UAB Football Spring Coverage: Practice No. 9

BIRMINGHAM - The UAB football team conducted its ninth practice of spring ball on a brisk Tuesday morning at the Football Operations Center.

THREE TAKEAWAYS:

The departure of NFL draft prospect Anthony Rush at nose tackle left a big hole to fill this offseason, and a few players are stepping up into that vacancy. Most notably, redshirt freshman Fish McWilliams is having a great spring camp and is poised for an increased role after utilizing the redshirt rule and playing in four games during the 2018 season.

With redshirt senior Garrett Marino being the only returning interior lineman with true experience, other second year players such as Michael Fairbanks II and Antonio Moultrie have also been making plays. At 6-foot-3, 355-pounds, newcomer Tony Fair is in the mix as well and could become a dominant run blocker as Rush was.
Wide receivers Austin Watkins and Kendall Parham each had long receptions today, while Watkins' resulted in approximately an 80-yard touchdown. Those two, along with Myron Mitchell and TD Marshall continue to make plays and have formed what seems to be a lethal unit at wide receiver.
Despite key losses on offense and defense, one group that returns everyone is the special teams unit. Senior kicker Nick Vogel headlines that group and is coming off a season in which he finished second nationally in touchback percentage (88.75 percent, 71-of-80). Vogel made all of his field goals attempts within 40 yards and finished the season 15-of-24 overall. He made each of his final six kicks to end the season, which included making the game-winner in the C-USA Championship Game against Middle Tennessee with three minutes to play.

Along with Vogel, long snapper Jacob Fuqua enters his redshirt junior season handling both short and long snaps, while true sophomore punter Kyle Greenwell averaged 40.1 yards per punt in 2018 and looks to build upon his stellar rookie campaign.

There are a bunch of key dates to keep in mind over the next few weeks for UAB football, beginning this Thursday with Employee Appreciation Day. All UAB employees are invited to practice on Thursday from 8-11 a.m. for free coffee and donuts and to catch a glimpse at the 2019 Blazers.
The season ticket priority deadline of April 1 is rapidly approaching. Click here to renew or purchase your 2019 season tickets.

Friday, April 5, marks the third annual Bill Clark Golf Tournament at Bent Brook Golf Club. There is still time to register and information can be found by clicking here.

The following day, April 6, is the Pepsi Spring Game at Legion Field with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m., while the weekend concludes with the third annual Dragon Egg Hunt at the Football Operations Center.

Be sure to follow @UAB_FB on Twitter and Instagram for continuous updates.

UAB Football Spring Coverage: Practice No. 9

Players Mentioned

Tony Fair

Michael Fairbanks II

Jacob Fuqua

Kyle Greenwell

Garrett Marino

TD Marshall

Fish McWilliams

Myron Mitchell

Antonio Moultrie

Kendall Parham

Anthony Rush

Nick Vogel

Austin Watkins Jr.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics