UAB's Trent Dilfer, a 'disrupter' at Lipscomb Academy, brings edge to Memphis rivalry
Trent Dilfer has been around football for most of his life, but the last seven weeks have been something completely new.
Dilfer was hired as UAB's coach, the first college coaching job for the former first-round NFL draft pick and 2000 Super Bowl Champion. The Blazers (2-5, 1-1 AAC) host Memphis football on Saturday (11 a.m., ESPN2) at Protective Stadium in Birmingham.
Dilfer spent the last four years as the coach at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville. He said he looks back on his time in the high school ranks and sees a lot of growth.
"I started off with a very hard edge," he said. "I knew I had to be very disruptive and change a lot of cultural things. By the time I left, I think I had grown into more of a teacher, instead of a disrupter. And I tried to carry that over to here. I still have a sharp edge. I'm still very intense. I'm still very high standards."
Dilfer, who also worked as an analyst for ESPN, said he got to UAB and decided to run his program with a "high school model." That means looking at himself as an educator and teacher before a coach, something that's necessary in high school but not always emphasized at the collegiate level.
He's also trying to turn around a program that joined the AAC before this season and has struggled so far. That means making cultural changes and getting buy-in from players, coaches, administrators and everyone involved with the program.
"I think more: 'Why?' Less 'Do it because I said so' and more 'Hey, this is probably the best way to do it.' Meeting them at their different learning styles. One thing I really learned at Lipscomb was this generation, everybody learns a little different," he said. "You've got to be patient with that. You've got to give them the freedom to fail so they can learn."
Dilfer is also familiar with Memphis' program because Tigers coach Ryan Silverfield recruited from the Nashville area while Dilfer was the coach at Lipscomb Academy. Silverfield joked Monday that "I think he was withholding because he knew what job he was going to get."
"He's going to do a great job there," Silverfield said. "Birmingham and the state of Alabama are great recruiting grounds. We've had a lot of players come from that area and he'll get them going. He does it the right way and looking forward to a great battle with him for many years."
More: 'Nobody's happy': Memphis football coach Ryan Silverfield talks expectations after 4-2 start
Saturday also marks the return of the "Battle for the Bones" trophy between Memphis and UAB. Dilfer said he heard about the rivalry during his interview process, before he even got the job, and understands its importance.
UAB leads the rivalry 10-5, but Dilfer said he's only focused on the last meeting in 2012. Memphis won that game 46-9 and has held on to the trophy ever since. The rivalry is back because UAB and Memphis are finally back in the same conference after Memphis left Conference USA for the AAC in 2013.
"I even told Ryan when we were at AAC meetings, 'Listen, I like you as a dude, I really respect how you do things. I don't like you as a team,'" Dilfer said. "And it's in jest, but it's also kind of true. You want to have that sharp edge, and make sure that that your players know that this one means a little bit more and you're playing for something pretty significant. Especially for us. They're still playing for a possible conference title. We're trying to win a ballgame."
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Trent Dilfer on 'disruptive' coaching approach, UAB-Memphis game
