[K0ZZ]

Blazers lose Conference USA membership

It's unknown territory for a program that compared to some could be considered in it's infancy, the program which started in division three of college athletics in 1991 blossomed in only five years they would jump from division three, to two, to one, despite not posting a winning record in their first three years, having competed in the Conference USA in non-football athletics, the conference ultimately extended an offer to the fledgling football program, at it's height, the Blazers won seven games, losing in their only bowl game appearance, a shoot out against the Hawai'i Warriors in the Hawai'i bowl during the 2004 season, the Warriors led by Timmy Chang.

Now the UAB Blazers program was never dominant, having played in D1 across other sports, an NCAA ruling forced a fledgling football program forward through the ranks culminating in a premature birth into the FBS, which has largely been unsuccessful. The caring hand of the Conference USA turned cold as the race to stay alive and grow in reputation comes to the forefront,the message was cold and clear, the Blazers were dead weight. After a vote of eight to four, the conference USA opted to remove the Blazers, with only four teams available in independency to join the conference on short notice, the Navy Midshipmen having an impending invitation to the Big East, left the Army Black Knights to join the Conference USA.

A cold smack to the face to the school, the Black Knights aren't an imposing threat, a rising mid-major or even consistent. The service academy simply skidded in to be a fill-in, a scab for a deep wound that was the Blazers program on the brand name of the Conference USA. The fall was hard and when they hit bottom, the Blazers arose in the Sunbelt.

The news isn't entirely bad, at the very least, the level of talent is much more similar in the Sunbelt than it was in the conference USA which had extremely talented teams like Tulsa, Houston and Southern Miss which almost always spelled out a loss for the Blazers. The Blazers join South Alabama as not only instate rivals but as new comers to the Sunbelt, where as the Jaguars are rising from the FCS ranks, the Blazers fall to the Sunbelt. The Jaguars had their bid for promotion pushed through when news passed down that Penn State had been given a death penalty which required a disbandment of the football program.

Obviously this news led to the firing of Neil Callaway, the head coach whom compiled a meager .300 win percentage over five seasons. Callaway was a controversial hire and many saw it as a way to keep the Tide as the top team in the state, with such a massive difference between the two talent wise, the same can almost be said for their latest hire, yet at the same time it was a very sound hiring.

Tyler Yates, at age 34, has been coaching since he was 20. The Illinois native was an assistant high school coach from 20 to 21 while he finished classes at a local community college, transferring to Georgia Tech, he found a job offer to be the offensive coordinator for a near by high school and until his graduation at age 24, he was the offensive coordinator. Graduating with a degree in Business wasn't ideal for his coaching career but his resume shined enough for the Georgia Tech alum to be named offensive coordinator at the university of West Georgia. As the coordinator for the Wolves he posted conference highs across the board and instilled a new mentality for the team, despite a pro styled approach, the tempo was up-paced and firey. He pushed his players for the best and ultimately when the incumbent head coach left for another coaching job, only at 28 he would take them to back to back conference championships, at thirty he would be traveling to the FCS, Jacksonville State in Alabama was his next destination.

The rise in competition and lack of successful recruiting showed, yet he drew the best from his players compiling a .657 win percentage over the next three years, the Alabama school became known for it's offensive strengths and swarming defensive mentality, his 3-4 started to gain steam and culminated in the call up to the Blazers. Yates is described as intense and passionate about the sport, something a decaying fan base and a football program on life support needs, the only problem is, how far gone is this football squad? Can UAB rise from it's ashes and potentially even reach higher under Yates?