What to Know as UAB Heads to 2022 Ryan C-USA Football Kickoff

BIRMINGHAM – UAB Head Coach Bryant Vincent, senior safety Will Boler and junior center Will Rykard will represent the Blazers this Tuesday and Wednesday, July 26-27, at the 2022 Ryan Conference USA Football Kickoff at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Here are the things to know as UAB heads to Media Days:

Team Notes:

UAB ended last season by defeating No. 13 BYU in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. That win was UAB's highest ranked victory in program history. The Blazers finished 9-4 overall in 2021.
Since making its return to the field in 2017, UAB is the winningest team in Conference USA, posting an overall record of 43-20. During that span, the Blazers have won two Conference USA Championships (2018, 2020), three C-USA West Division titles (2018, 2019, 2020) and two bowl games (2018, 2021).
Will Boler is one of three players on this year's team who has been at UAB since the return in 2017, along with fellow safety Grayson Cash and outside linebacker Kyle Harrell.
UAB returns 16 starters to this year's team; seven on offense and nine on defense.
This is UAB's first season since 2014 without Bill Clark as head coach. Clark announced his retirement on June 24, 2022, due to chronic back issues and has since undergone successful spinal fusion surgery. Clark was 49-26 as UAB's head coach and guided the Blazers to national prominence following the program being shut down at the end of 2014. He was named the 2018 Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year.

Bryant Vincent Notes:

Bryant Vincent was named the interim head coach on June 27, 2022. He has served as UAB's Offensive Coordinator since 2018 and was the OC at UAB in 2014 during Clark's first season.
Vincent has led UAB's offense to record setting numbers, including the 2018 season in which the Blazers established 21 school records. Among the school records that fell were total points (418), total touchdowns (53), rushing touchdowns (32), total yards (5,680) and rushing yards (2,818).
Vincent is 49-16 as a head coach with all of his experience coming at the high school level in the state of Alabama. He was the 5A State Coach of the Year in his first season as a head coach at Greenville High School, and most notable led Spanish Fort to the 5A State Championship in 2010.
Vincent and Clark's relationship goes back 20 years and the two had been coaching together since 2011.

Safety Will Boler Notes:

Due to COVID-19, Will Boler is entering his sixth year at UAB and his fourth season as the starting safety.
If Boler can stay healthy and if the Blazers play 14 games this season (C-USA Championship + bowl game), Boler will tie the school record for most games played (63 – Hayden Pittman, 2017-21).
Boler is a three-time Honorable Mention All-Conference USA selection. He has 157 career tackles and has been a fixture in the starting lineup since 2019.

Center Will Rykard Notes:

Rykard was recently named to the 2022 Rimington Trophy Watch List, given annually to the nation's most outstanding center. Rykard is one of 40 players nationwide on the list and just one of two players from Conference USA.
Rykard moved his way into the starting lineup midway through last season. UAB was 5-1 in games that Rykard started.
He was the starting center for UAB's bowl victory over No. 13 BYU, and he also started three games as a redshirt freshman in 2020, including the Conference USA Championship victory at Marshall.
He has played in 15 career games with nine starts and is entering his first season as the full-time starter. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

How To Watch:

The 2022 Ryan C-USA Football Kickoff will be streamed on ESPN+ on Wednesday, July 27, and fans can watch UAB's live segment from 12-12:15 p.m. CT.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics

What to Know as UAB Heads to 2022 Ryan C-USA Football Kickoff

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