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University of Alabama at Birmingham interim head football coach Alex Mortensen addressed his team’s willingness to play its game against South Florida on Saturday, just hours after a player was arrested for allegedly stabbing his own teammates.
Mortensen mentioned his player’s wishes, especially since Saturday is the team’s senior day.
“We talked as a team and we talked to the team, and those guys really wanted to play today, and the conversation came back to the seniors, since today is senior day, they wanted to go play for them and give them a chance to compete and play, so that was probably the biggest thing,” Mortensen told reporters at the postgame news conference.
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South Florida Bulls head coach Alex Golesh shakes hands with UAB Blazers interim head coach Alex Mortensen after a game at Protective Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Stew Milne/Getty Images)
Mortensen added that several players “understandably chose not to participate.”
“We want to be very understanding of what everyone is going through and make sure everyone understands that they had the opportunity to seek counseling or anything they need or want,” he said.
“We have a process and a routine that we do before the game, and I think staying committed to that probably helped the guys stay focused on the job.”
Mortensen took over as the team’s head coach in October after the program fired former head coach Trent Dilfer following a loss to Florida Atlantic.
“The team has been through a lot in the last few months,” Mortensen said.
UAB lost the game 48-18 to fall to 3-8 on the season.
Two of the team’s players were allegedly stabbed by another player at team practice early Saturday morning, a university official confirmed to Pak Gazette Digital.
The names of the victims and the detained player were not revealed.
MAN WHO SHOT AND KILLED UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA FOOTBALL PLAYERS SENTENCED TO 5 LIFE SENTENCES
UAB Blazers interim head coach Alex Mortensen watches from the sideline as the Blazers face the UConn Huskies at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut, on Nov. 1, 2025. (David Butler II/Image Images)
An online investigation of Jefferson County Jail inmates showed that Daniel Israel Mincey, 20, was arrested by UAB campus police shortly after noon Saturday and faces charges of “aggravated assault – A to M – attempted murder.” The university did not confirm whether Mincey was the player involved in the incident.
According to the UAB football roster, Mincey is a redshirt freshman who joined the team after one season at Kentucky.
“We are grateful to report that two players injured in an incident this morning at the Football Operations Building are in stable condition. Our thoughts are with them and their families as they recover. The suspect, another player, remains in custody and an investigation is underway.”
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UAB Blazers interim head coach Alex Mortensen on the field during the game as the UAB Blazers face the UConn Huskies on Nov. 1, 2025, at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, Connecticut (Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The stabbing occurred hours before UAB hosted South Florida at 3 p.m. ET. The spokesperson confirmed that the university elected to play.
“UAB’s top priority remains the safety and well-being of all of our students. Given patient privacy and the ongoing investigation, we have no further comment at this time,” the university said.
