A new era of UAB football is a little more than 24 hours away as the Blazers are set to open the 2023 season against North Carolina A&T, Thursday, Aug. 31, at Protective Stadium in Birmingham.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

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So how do the teams match up? Here is AL.com’s position-by-position breakdown for UAB’s showdown with the Aggies:

Quarterback

Following the hire of Trent Dilfer as head coach, the quarterback position saw a mass exodus but the losses were recouped in the transfer portal with Landry Lyddy (Louisiana Tech) and Trace Campbell (Ole Miss), along with Northeast Mississippi Community College (Miss.) transfer Carter Putt. Jacob Zeno and Harrison Barker are the only holdovers from last year’s team.

Zeno appeared in nine games last season with two starts — passing for 721 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions and rushing for 94 yards and a score — and developed rapidly under the tutelage of new offensive coordinator Alex Mortensen and quarterbacks coach Nick Coleman.

Zeno is the unquestioned starter entering the season but has solid support in Lyddy and Barker, the latter of whom earned a scholarship and is listed third on the depth chart. Lyddy finished with 767 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions in seven games at Louisiana Tech and earned the backup role during spring and fall practice.

North Carolina A&T has little experience at quarterback and will be starting either a redshirt or true freshman at the position. Odds are that Eli Brickhandler will get the nod but the redshirt freshman has appeared in only two career games, while true freshman KJ White is a possibility to see snaps at some point. Redshirt sophomore Zach Yeager is listed third but has the most experience at the position after throwing for 353 yards, two interceptions and a touchdown in eight games last season. Advantage: UAB

Running back

The deepest unit on the offense, without a doubt, is a running back position that has the talent and potential to deploy up to six rushers capable of leading a backfield. Jermaine Brown Jr. leads a pack that includes newcomers Isaiah Jacobs and Demetrius Battle and returners Lee Witherspoon, Taven Curry and Lee Beebe.

Brown was the primary support for UAB all-time leading rusher Spencer Brown and UAB single-season rushing leader DeWayne McBride the last four seasons but is now the fulcrum of the offensive attack. Despite his lieutenant status, (Jermaine) Brown amassed 2,748 total offensive yards and 18 rushing scores in 45 games for the Blazers.

Following impressive performances in fall camp, Jacobs and Beebe are first in line behind Brown, while Witherspoon, Battle and Curry round out the depth chart. Jacobs is a physical beast in the mold of his older brother, former Alabama and current Las Vegas running back Josh Jacobs, and Beebe showcased his receiving abilities in the spring game. Witherspoon and Battle will certainly have roles early and Curry is as capable as any other back on the roster.

The backfield does not get any better for the Aggies with a running back room that has a combined 475 yards in 23 games returning to the fold. Redshirt sophomore Wesley Graves leads the unit, followed by Virginia Tech transfer and former Pinson Valley standout Kenji Christian and fellow redshirt sophomore Charlie Dixon. Advantage: UAB

Receiver/tight end

UAB’s receiving corps has routinely featured a single receiver with the ability to take the top off a defense and supporting cast far out-targeted by the former. That will no longer be the case with an offense set to sling it around the field more to a deep nine-man rotation featuring plenty of experience and youth, not to mention a four-man tight end unit that can block and find open space in the seams.

Tejhaun Palmer is the leading returning receiving from last season, collecting 30 receptions for 479 yards and two touchdowns, and is joined by fellow returners and co-starters Fred Farrier II and TJ Jones and Iverson Hooks and Samario Rudolph. Portal transfers Malachi Holt-Bennet (Indiana) and Brandon Buckhaulter (Ole Miss) line up behind Palmer and true freshmen Amare Thomas and Kameran Shanks are college-equipped and ready to contribute.

Farrier was praised by the former staff and has the determination and talent to become one of UAB’s top targets this season, while Hooks made a quick trip into the transfer portal before returning to take part in a new age of passing for the Blazers. Rudolph and Jones have made their fair share of plays for the Blazers in their time and the newcomers will have ample opportunities to prove themselves.

Bruce Damous and Terrell McDonald are the top tight ends but Dallas Payne and J.C. Sivley are also well-equipped to contribute on a high level. Damous led all tight ends last year with 14 receptions for 163 yards and a touchdown, while McDonald added two scores in the red zone.

North Carolina A&T has little experience at receiver but does return former South Carolina transfer Ger-Cari Cladwell, who has 15 receptions for 224 yards and a score for his career. The Aggies brought in Marshall transfer Taymon Cooke to help a unit barren of any proven assets and Amonte Jones is the only other wideout with a catch on the FBS level. Laquan Veney and Elijah Kennedy appeared on special teams last season and Nick Wilds-Lawing also factors into the mix.

