UAB’s offense is set to evolve with a new set of minds at the helm but it won’t come at the expense of its fabled rushing attack.

The Blazers return 10 total starters — five on offense and four on defense – and the running game should continue thriving in the capable hands of Jermaine “Skull” Brown.

Brown has quietly rushed for 2,000 yards while serving as a counterpunch to both Spencer Brown and DeWayne McBride and leads a diverse UAB backfield into the 2023 season under first-year head coach Trent Dilfer.

Departed: DeWayne McBride (NFL seventh-round pick), A.J. Gates (Alabama State), Tyetus Smith-Lindsey (Nicholls State), Zeus Perryman

Returning starter(s): Jermaine Brown, Sr

Other returning players: Lee Witherspoon, Jr* — Taven Curry, Fr* — Lee Beebe, Fr* — Tyjuan Able, Fr* — Nick LaRocca, Fr*

Spring/Summer arrivals: Demetrius Battle, Sr* — Isaiah Jacobs, So* — Joshua Rubin, Fr

2023 position preview: QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | OLB | LB | CB | S | ST

Outlook: One of the best staffing decisions that Trent Dilfer made when assembling his first UAB coaching staff was retaining long-time running backs coach Hindley Brigham. The Blazers have produced a 1,000-yard rusher in four of the last six seasons and have eclipsed 2,000 yards as a team every season since the return of the program in 2017 – six seasons excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season when UAB rushed for 1,800 yards in nine games.

Jermaine Brown may have spent the majority of his career behind UAB greats Spencer Brown and DeWayne McBride, but the senior is no slouch himself and is set to take the reins of the running game this season. A former scout-team receiver, Brown burst onto the scene his freshman season in 2019 and has accumulated 2,077 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, along with 54 receptions for 373 yards.

Former Mississippi State transfer — and Alabama high school record-setter — Lee Witherspoon missed his first season (2021) on the Southside after suffering a preseason injury and returned last season as the third option behind Brown and DeWayne McBride. He produced 79 yards on 15 attempts, scoring two touchdowns in the opener against Alabama A&M, and has an opportunity for an expanded role this season.

Of all the transfer portal arrivals, Demetrius Battle is inarguably the most experienced of them all. The former John Carrol standout appeared in 34 games for West Alabama and amassed 1,920 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground and brought in 29 receptions for 221 yards and a score. Battle also threw two passes in his West Alabama career: a 57-yard touchdown and an interception at the goal line.

Taven Curry was impressive last year in fall camp and grabbed 45 yards on 10 attempts in two games during the season. Paired with Lee Beebe in the spring, the redshirt freshmen excelled in the passing game and put on a screen show in the spring game. Both are viable options for the Blazers in an offense expected to spread the ball around to as many playmakers as possible.

Isaiah Jacobs signed late in the spring and comes to UAB out of the JUCO ranks after spending two years at Maryland. The younger brother of former Alabama and current Las Vegas running back Josh Jacobs, Jacobs amassed 246 total yards on 56 touches in nine games with the Terrapins and rushed for 514 yards and two touchdowns in nine games last season for Independence Community College (Kan.).

The Blazers also added walk-on Joshua Rubin out of Lipscomb Academy (Tenn.) — Dilfer’s former program before accepting the UAB job — and redshirt freshmen Tyjuan Able and Nick LaRocca round out the room.

Battle to Watch: Although both will surely see their fair share of snaps, Lee Witherspoon and Demetrius Battle will vie for the right to be the first off the bench behind Brown. Battle is a larger back that can fight through the traffic and has the speed to break a long gain if the opportunity is available, while Witherspoon is set to go for a full season after being hampered by injuries the last two years.

Keep an Eye on: Curry and Beebe. Appearing in a combined three games last season, the duo combined for 77 yards but received plenty of reps during spring practice. The redshirt freshmen were highly successful in the spring game, primarily on screens, and could carve out roles as third-down options due to their receiving skills.

Projected depth chart:

Jermaine Brown, Sr

Demetrius Battle, Sr* OR Lee Witherspoon, Jr*

Taven Curry, Fr* OR Lee Beebe, Fr*