The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Meet The Staff: The Recruiting Department
1/11/2023 2:30:00 PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM – Led by longtime Blazer Tristan Henderson, Head Coach Trent Dilfer has announced his recruiting department leading into the 2023 season.
The full-time staff members who will lead the recruiting department are:
Tristan Henderson – Director of Recruiting
Abbye Brunson – Director of Recruiting Strategy
Connor Koch – Director of Player Personnel
"The recruiting department is the lifeblood of your program and I wanted to make sure early on that we built the best in class one. Tristan Henderson has been a great leader since I have gotten on campus and has the potential to be one of the better recruiters in the country. The ability to add Abbye Brunson from the University of Florida where she was mentored by Lee Davis, one of the best in the business, is real kudos to this program that we have someone with her talent. And the addition of Connor Koch, although he is young, he has done a lot of things in recruiting and operations at Samford and Ole Miss. We feel like we have quickly been able to put together one of the better recruiting departments in the American Conference."
Tristan Henderson:
Henderson enters his second season as UAB's Director of Recruiting and his eighth with the program overall.
Henderson played tight end for the Blazers from 2013-14 and appeared in 21 games during his career. In 2014, Henderson helped UAB achieve bowl eligibility for the first time in 10 years and finished the season with six catches for 50 yards and a touchdown.
Henderson rejoined the program in 2018 and has helped build UAB into one of the winningest Group of 5 teams in the nation during that span.
Serving as an offensive assistant, Henderson and the Blazers have compiled an overall record of 50-26, won two Conference USA Championships, three Conference USA divisional titles, and three bowl games since the program was reinstated.
A native of Concord, N.C., Henderson served in the Army from 2008-2011 and then attended junior college at Cerritos College in Norwalk, Calif., in 2012 before joining UAB for the 2013 season.
Henderson and his wife Monica have one son, Ayden.
Abbye Brunson:
Brunson was hired as the Director of Recruiting Strategy in January of 2023 and is in her first year with the Blazers.
Brunson spent the previous four seasons serving as a recruiting assistant at the University of Florida. While at Florida, the Gators played in two New Year's Six bowls, one SEC Championship Game and won the 2019 Orange Bowl.
Her responsibilities at Florida included on-campus recruiting, assisting in football operations and helping organize summer camps.
A native of Spanish Fort, Ala., Brunson was a member of the all-girl cheerleading team at Mississippi State for one season before transferring to Florida where she graduated with a degree in Sport Management in April of 2021. She is currently pursuing a Master's in Sport Management.
Connor Koch:
Koch was named the Director of Player Personnel in January of 2023 and is in his first season with UAB.
Koch joins the Blazers after spending last season at Ole Miss as the coordinator of personnel for offense. Prior to his time in Oxford, Koch was the director of player personnel at Samford in 2021.
The class that Koch helped assemble at Samford guided the Bulldogs to an 11-2 record last season and a SoCon Championship.
Koch played linebacker at TCU from 2017-2020 and while he was with the Horned Frogs, TCU played in the 2017 Big 12 Championship Game and won the Alamo Bowl that year, along with winning the Cheez It Bowl in 2018.
Koch then transferred to Samford and played the 2021 COVID FCS Spring Season with the Bulldogs. He then joined the Samford coaching staff upon exhausting eligibility.
Koch is a native of Charleston, S.C. and earned his degree in Strategic Communications from TCU in 2020.
205 Day:
Fans will be able to meet the entire UAB Football staff at 205 Day on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023. More details about 205 Day will be released soon.
2023 Season Tickets:
Season tickets for the 2023 UAB Football season are now available starting as low as $99. Season ticket packages will feature all six home games during UAB's inaugural season in the American Athletic Conference and provide the most cost-effective way to attend games at Protective Stadium. For more information about season ticket pricing, call the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1. Fans may renew season tickets, purchase new season tickets or request more information on season ticket options here.
The full-time staff members who will lead the recruiting department are:
Tristan Henderson – Director of Recruiting
Abbye Brunson – Director of Recruiting Strategy
Connor Koch – Director of Player Personnel
"The recruiting department is the lifeblood of your program and I wanted to make sure early on that we built the best in class one. Tristan Henderson has been a great leader since I have gotten on campus and has the potential to be one of the better recruiters in the country. The ability to add Abbye Brunson from the University of Florida where she was mentored by Lee Davis, one of the best in the business, is real kudos to this program that we have someone with her talent. And the addition of Connor Koch, although he is young, he has done a lot of things in recruiting and operations at Samford and Ole Miss. We feel like we have quickly been able to put together one of the better recruiting departments in the American Conference."
Tristan Henderson:
Henderson enters his second season as UAB's Director of Recruiting and his eighth with the program overall.
Henderson played tight end for the Blazers from 2013-14 and appeared in 21 games during his career. In 2014, Henderson helped UAB achieve bowl eligibility for the first time in 10 years and finished the season with six catches for 50 yards and a touchdown.
Henderson rejoined the program in 2018 and has helped build UAB into one of the winningest Group of 5 teams in the nation during that span.
Serving as an offensive assistant, Henderson and the Blazers have compiled an overall record of 50-26, won two Conference USA Championships, three Conference USA divisional titles, and three bowl games since the program was reinstated.
A native of Concord, N.C., Henderson served in the Army from 2008-2011 and then attended junior college at Cerritos College in Norwalk, Calif., in 2012 before joining UAB for the 2013 season.
Henderson and his wife Monica have one son, Ayden.
Abbye Brunson:
Brunson was hired as the Director of Recruiting Strategy in January of 2023 and is in her first year with the Blazers.
Brunson spent the previous four seasons serving as a recruiting assistant at the University of Florida. While at Florida, the Gators played in two New Year's Six bowls, one SEC Championship Game and won the 2019 Orange Bowl.
Her responsibilities at Florida included on-campus recruiting, assisting in football operations and helping organize summer camps.
A native of Spanish Fort, Ala., Brunson was a member of the all-girl cheerleading team at Mississippi State for one season before transferring to Florida where she graduated with a degree in Sport Management in April of 2021. She is currently pursuing a Master's in Sport Management.
Connor Koch:
Koch was named the Director of Player Personnel in January of 2023 and is in his first season with UAB.
Koch joins the Blazers after spending last season at Ole Miss as the coordinator of personnel for offense. Prior to his time in Oxford, Koch was the director of player personnel at Samford in 2021.
The class that Koch helped assemble at Samford guided the Bulldogs to an 11-2 record last season and a SoCon Championship.
Koch played linebacker at TCU from 2017-2020 and while he was with the Horned Frogs, TCU played in the 2017 Big 12 Championship Game and won the Alamo Bowl that year, along with winning the Cheez It Bowl in 2018.
Koch then transferred to Samford and played the 2021 COVID FCS Spring Season with the Bulldogs. He then joined the Samford coaching staff upon exhausting eligibility.
Koch is a native of Charleston, S.C. and earned his degree in Strategic Communications from TCU in 2020.
205 Day:
Fans will be able to meet the entire UAB Football staff at 205 Day on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023. More details about 205 Day will be released soon.
2023 Season Tickets:
Season tickets for the 2023 UAB Football season are now available starting as low as $99. Season ticket packages will feature all six home games during UAB's inaugural season in the American Athletic Conference and provide the most cost-effective way to attend games at Protective Stadium. For more information about season ticket pricing, call the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1. Fans may renew season tickets, purchase new season tickets or request more information on season ticket options here.
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