Nicholas Dobson is the only returning tight end with game experience, earning three starts in 20 games while hauling in 15 receptions for 167 yards and a touchdown. Hudson Valley Community College (N.Y.) transfer Darren Bennett joins the Aggies after posting 14 catches, 216 yards and two touchdowns last season in the JUCO ranks. Advantage: UAB

Offensive line

The primary concern for this season’s UAB team is the offensive line, which returns only two players with any FBS-level experience and is restocked with portal players and underclassmen, but there is promise in youth and numbers.

Tennessee transfer Will Parker locked down the left tackle position in the spring but Tennyson Hadfield had a strong fall camp to earn a spot behind Parker. Logan Moore made the depth chart but still needs time to develop into his 6-foot-8 frame. Trey Bedosky is set at right tackle, one of two returners with experience, and Tater Reid is behind him.

Brady Wilson can be considered a returning starter, following his performance from last year while subbing for an injured Will Rykard, and his backup, Adam Lepkowski, earned a scholarship with a notable fall camp showing. Quez Yates is athletic for a sizable guard on the right side and Luke Jones and Brennan Moran will continue to battle on the left side, along with recent addition and former Auburn lineman Cort Bradley. Advantage: UAB

Defensive line

UAB will continue to use a 3-4 base alignment but as usual, will attack on multiple fronts. The one key difference from the previous scheme is the SAM end working as a true defensive end and the title of SAM moving to an outside linebacker position. That being said, the Blazers have a handful of experienced returners and a large quantity of freshmen enrollees.

Defensive tackle and senior leader Fish McWilliams maintains ordered chaos along the defensive line and Tyrique Howard and Kevin Penn will clog up any gaps at nose tackle. Joker Gill, who took a redshirt last season, is listed behind McWilliams and true freshmen Miquon Merriweather and Jonathan Allen are set to work the interior.

Michael Fairbanks II remains at defensive end, dropping the SAM title, and was UAB’s seventh-leading tackler last season with 43 tackles (3.5 for loss) and 1.5 sacks. Gill is also listed behind Fairbanks II on the depth chart and they will be joined by true freshman Emmanuel Waller.

North Carolina A&T operates out of a traditional 4-3 alignment and brought in a trio of transfers to help bolster its defensive line. JaMorris Robertson and Javon Armstrong-Grady are slotted as bookends but the latter has only played in two games, while Robertson has 41 tackles (9 for loss), 2.5 sacks, 3 pass breakups and an interception in two seasons. True freshman Joshua Iseah and transfers Rashaud Pernell (Liberty) and Mitchell Etheridge (Jacksonville State) round out the rotation at defensive end.

Henry Daniel is the only interior lineman who returns with extensive game experience, racking up 49 tackles (14 for loss) and four sacks in two seasons, and the Aggies added DeTerius Glover (Austin Peay) in the offseason. Redshirt freshmen Christopher Abraham and Christopher Allen did not play last year and Anthony Hairston II has played sparingly. Advantage: UAB

Linebackers

The Blazers lost their top four tacklers from a season ago and unfortunately, three of those were linebackers. However, the roster was not completely bare and a hefty infusion of transfers and signees has quickly built depth at both the inside and the outside positions.

Former Alabama transfer Jackson Bratton gained plenty of knowledge working behind UAB’s all-time third-leading tackler Noah Wilder and now calls the shot in the middle of the Blazers’ defense. Reise Collier is set up to support, while Charlie Goode turned last season’s impressive special teams campaign into a starting spot alongside Bratton. True freshman Everett Roussaw was an early enrollee and parlayed his spring and fall development into a contributing role behind Goode.

The new defensive staff has separated the defensive end and outside linebacker spots into three separate positions and the two linebackers are tasked with both rushing the quarterback and playing coverage. Michael Moore tops the SAM spot, followed by Nikia Eason Jr. and JUCO transfer Jamarcus Jones. LSU transfer Desmond Little and Tennessee State transfer Kendall Johnson, along with true freshman Tyler Thomas, all fit the mold of UAB pass rushers past and the trio is expected to devastate opposing tackles and blocking backs.

North Carolina A&T is banking on BJ Turner (Charlotte) to lead the defense in the middle and the legacy transfer should play inspired considering his father is the program’s second all-time leading rusher and helped lead the Aggies to back-to-back MEAC titles (1991-1992). Turner amassed 74 tackles (7 for loss) and an interception during his time with the 49ers and is the only middle linebacker with FBS or FCS game experience. Redshirt freshman Mack David II did not appear in a game last year and Ronald Graves comes in from Independence Community College (Kan.).

