Super Bowl champion QB expected to take UAB job despite players advocating for current interim coach: reports

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Trent Dilfer, who quarterbacked the Baltimore Ravens during their Super Bowl run during the 2000 season, is expected to be hired as the next head coach of UAB, despite players wanting the school to keep Bryant Vincent, according to multiple reports.

Dilfer has been coaching Lipscomb Academy in Tennessee for the last four years, guiding the school to three state championship games, including one set for Thursday night against Christ Presbyterian Academy. He has no previous college coaching experience.

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Former Super Bowl winning quarterback and ESPN NFL analyst Trent Dilfer says a prayer with his team before the start of practice as the new head coach of Lipscomb Academy. (William DeShazer for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Football Scoop first reported UAB was targeting Dilfer. ESPN reported a deal has yet to be finalized, but the two sides are expected to come to terms within the next few days.

Dilfer played for the Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. He was 7-1 as a starter in his lone season with the Ravens. He was a Pro Bowler in 1997 with the Buccaneers.

The potential move comes months after Bill Clark stepped down due to health complications. Vincent took over in the interim and led UAB to a 6-6 record. Earlier Tuesday, UAB players sent a letter to the president criticizing the coaching search and advocating for Vincent to keep the job.

Trent Dilfer on the ESPN set before the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Aug. 13, 2016. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

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Blazers defensive lineman Fish McWilliams posted the letter to school president Ray Watts on his Twitter account.

"We, as the players and the team, want our voices to be heard. We deserve to be heard! We have represented this program and University and built something special here. We believe in Coach Vincent and want him to be our head coach," the letter read in part.

UAB athletic director Mark Ingram responded in a statement to AL.com.

Quarterback Trent Dilfer, of the Baltimore Ravens, points from the sidelines during Super Bowl XXXV against the New York Giants at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Andy Lyons/Allsport)

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"President Watts and I are proud of our UAB Football program and the dedicated student-athletes, coaches and staff who have led us to our seventh consecutive season of the team’s bowl eligibility," the statement read. "I am leading a national search with a committee representing the UAB community to identify our next head football coach. I have been aware of the desires expressed by members of the team and appreciate their perspectives that have been taken into account as we work to close out the search."