UAB's Alex Mortensen delivers upset, recalls late father, in coaching debut

"Mortensen, the 39-year-old son of late ESPN reporter Chris Mortensen, had been tasked with replacing former Blazers coach Trent Dilfer, who had given him his first big break in coaching when he hired him as the team's offensive coordinator in 2023. According to Ingram, Mortensen was calm and confident when he met with UAB's players and assistant coaches for the first time after Dilfer was fired Oct. 12."

"Mortensen had that same cool and measured demeanor when he made his head-coaching debut last week, leading UAB, a 21½-point underdog, to a 31-24 upset of then-No. 22 Memphis at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama. After the Blazers punted with a seven-point lead and less than two minutes to play, the Tigers converted on fourth-and-7 when quarterback AJ Hill completed a 21-yard pass to Cortez Braham Jr."

""You're talking about a bunch of guys that were very emotional about that news, and I thought Alex handled that beautifully," Ingram said. "He met with the staff, and I thought he handled that beautifully. He was fabulous at the podium with [the media]. I hate to say that I was surprised, but I was kind of pleasantly surprised at how well he's done with all of that because he just hadn't done it before.""

Alex Mortensen, 39, became UAB's interim head coach after Trent Dilfer's firing and had previously served as the team's offensive coordinator in 2023. Athletic director Mark Ingram praised Mortensen's composure, professionalism and steady leadership, noting Mortensen met with emotional players and staff calmly and was polished facing the media. Mortensen made his head-coaching debut by leading a 21½-point underdog UAB to a 31-24 upset of then-No. 22 Memphis at Protective Stadium in Birmingham. Late-game replay ruled a Memphis runner's left knee down near the 1-yard line, preserving UAB's victory.

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