# 2024 UAB Blazers football team

The 2024 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Blazers were led by Trent Dilfer in his second year as the head coach. The Blazers played their home games at Protective Stadium, located in Birmingham, Alabama.

## Offseason
### NFL Departures

One Blazer was selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.
| Player | Position | Team | Round | Pick |
| Tejhaun Palmer | WR | Arizona Cardinals | 6 | 191 |

### Outgoing Transfers

| Player | Position | Destination |
| Samario Rudolph | WR | Jacksonville State |
| Jackson Bratton | LB | North Alabama |
| A.D. Diamond | CB | Unknown |
| Jalen Nettles | IOL | Southeast Missouri State |
| Damon Miller | S | Samford |
| Joey Merritt | WR | San Diego |
| Xander Echols | LS | Idaho |
| Jamin Graham | DL | Unknown |
| Teddy Davenport | WR | Samford |
| Cort Bradley | IOL | Unknown |
| Carl Fauntroy | S | Louisiana–Monroe |
| Connor Knight | DL | McNeese |
| Fred Farrier II | WR | Kentucky |
| Elijah Williams | DL | Unknown |
| Taven Curry | RB | Louisiana–Monroe |
| BJ Mayes | CB | Texas A&M |
| Jalen Mayala | EDGE | Unknown |
| Reise Collier | LB | Ohio |
| TJ Jones | WR | Withdrawn |
| Jamarcus Jones | LB | Louisiana Tech |
| Tyler Thomas | DL | South Alabama |
| Guerlens Milfort | DL | Unknown |
| Colby Dempsey | CB | Withdrawn |
| Mac McWilliams | CB | UCF |
| Dazalin Worsham | WR | Unknown |
| Jamoi Mayes | WR | Cincinnati |

### Incoming Transfers

| Player | Position | Previous Team |
| Jalen Kitna | QB | Florida |
| OC Brothers | LB | Purdue |
| LeDarrius Cox | DL | Indiana |
| DJ Jones | OT | Murray State |
| Adrian Maddox | CB | Alabama State |
| JonDarius Morgan | IOL | South Carolina |
| Armoni Goodwin | RB | LSU |
| Jamoi Mayes | WR | Chattanooga |
| Ezra Odinjor | EDGE | Georgia Tech |
| Sirad Bryant | QB | Georgia Tech |
| Jax Van Zandt | LB | North Texas |
| Troy Jakubec | S | Youngstown State |
| Derrick Shepard Jr. | DL | Cincinnati |
| Donald Lee | CB | Grambling State |
| Tyjon Jones | S | Youngstown State |
| Baron Franks II | IOL | Norfolk State |
| Demarcus Smith | DL | Ole Miss |
| Tariq Watson | CB | Minnesota |
| Jack Nickel | TE | Michigan State |
| Calib Perez | OT | Duke |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 29 | 7:00 p.m. | Alcorn State* | Protective StadiumBirmingham, AL | ESPN+ | W 41–3 | 21,267 |
| September 7 | 6:00 p.m. | at Louisiana–Monroe* | Malone StadiumMonroe, LA | ESPN+ | L 6–32 | 12,327 |
| September 14 | 3:15 p.m. | at Arkansas* | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR | SECN | L 27–37 | 75,021 |
| September 28 | 11:00 a.m. | Navy | Protective StadiumBirmingham, AL | ESPN2 | L 18–41 | 21,536 |
| October 5 | 12:00 p.m. | Tulane | Protective StadiumBirmingham, AL | ESPN+ | L 20–71 | 19,724 |
| October 12 | 11:00 a.m. | at Army | Michie StadiumWest Point, NY | CBSSN | L 10–44 | 29,002 |
| October 19 | 3:30 p.m. | at South Florida | Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL | ESPN+ | L 25–35 | 28,154 |
| November 2 | 1:30 p.m. | Tulsa | Protective StadiumBirmingham, AL | ESPN+ | W 59–21 | 17,944 |
| November 9 | 1:30 p.m. | UConn* | Protective StadiumBirmingham, AL | ESPN+ | L 23–31 | 18,351 |
| November 16 | 7:00 p.m. | at Memphis | Simmons Bank Liberty StadiumMemphis, TN (Battle for the Bones) | ESPN2 | L 18–53 | 24,225 |
| November 23 | 1:00 p.m. | Rice | Protective StadiumBirmingham, AL | ESPN+ | W 40–14 | 16,181 |
| November 30 | 2:30 p.m. | at Charlotte | Jerry Richardson StadiumCharlotte, NC | ESPN+ | L 27–29 | 8,091 |
| *Non-conference gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Alcorn State (FCS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Braves (FCS) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Blazers | 14 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 41 |
at Protective Stadium • Birmingham, Alabama
* Date: August 29th
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: SE at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
* Game attendance: 21,267
* Referee: Edwin Lee
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Nate Gatter (play-by-play) and Jay Sonnhalter (analyst)
| Statistics | ALCN | UAB |
| First downs | 12 | 31 |
| Plays–yards | 61–177 | 86–517 |
| Rushes–yards | 40–117 | 53–302 |
| Passing yards | 60 | 215 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 9–21–1 | 23–33–1 |
| Time of possession | 28:32 | 31:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Alcorn State | Passing | Roderick Hartsfield | 1/2, 31 yards |
| Alcorn State | Rushing | Tyler Macon | 12 carries, 37 yards |
| Alcorn State | Receiving | Deablo McGee | 1 reception, 31 yards |
| UAB | Passing | Jacob Zeno | 23/33, 215 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| UAB | Rushing | Lee Beebe Jr. | 15 carries, 82 yards, 2 TD |
| UAB | Receiving | Kam Shanks | 6 receptions, 73 yards |