Redshirt sophomore Avarion Cole and senior Malich Jacobs hold down each side of the middle but the latter has only played seven games since transferring three years ago, while Cole has 39 tackles (4 for loss) and two picks in 11 games. Junior AJ Dupree and true freshman Kade Maledor are expected to support the roamers. Advantage: UAB

Secondary

The backend of UAB’s defense lost two key players — Starling Thomas V (Detroit Lions) and Jaylen Key (Alabama) — from a year ago but experience and talent abound from both returners and newcomers. Senior safety Keondre Swoopes can play multiple roles in the secondary, racking up 53 tackles, four pass breakups and an interception last year, and will continue working at the hybrid Star position.

Fellow veteran Damien Miller joins Swoopes in playing various roles and redshirt freshman AJ Brown will get his opportunities to showcase the same. Miller’s twin brother, Damon, enters his final year at strong safety, after missing last season with an injury, and true freshman Chris Bracy earned his way behind Miller with a solid showing in fall camp. Ike Rowell continues his meteoric rise at free safety and former Clemson and South Florida transfer Ray Thornton was cleared by the NCAA in time to earn a role.

Mac McWilliams is one of the more talented players on the UAB roster but must finish a complete season. He leads a cornerback unit featuring a couple of transfers and a true freshman. Colby Dempsey and BJ Mayes (Incarnate Word) battled for the number one jersey during fall camp, Dempsey winning, but both will share the opposite side of McWilliams, along with Auburn transfer AD Diamond. True freshman Rickey Lee III enrolled in spring and, along with Trey Miles, works behind McWilliams.

North Carolina A&T’s secondary is the single most experienced unit on the team by position but the depth is still thin when compared to FBS standards. Cornerback Karon Prunty is the best player in the backend, more than likely the entire team, and has 58 tackles, 13 pass breakups and five interceptions between last year and his true freshman season at Kansas.

On the opposite side of Prunty is Aaron Harris with 23 tackles, four pass breakups and four picks in two seasons for the Aggies. Jana Sumpter has appeared in 26 games, collecting 50 tackles, and Nathaniel Spindle and true freshman Gregory Featherstone III fill out the corner rotation.

Ty Williams has 11 starts under his belt at strong safety, posting 46 tackles, and receives his support from Herbert Booker. David Laney and Jazir Staton operate the free safety role, combining for 38 tackles and an interception each, and Wesley Misenheimer has yet to play a game for the Aggie. Advantage: UAB

Special Teams

Matt Quinn returns for a final season on the Southside and is within earshot of moving into first place in career PATs made at UAB and should finish in the top five of all-time field goals made for the Blazers. The Spanish Fort native is 36-of-47 for his career with two makes of more than 50 yards (51, 52) and has only been blocked once.

Kyle Greenwell departed after an incredible punting career and Arkansas transfer Patrick Foley is set to take the first reps at punter, ahead of UAB legacy Caden Long. True freshman Jonah DeLange will handle kickoff duties and Xander Echols all the long-snapping. As far as the return game is concerned, the Blazers have a plethora of playmakers to sort out and find the best returners on kickoff and punt returns.

The Aggies brought in East Carolina transfer Owen Daffer for placekicking duties and was a solid 24-for-31 on field-goal attempts while with the Pirates. Caleb Brickhouse averaged 39.7 yards per kick last season and will handle punting duties. Taymon Cooke and Kenji Christian are set for kickoff return and Amonte Jones and Aaron Harris will return punts. Advantage: UAB

Coaching

Trent Dilfer’s only coaching experience may be on the high school level but his pedigree is without question after winning a Super Bowl and parlaying a lengthy career into an NFL analyst role at ESPN. On the other side, North Carolina A&T took a similar path in hiring former New England All-Pro linebacker Vincent Brown, who served on many college coaching staffs but never held a head coaching position. Brown’s college experience is invaluable but Dilfer hired plenty of hidden gems and retained one of the best running back coaches in the nation. Advantage: UAB

Overall

It’s hard not to notice the parallels between the two programs but that resemblance does not extend to the field. The Aggies lost proven elements to graduation and the transfer portal but the talent gap is far too vast to compensate with the influx of their own portal and freshmen signings. The Blazers should build a strong lead in time to deploy the bench and keep the thoroughbreds healthy. Advantage: UAB