The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Noah Wilder’s Journey to 300 Career Tackles
10/26/2022 1:41:00 PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM – Senior linebacker Noah Wilder has always played with a chip on his shoulder.
How many chips? 298 to be exact.
Wilder is on the verge of becoming just the fourth player in program history to tally 300 career tackles. A number that he should reach early in the game this Saturday night at Florida Atlantic.
Despite a prolific high school career at nearby Bessemer Academy, Wilder was undersized and overlooked entering college, and signed with Gardner-Webb where he did not see the field as a true freshman in 2017.
He decided to make a change and came to UAB in 2018 when the Blazers were loaded with upperclassmen who helped rebuild the program and launch UAB into the national spotlight.
Wilder spent that season on the scout team, quietly helping UAB win its first Conference USA Championship without recording a single stat.
Wilder put his head down and showed up every day on the scout team, to the point where Offensive Coordinator Bryant Vincent and Head Coach Bill Clark couldn't help to notice him.
Coach Vincent remembers coming into Coach Clark's office once he got done with practice and told Clark, "Noah Wilder is going to play for us."
And the rest is history.
Wilder has been the starting middle linebacker since 2019 and has been a tackling machine. In 2019 he had 85, in the shortened 2020 COVID season he had 50. Last year he had a team-best 93.
This season, Wilder has 70 total tackles and is Conference USA's second leading tackler with an average of 10.0 per game.
Wilder aims to join an exclusive list that includes Marvin Burdette, Zac Woodfin and Nigel Eldridge as the only UAB players who have 300+ career tackles.
His unwavering dedication and determination has earned Wilder the right to be regarded as one of the best defensive players in program history, and he earned it one chip at a time.
How many chips? 298 to be exact.
Wilder is on the verge of becoming just the fourth player in program history to tally 300 career tackles. A number that he should reach early in the game this Saturday night at Florida Atlantic.
Despite a prolific high school career at nearby Bessemer Academy, Wilder was undersized and overlooked entering college, and signed with Gardner-Webb where he did not see the field as a true freshman in 2017.
He decided to make a change and came to UAB in 2018 when the Blazers were loaded with upperclassmen who helped rebuild the program and launch UAB into the national spotlight.
Wilder spent that season on the scout team, quietly helping UAB win its first Conference USA Championship without recording a single stat.
Wilder put his head down and showed up every day on the scout team, to the point where Offensive Coordinator Bryant Vincent and Head Coach Bill Clark couldn't help to notice him.
Coach Vincent remembers coming into Coach Clark's office once he got done with practice and told Clark, "Noah Wilder is going to play for us."
And the rest is history.
Wilder has been the starting middle linebacker since 2019 and has been a tackling machine. In 2019 he had 85, in the shortened 2020 COVID season he had 50. Last year he had a team-best 93.
This season, Wilder has 70 total tackles and is Conference USA's second leading tackler with an average of 10.0 per game.
Wilder aims to join an exclusive list that includes Marvin Burdette, Zac Woodfin and Nigel Eldridge as the only UAB players who have 300+ career tackles.
His unwavering dedication and determination has earned Wilder the right to be regarded as one of the best defensive players in program history, and he earned it one chip at a time.
Players Mentioned
LB
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