### at Louisiana–Monroe

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blazers | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Warhawks | 3 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 32 |
at Malone Stadium • Monroe, Louisiana
* Date: September 7th
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind: N at 13 miles per hour (21 km/h)
* Game attendance: 12,327
* Referee: Tim Barker
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Sean Fox (play-by-play) and Desmund Lighten (analyst)
| Statistics | UAB | ULM |
| First downs | 18 | 18 |
| Plays–yards | 68–259 | 64–296 |
| Rushes–yards | 35–92 | 48–209 |
| Passing yards | 167 | 87 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 22–32–1 | 9–16–0 |
| Time of possession | 26:45 | 33:15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UAB | Passing | Jacob Zeno | 22/32, 167 yards, 1 INT |
| UAB | Rushing | Lee Beebe Jr. | 14 carries, 62 yards |
| UAB | Receiving | Kam Shanks | 4 receptions, 43 yards |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Passing | General Booty | 9/16, 87 yards |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Rushing | Taven Curry | 13 carries, 64 yards |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Receiving | Nate Sullivan Jr. | 2 receptions, 22 yards |

### at Arkansas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blazers | 10 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
| Razorbacks | 3 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 37 |
at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, Arkansas
* Date: September 14th
* Game time: 3:15 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 84 °F (29 °C) • Wind: E at 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)
* Game attendance: 75,021
* Referee: Jeff Heaser
* TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (analyst), Ashley ShahAhmadi (sideline reporter)
| Statistics | UAB | ARK |
| First downs | 22 | 29 |
| Plays–yards | 67–354 | 64–427 |
| Rushes–yards | 35–119 | 38–266 |
| Passing yards | 235 | 161 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 23–32–1 | 11–26–1 |
| Time of possession | 32:39 | 27:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UAB | Passing | Jacob Zeno | 23/32, 235 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| UAB | Rushing | Isaiah Jacobs | 15 carries, 62 yards |
| UAB | Receiving | Amare Thomas | 5 receptions, 56 yards, 1 TD |
| Arkansas | Passing | Taylen Green | 11/26, 161 yards, 1 INT |
| Arkansas | Rushing | Ja'Quinden Jackson | 15 carries, 147 yards, 1 TD |
| Arkansas | Receiving | Andrew Armstrong | 8 receptions, 137 yards |

### Navy

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Midshipmen | 7 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 41 |
| Blazers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 18 |
at Protective Stadium • Birmingham, Alabama
* Date: September 28th
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: Rain • Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Wind: SW at 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)
* Game attendance: 21,536
* Referee: Charles Lamertina
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Sam Acho (analyst) and Taylor Davis (sideline)
| Statistics | NAVY | UAB |
| First downs | 22 | 22 |
| Plays–yards | 53–452 | 66–395 |
| Rushes–yards | 42–227 | 43–193 |
| Passing yards | 225 | 202 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 9–11–0 | 14–23–2 |
| Time of possession | 29:49 | 30:11 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Navy | Passing | Blake Horvath | 9/11, 225 yards, 2 TD |
| Navy | Rushing | Blake Horvath | 13 carries, 84 yards, TD |
| Navy | Receiving | Eli Heidenreich | 3 receptions, 108 yards, TD |
| UAB | Passing | Jacob Zeno | 14/22, 202 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| UAB | Rushing | Lee Beebe Jr. | 15 carries, 82 yards, TD |
| UAB | Receiving | Terrell McDonald | 1 reception, 67 yards |

