring game and showcase, Saturday, April 6, at the UAB Football Operations Complex in Birmingham.

“Emmanuel and a lot of those guys handled their freshmen year very well,” UAB head coach Trent Dilfer said. “It was hard. It was frustrating. It overwhelms yet they handled it well and responded well. That gave them a jumpstart into the winter (program) and they really attacked it.”

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A Chelsea native, Waller originally committed to BYU in early 2022 but opened his recruitment back up before senior year, when he transferred to nearby Oak Mountain for his final season of high school football.

UAB was the first program to initially offer Waller a scholarship and he committed a few months later, when the program was under the direction of former interim head coach and current Louisiana-Monroe head coach Bryant Vincent, and signed during the early signing period three weeks after Dilfer was hired as head coach.

“UAB was more so the place for me from the get-go,” Waller said. “Getting to know Coach Dilfer over those few weeks solidified everything.”

Enrolling during the summer, Waller took part in offseason training and worked his way into the rotation with an impressive fall camp and continued production during weekly practices. He appeared in nine games and tallied one tackle and two quarterback hurries.

“It was a transition for sure,” he said. “The summer was real challenging for me but as a team we came together. Things happened and I ended up getting in the mix a little bit and went from there.”

Since arriving on the Southside, Waller has added 15 pounds to his lengthy 6-foot-4 frame and his skills are developing at a rapid rate as a pass rusher at the SAM defensive end position, where he pairs well with senior Kendall Johnson.

“He has great twitch and power and got a lot stronger while putting on some better weight,” UAB defensive line coach Miguel Patrick said. “He’s added muscle to his frame and his overall athleticism gives him an opportunity to play as sophomore. He’s getting better and better with each and every step.”

More than half of the Blazers’ defensive line are underclassmen and with that comes inconsistency, especially for a unit that finished last season ranked 123rd in rushing defense (197.1 ypg). While the majority of the underclassmen are expected to work on the interior, Waller is made in the mold of previous UAB pass rushers and needs only more reps to start fulfilling his potential.

“Like any young player, he has to be more consistent,” Dilfer said. “I can say that for 98 percent of our team because we are young in a lot of places. The consistency piece is something that will come and for him it will come a lot faster than expected.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Johnson, along with Kevin Penn, Joker Gill and Indiana transfer LeDarrius Cox, are tasked with keeping the young defenders on their toes and in step with the competition.

Although Penn was listed as a senior last season, the Decatur native utilized his COVID year for one last season after a breakout campaign that included 43 tackles (4.5 for loss), four sacks and four quarterback hurries.

“The older guys, they’re good leaders, (Kevin) Penn especially,” Waller said. “He stepped up this year and came out of his shell. He’s leading us young guys and helping us get mentally stronger and applying what we learn in the film room and practice.”

Penn’s leadership is paramount for a unit seeking to return to an elite standard and Waller is setting is own professional example with his groundwork. He furiously takes detailed notes and doesn’t hesitate to ask as many questions as possible during team meetings.

“We have two early enrollees and they follow right behind him,” Patrick said. “They see how he prepares every day and try to emulate that.”

Waller doesn’t exactly see himself as a leader to his fellow underclassmen just yet but a strong foundation based on a continuous need to improve has endeared him to both his teammates and the coaching staff.

“We have a bright future ahead of us if we stick together and lean on our teaching,” Waller said. “We don’t know everything, we’re still learning in this process, but as long as we lean on each other, we’ll be just fine and excel.”