Count your blessings guys - UAB football IS NO MORE!

The very same day we receive a $16M gift to help fund our Athletics and in particular, the football program - UAB fans and players and Coaches get the shaft. At least the Coaches have their contracts to keep getting paid on, and the good players will get recruited to other programs, but the marginal to weak players will get overlooked or have to go down to DII to keep playing.

Their other remaining sports are also in trouble as they will not be allowed to stay in CUSA after this year and they have no apparant home (SunBelt or lower?). And with no football, the marching band and football cheerleaders get hurt too (probably disbanded as well)!

As a student of the law, I can tell you that the school materially breached the contract with the coach and he WILL be entitled to the expectancy damages of the rest of his contract value. Now, if he does take a job with us as a DC that salary will be subtracted from his damages because he has a duty to mitigate UAB's damages owed…. Any reasonable shot of us landing a few of these players? I think it  would be a cool story line if the kids stayed in C-USA and just dispersed all over the conference. Wouldn't mind having their RB who torched us on board!

I genuinely feel for their fans. I can't imagine how infuriated I'd be with FAU if they shuttered our program.

But what happened in Birmingham was not unexpected because UAB has always had an issue with the Alabama BOT. I certainly believe that there's some bad blood there. Still, I really don't get why because Alabama and UAB should not be recruiting the same caliber of player, Alabama doesn't have an attendance issue, etc so in what way is UAB hurting them? Put another way, what does UA gain by eliminating the UAB football program?

Someone pointed out that there could be a domino effect and other mid-majors could get the axe too, especially as efforts ramp up to provide more and more financial contributions to players. But it also sounds like UAB was in a specifically bad situation because of their oversight by the Alabama Tide people, so hopefully it's just an isolated incident.

Hawaii seriously thinking of dropping football too!

I don't know how many programs are dropped or go back to a lower level, but this entire power/money grab by the so called Power 5 Conferences is going to hurt plenty of people.

GeorgiaOwl said

Hawaii seriously thinking of dropping football too!

I don't know how many programs are dropped or go back to a lower level, but this entire power/money grab by the so called Power 5 Conferences is going to hurt plenty of people.

Posted On: Dec 2nd 2014, 9:46 PM #339220

This was my "back of the mind" fear with the new NCAA arrangement, the big boys now have the power to ensure that we (smaller programs and conferences) will not be a threat to them.  They don't have to come right out and cut programs, just slowly suck up funding and watch us all wither on the vine.  I hope this does not really happen but the first dominoes may have already fallen.

I hope they have a list of UAB players to go after, insead of the JUCo route. Ther RB Howard (a bruiser - VERY GOOD) is only a soph. and they have some pretty good and LSRGE OL as undercalssmen too on the O side.

On the D,  at LB Ganus has one more year left (led team in tackles and ahd 6 sacks), Jones was a decent LB this year too and at Db, their top recruit last year Carter was originally at Nevada before going JUCO and has one year left as well.

They had lots of seniors contributing which showed and helped them become bowl eligible. But these guys would contribute NEXT YEAR and plug some serious holes until the freshman recruits are ready.

GeorgiaOwl said

I hope they have a list of UAB players to go after…

Posted On: Dec 3rd 2014, 11:57 AM #339262

They do, and were just waiting for go ahead to speak to them.

That's over - GAME ON.

Here's a great list Andrew put together of guys who should be looked at overall:

https://medium.com/@andrewrivins/breaking-down-the-potential-uab-transfers-5b8268ebaae3

If we were to sign any of these players, would they count against our incoming scholarships, or would they not count as incoming freshmen?  I know we can only sign 25ish per year, but if a student is a Junior or Sophomore, will it count against that class, thereby allowing us to fill up the vacancies from older classes?

I can tell you from experience, OUR stadium is light years better than theirs! That alone should allow us to go and get some of their better players!