### Tulane

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Green Wave | 20 | 17 | 20 | 14 | 71 |
| Blazers | 6 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 20 |
at Protective Stadium • Birmingham, Alabama
* Date: October 5th
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Wind: NE at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
* Game attendance: 19,724
* Referee: Edwin Lee
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Lowell Galindo (play-by-play), Fozzy Whittaker (analyst) and Smacker Miles (sideline)
| Statistics | TULN | UAB |
| First downs | 24 | 13 |
| Plays–yards | 68–497 | 65–305 |
| Rushes–yards | 50–317 | 22–75 |
| Passing yards | 180 | 230 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 14–18–0 | 21–43–3 |
| Time of possession | 33:27 | 26:33 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tulane | Passing | Darian Mensah | 12/15, 134 yards, TD |
| Tulane | Rushing | Makhi Hughes | 15 carries, 119 yards, 2 TD |
| Tulane | Receiving | Yulkeith Brown | 4 receptions, 60 yards, 2 TD |
| UAB | Passing | Jalen Kitna | 20/41, 239 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| UAB | Rushing | Lee Beebe Jr. | 9 carries, 78 yards |
| UAB | Receiving | Amare Thomas | 5 receptions, 98 yards, TD |

### at Army

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blazers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Black Knights | 20 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 44 |
at Michie Stadium • West Point, New York
* Date: October 12th
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 29,002
* Referee: Reid Jackson
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Dave Ryan (play-by-play), Adam Breneman (analyst) and Tina Cervasio (sideline reporter)
| Statistics | UAB | ARMY |
| First downs | 18 | 28 |
| Plays–yards | 63–303 | 64–515 |
| Rushes–yards | 24–61 | 56–413 |
| Passing yards | 242 | 102 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 25–39–2 | 3–8–0 |
| Time of possession | 24:54 | 35:06 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UAB | Passing | Jalen Kitna | 25/39, 242 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| UAB | Rushing | Lee Beebe Jr. | 9 carries, 36 yards |
| UAB | Receiving | Kam Shanks | 9 receptions, 119 yards |
| Army | Passing | Bryson Daily | 3/7, 102 yards, TD |
| Army | Rushing | Bryson Daily | 12 carries, 136 yards, 4 TD |
| Army | Receiving | Casey Reynolds | 2 receptions, 84 yards, TD |

### at South Florida

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blazers | 3 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 25 |
| Bulls | 0 | 7 | 13 | 15 | 35 |
at Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, Florida
* Date: October 19th
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 83 °F (28 °C) • Wind: NE 13 miles per hour (21 km/h)
* Game attendance: 28,154
* Referee: Steve Anderson
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play) and Tyoka Jackson (analyst)
| Statistics | UAB | USF |
| First downs | 26 | 18 |
| Plays–yards | 90–485 | 73–355 |
| Rushes–yards | 34–101 | 41–154 |
| Passing yards | 384 | 201 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 33–56–1 | 17–32–1 |
| Time of possession | 34:35 | 25:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UAB | Passing | Jalen Kitna | 33/56, 384 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| UAB | Rushing | Lee Beebe Jr. | 18 carries, 68 yards |
| UAB | Receiving | Amare Thomas | 8 receptions, 97 yards, 2 TD |
| South Florida | Passing | Bryce Archie | 17/31, 201 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| South Florida | Rushing | Kelley Joiner | 15 carries, 94 yards, 2 TD |
| South Florida | Receiving | Keshaun Singleton | 4 receptions, 105 yards, TD |

### Tulsa

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Hurricane | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Blazers | 21 | 24 | 14 | 0 | 59 |
at Protective Stadium • Birmingham, Alabama
* Date: November 2nd
* Game time: 12:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 75 °F (24 °C) • Wind: W 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h)
* Game attendance: 17,944
* Referee: Charles Lamertina
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Courtney Lyle (play-by-play), Leger Douzable (analyst) and Smacker Miles (sideline)
| Statistics | TLSA | UAB |
| First downs | 24 | 23 |
| Plays–yards | 90–423 | 60–537 |
| Rushes–yards | 49–187 | 23–113 |
| Passing yards | 236 | 424 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 22–41–1 | 27–37–0 |
| Time of possession | 31:50 | 28:10 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tulsa | Passing | Cooper Legas | 21/38, 230 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Tulsa | Rushing | Viron Ellison Jr. | 12 carries, 73 yards |
| Tulsa | Receiving | Joseph Williams | 6 receptions, 112 yards, TD |
| UAB | Passing | Jalen Kitna | 25/32, 404 yards, 6 TD |
| UAB | Rushing | Lee Beebe Jr. | 10 carries, 34 yards |
| UAB | Receiving | Kam Shanks | 5 receptions, 153 yards, 3 TD |

