UAB Football: The Blazers are on the right track entering 2018
Offense
The Blazers had to rebuild their roster and offense under a defensive minded coach in Mr. Clark. Clark brought in a familiar face to serve as offensive coordinator in Bryant Vincent. Vincent was with Clark at UAB in 2014, before leaving for South Alabama for the 2015-2016 seasons and returning for the reboot. The offense finished a lowly 93rd in the S&P+ but it could’ve been worse considering the youth on the depth chart.
Redshirt senior A.J. Erdely came to UAB after a stint at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. In 2017, Erdely threw for 2,331 yards and 16 touchdowns with only four interceptions. On the ground, he ran for 326 yards and adding 13 rushing touchdowns. The six-foot-four, 220-pound Erdely adds toughness and leadership to the Blazers offense.
Supporting Cast
Sophomore Spencer Brown was an immediate success after stepping on campus at UAB. The Birmingham-area native ran for 1,329 yards and 10 touchdowns on 5.3 yards per carry. Brown was a Freshman All-American and Conference USA 2nd team player. At six-foot, 220 pounds Brown is a workhorse back that will carry the load again in 2018. Backing him up is James Noble III a redshirt senior that ran for 5.6 yards per carry last season.
Ederly will have the same receiving corps from 2017 which will help improve the Blazers offense. Andre Wilson is the best receiver of the bunch. The five-foot-ten, 185 pound Wilson is a redshirt senior that caught 54 balls for 677 yards and six touchdowns in 2017. Wilson averaged 12.5 yards per catch and his position room is deep. Collin Lisa averaged 13.3 yards per catch and Xavier Ubosi averaged 17.5 yards per catch in a small sample size of 13 receptions.
The offensive line returns four starters and added JUCO transfer Colby Ragland who is a three-star prospect from Jones County J.C. All-conference honorable mention lineman James Davis returns for his senior season. Clark and Vincent have to foresee improvements to the offense heading into 2018 with a mix of increased talent and experience.