Roundup: Wednesday, December 18th
Blazer football lands two likely starters, shakes up coaching staff
YESTERDAY’S NEWS:
UAB football snagged its first three transfer commitments of the cycle on Tuesday. Looking to replenish their skill positions, which were heavily depleted by portal exits, the Blazers reeled in two former P4 players and a DII wide receiver.
Kaleb Brown - Iowa wide receiver
5’10”, 197 lbs — two years of eligibility remaining
Former Iowa wide receiver Kaleb Brown became UAB’s first transfer commitment of the cycle on Wednesday afternoon, announcing his decision in a social media post.
Brown was a highly-touted recruit coming out of Chicago’s St. Rita High School in 2022, unanimously considered a four-star recruit and a top-70 player in the class. Brown committed to Ohio State over Michigan, but would only appear in four games for the Buckeyes, catching one pass for five yards. He transferred to Iowa after the conclusion of the 2022 season.
Brown spent two years at Iowa. In 2023, he appeared in 11 games and caught 22 passes for 215 yards. Entering the 2024 season, Brown was Iowa’s top returning receiver, but his playing time plummeted after a June OWI arrest led to a one-game suspension; he caught just one pass in three games before announcing his departure from the program in October.
Brown is a versatile player who was sometimes used as a running back during his time at Iowa, receiving nine handoffs during the 2023 season. As 247Sports analyst Allen Trieu wrote at the time of Brown’s high school graduation:
“[Brown] has played a lot of tailback in high school but projects as a slot receiver or sometimes outside receiver in college. Has done that in 7-on-7 and shown excellent feel for getting open, hands and twitch. Good straight-line speed, maybe not quite elite in that area, but can break away and make big plays in the open field. Quickness and short-area burst allow him to create separation and shows strength after the catch as well. Does not have the catch radius of other top receivers. Competitive player who can be used in a variety of ways and that versatility helps him project as a future draft pick.”
Brown immediately projects as a potential starter in a wide receiver room that currently includes Corri Milliner, Xavier Daisy, Iverson Hooks, and Joshua Jackson.
Evan McCray - Wingate (DII) wide receiver
6’1”, 190 lbs — one year of eligibility remaining
Former Wingate (DII) wide receiver Evan McCray became UAB’s second transfer commitment of the cycle on Wednesday afternoon, announcing his decision in a social media post.
McCray, a Raleigh, NC native, spent four years at Wingate, a program located 35 minutes southeast of Charlotte. He didn’t see any playing time in 2021 or 2022, but he broke out in 2023, racking up 520 receiving yards on 43 catches. McCray built on that performance in 2024, catching 42 passes for 634 yards and seven touchdowns and finishing the year as the team’s leading receiver.
McCray, who also received interest from Maine and Gardner-Webb, was offered by the Blazers last week.
Var'keyes Gumms - Arkansas tight end
6’3”, 230 lbs — one year of eligibility remaining
On3’s Pete Nakos reported on Wednesday afternoon that former Arkansas tight end Var'keyes Gumms will be UAB’s third transfer commitment of the cycle.
Gumms, a Houston, Texas native, graduated high school in 2021 with a three-star rating. He originally signed with North Texas, where he redshirted in his first year and broke out in his second, catching 34 passes for 458 yards and five touchdowns. For this effort, Gumms was endowed with several accolades, being named first-team All-Conference USA by the league’s coaches and second-team Freshman All-American by The Athletic and College Football News.
Prior to the 2023 season, Gumms transferred to Arkansas, where he didn’t have quite the same impact. Gumms described the transition into his first season in Fayetteville as “rough,” a fact that was reflected in his 2023 statline of three receptions for 26 yards. Arkansas fans were hopeful that Gumms would breakout in 2024 after a productive performance in the team’s spring game, but he caught just one pass in the fall before being removed from the program in late October for reasons that don’t seem quite clear.
Gumms is a proven contributor at the G5 level and the immediate favorite to start in a tight end room that is losing its top three contributors.
In other UAB football news:
Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports is reporting that UAB intends to make senior offensive analyst Kevin Garver the program’s next wide receivers coach.
The move comes after Trent Dilfer released former WRs coach Austin Appleby at the conclusion of the season.
Garver, a 37-year old Birmingham native, joined UAB’s staff at the beginning of the 2024 season. Garver has a decade of NFL coaching experience, won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers in 2022, and was named to The Athletic's “NFL 40 Under 40” in 2020.
Steve Irvine wrote a profile on Garver at the time of his hiring.
The move was endorsed by former UAB great JJ Nelson, who posted: “Let’s gooooo!!!! Congratulations to Coach Kev one of the best in the business for sure love this without a doubt. 🔥”
Nelson was coached by Garver as a member of the Arizona Cardinals from 2015-2018.
Footballscoop.com is reporting that new FIU head coach Willie Simmons is targeting UAB quarterbacks coach Nick Coleman to become FIU’s offensive coordinator and UAB cornerbacks coach Kenneth Gilstrap to become FIU’s safeties and special teams coach.
Coleman spent two years as an offensive analyst at South Carolina before coming to UAB in 2022, where he helped lead Jacob Zeno to the most statistically impressive QB season in school history.
Gilstrap spent four years as the cornerbacks coach at Middle Tennessee State before coming to UAB in 2023.
All parties involved share an MTSU connection:
Coleman was an MTSU QB from 2006-2009 and spent the 2010 season as a GA at his alma mater.
Gilstrap was an MTSU CB from 2009-2013 and spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons as a GA at his alma mater.
Simmons was an MTSU assistant from 2007-2011, coaching both Coleman and Gilstrap.
Simmons also intends on making longtime MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill FIU’s new tight ends coach.
Former UAB OL Trey Bedosky committed to Liberty on Tuesday.
Former UAB WR/KR Kam Shanks committed to Arkansas on Tuesday.
Former UAB LB Everett Roussaw Jr. has completed visits to UConn and Kansas and will visit Memphis on Thursday.
Former UAB S Adrian Maddox visited Arkansas on Tuesday and will visit Louisville on Wednesday. He will finish the week with a Friday visit to Nebraska.
On3 predicts Maddox will commit to Nebraska.
Former UAB RB Lee Beebe, who was rumored to have reopened his recruitment, reaffirmed his commitment to Indiana on Tuesday.