### UConn

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 3 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 31 |
| Blazers | 3 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
at Protective Stadium • Birmingham, Alabama
* Date: November 9th
* Game time: 1:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C) • Wind: SE at 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) • Weather: Rainy
* Game attendance: 18,351
* Referee: Tim Hedgepeth
* TV announcers (ESPN+): James Westling (play-by-play), Leger Douzable (analyst) and Maria Trivelpiece (sideline)
| Statistics | CONN | UAB |
| First downs | 20 | 23 |
| Plays–yards | 76–365 | 76–403 |
| Rushes–yards | 40–189 | 33–170 |
| Passing yards | 176 | 233 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 20–36–1 | 22–43–2 |
| Time of possession | 30:27 | 29:33 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UConn | Passing | Nick Evers | 15/24, 104 yards, INT |
| UConn | Rushing | Cam Edwards | 11 carries, 82 yards, TD |
| UConn | Receiving | Jasaiah Gathings | 6 receptions, 52 yards, TD |
| UAB | Passing | Jalen Kitna | 22/42, 233 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| UAB | Rushing | Lee Beebe Jr. | 17 carries, 115 yards, TD |
| UAB | Receiving | Amare Thomas | 6 receptions, 88 yards |

### at Memphis (Battle for the Bones)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blazers | 0 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 18 |
| Tigers | 11 | 7 | 7 | 28 | 53 |
at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium • Memphis, Tennessee
* Date: November 16th
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 54 °F (12 °C) • Wind: SE 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h)
* Game attendance: 24,225
* Referee: Edwin Lee
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Brian Custer (play-by-play), Rod Gilmore (analyst) and Tori Petry (sideline)
| Statistics | UAB | MEM |
| First downs | 16 | 31 |
| Plays–yards | 64–352 | 74–526 |
| Rushes–yards | 20–28 | 40–227 |
| Passing yards | 324 | 299 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 28–44–2 | 23–34–0 |
| Time of possession | 25:37 | 34:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UAB | Passing | Jalen Kitna | 27/43, 253 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| UAB | Rushing | Lee Beebe Jr. | 12 carries, 42 yards |
| UAB | Receiving | Corri Milliner | 3 receptions, 74 yards |
| Memphis | Passing | Seth Henigan | 23/34, 299 yards, 4 TD |
| Memphis | Rushing | Mario Anderson Jr. | 22 carries, 138 yards, TD |
| Memphis | Receiving | Koby Drake | 3 receptions, 56 yards |

### Rice

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Blazers | 14 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 40 |
at Protective Stadium • Birmingham, Alabama
* Date: November 23rd
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 60 °F (16 °C)
* Game attendance: 16,181
* Referee: Darryl DeBerry
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Justin Kutcher (play-by-play) and Dave Steckel (analyst)
| Statistics | RICE | UAB |
| First downs | 18 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | 74–337 | 57–364 |
| Rushes–yards | 25–115 | 34–190 |
| Passing yards | 222 | 174 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 28–49–3 | 18–23–0 |
| Time of possession | 30:44 | 29:16 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Rice | Passing | E. J. Warner | 28/49, 222 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| Rice | Rushing | Dean Connors | 16 carries, 62 yards, TD |
| Rice | Receiving | Braylen Walker | 2 receptions, 54 yards |
| UAB | Passing | Jalen Kitna | 18/23, 174 yards, 2 TD |
| UAB | Rushing | Lee Beebe Jr. | 16 carries, 161 yards, 2 TD |
| UAB | Receiving | Corri Milliner | 6 receptions, 90 yards, TD |

### at Charlotte

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blazers | 0 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 27 |
| 49ers | 7 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 29 |
at Jerry Richardson Stadium • Charlotte, North Carolina
* Date: November 30th
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 46 °F (8 °C) • Wind: W 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
* Game attendance: 8,091
* Referee: Steven Anderson
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Noah Frary (play-by-play), Reggie Walker (analyst) and Savanna Collins (sideline)
| Statistics | UAB | CLT |
| First downs | 27 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 63–437 | 44–355 |
| Rushes–yards | 35–128 | 35–140 |
| Passing yards | 309 | 215 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 28–42–1 | 9–26–0 |
| Time of possession | 34:17 | 25:43 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UAB | Passing | Jalen Kitna | 26/40, 280 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| UAB | Rushing | Lee Beebe Jr. | 19 carries, 82 yards, TD |
| UAB | Receiving | Corri Milliner | 7 receptions, 126 yards, TD |
| Charlotte | Passing | Deshawn Purdie | 9-26, 215 yards, TD |
| Charlotte | Rushing | Hahsaun Wilson | 14 carries, 84 yards, TD |
| Charlotte | Receiving | Sean Brown | 5 receptions, 100 yards |