UAB’s hiring of former Alabama football analyst Alex Mortensen — who spent eight years under the guidance of Crimson Tide coaching legend Nick Saban — was lauded by AL.com’s Joseph Goodman.
Goodman believes the move is mutually beneficial for Mortensen and the Blazers’ football program. “Mortensen, who is 37 years old, is now the new offensive coordinator for the UAB football team, and I couldn’t be happier for the Blazers and first-year coach Trent Dilfer,” he wrote. “It’s a huge get for the Southside Dragons, and maybe the signal of a great next step in significance, too.”
Mortensen made the Tennessee Titans practice squad in 2009 and was a coaching assistant for the St. Louis Rams in 2013. Since then, he’s been working for Saban in Tuscaloosa since 2014 and was a wide receivers coach for the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football in 2019 during the Tide’s offseason.
Mac Jones’ Father a Close Friend of Alex Mortensen
Joseph Goodman revealed an interesting fact about the Alex Mortensen hiring — it was former Alabama football quarterback Mac Jones’ father Gordon who was the first to congratulate the new UAB offensive coordinator on his hiring.
“One of the first people to text Mortensen congratulating him on his big move from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham was Gordon Jones, the father of NFL and former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones,” Goodman wrote.
Gordon Jones even told Goodman that he’d give Mortensen a good word to recruits if ever needed. “My text really was if Alex ever needs someone to talk to a parent and go through why UAB would be a great place for their kid, then we would be more than happy to do that,” Jones said.
Joseph Goodman Wants Game Between UAB and Alabama Football
Though UAB has long aimed to become everyone in the Birmingham area’s second favorite team after either Auburn or Alabama football, Joseph Goodman pointed out that because of UAB head coach Trent Dilfer, those times are changing. “Dilfer was smart from the beginning to build a bridge between UAB football and Alabama,” he wrote. “Old fans might not see it that way, but the weirdness between the two schools is beginning to fade. Good riddance.”
Goodman then went out on a limb and proposed a future game between Alabama and UAB to confirm that this is a new era of football in the Yellowhammer State. “Now maybe the next step is getting a game scheduled,” he wrote. “Don’t laugh. I don’t think it’s as crazy as it sounds.”
Back during the 2017 SEC spring meetings in Sandestin, Florida, Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne made clear to AL.com’s John Talty that Alabama wouldn’t be scheduling in-state non-conference opponents. “I think we have a very good model that’s worked well for us and I don’t see that changing,” Byrne said. Because of that edict, and the lack of any movement in the last six years, a matchup between Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide and his long-time analyst-turned UAB offensive coordinator Alex Mortensen’s Blazers will most likely be confined to NCAA 24 simulations.
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UAB Offensive Coordinator Hiring of Former Alabama Football Analyst Lauded