THE BOARD: UAB Football

The number

4 — Four days. That's how long it took Jordan Shambley to go from UAB offer to UAB commit. He led Hillcrest to a 7-on-7 championship at UAB on June 10. The Blazers offered June 11. Official visit June 13-14. Committed June 15. When Mortensen's staff sees what it wants, it moves.

The fit

Mortensen has talked about recruiting within a 500-mile radius of Birmingham — and the early results reflect that. Shambley is from Tuscaloosa. McKenzie is from Brookwood, Ga. Daniels comes from Gainesville, Fla. Hayes from Tifton, Ga. All within driving distance.

The class leans offensive so far — a quarterback, three offensive linemen and a wide receiver among the high school commits. Jshawn Jinks, a 330-pound defensive tackle from Georgia Military College, adds size and experience on the defensive side. His official visit the same weekend as Seth Kidd, another JUCO defensive tackle, points to Todd Grantham's influence on the board.

Israel Prince-Oyakhire brings 25 offers to UAB — the most of any commit in the class. The Shiloh HS safety from Snellville, Ga. chose the Blazers over two dozen other programs. Messiah Mack, an offensive tackle from Coffee HS in Douglas, Ga., flipped from Georgia State after visiting UAB the weekend of June 20. Mack also holds offers from Memphis, Middle Tennessee, North Alabama and UT Martin. Both committed June 25.

Mortensen's connection to Shambley runs through Galu Tagovailoa — father of Tua — who trains Shambley at Raising Champions. Mortensen was on Alabama's staff during Tua's career.

The commits

Jordan Shambley — QB, 6-3, 185, Hillcrest HS, Tuscaloosa, Ala. Committed June 15. ~1,500 passing yards, 15 passing TDs, 8 rushing TDs in 10 games as a junior. Hillcrest went 6-4. Added seven offers in a 22-day stretch in May 2026. Had scheduled official visits to Marshall and UMass before committing to UAB. First offer: Jackson State, May 7, 2025.

Kaiden McKenzie — IOL, 6-4, 330, Brookwood HS, Brookwood, Ga. Committed April 26. First commit in the class.

Bryce Daniels — IOL, 6-4, 321, Buchholz HS, Gainesville, Fla. Committed June 7.

Dai'jon Hayes — WR, 6-0, 175, Tift County HS, Tifton, Ga. Committed June 7.

Jshawn Jinks — DT, 6-4, 330, Georgia Military College. Committed June 16. December 2026 graduate — eligible for early enrollment. Also held offers from Troy, FIU, Georgia State, Old Dominion.

Israel Prince-Oyakhire — SAF, 6-2, 170, Shiloh HS, Snellville, Ga. Committed June 25. Profile grade: 58.32. Offers: 25 — most of any commit in the class.

Messiah Mack — OT, 6-5, 295, Coffee HS, Douglas, Ga. Committed June 25. Flipped from Georgia State, where he committed June 7. Visited UAB the weekend of June 20. Also holds offers from Memphis, Middle Tennessee, North Alabama and UT Martin.

The visits

Mehki Jessie — CB, 6-1, 170, Richardson Berkner HS, Texas. 2027. Visited in June. Holds 20+ offers including Arkansas and Wake Forest.

Samuel Weary — LB, 6-3, 210, Manvel HS, Texas. 2027. 4.6 GPA. Visited June 14-15. Also visiting UTEP (June 19). Holds offers from Florida State, Houston and 20+ others.

Jaylin Jones and Jordin Jones — LB, 6-3/6-2, 215/220, Westfield HS, Houston, Texas. 2027. 3-star twins. Visited June 7. Also visited Sacramento State, with New Mexico, Texas State and UTSA visits planned.

Seth Kidd — DT, 6-3, 285, Itawamba CC, Miss. JUCO. Visited same weekend as Jinks. Holds offers from Kansas State, Troy, Southern Miss, Old Dominion, Louisiana Tech, ULM, UMass.

The targets

UAB is offering across multiple classes. The 2028 board includes Jacez "MackTruck" Walton (RB, 5-11, 220, Central HS, Carrollton, Ga. — 23 D-I offers including Auburn, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Miami, Penn State, Tennessee, Oregon), Kendall Harris (ATH, Odenville, Ala. — 3.9 GPA, 4.5 laser 40, also offered by Georgia Tech and South Florida), TJ Brandon Jr. (OL, 6-6, 320, Douglas County HS, Ga.) and Dallas Covington (DB, 6-3, 180, East Nashville Magnet — 19 D-I offers). In 2029, Bralen Coleman (WR, 6-3, 197, Thompson HS, Alabaster — 30 minutes from campus, offers from Mississippi State, Miami, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Arkansas) is a significant target. Camden Powers (WR, 2030) is the earliest in-class offer tracked so far.

The immediate need is defensive depth. Grantham's interest in JUCO defensive tackles — Jinks committed, Kidd visited — suggests the staff wants experienced size on the defensive front. If Kidd commits, UAB will have addressed that with two 280-plus-pound interior players.