UAB set to shut down football program down, per multiple reports

Update: AL.com reports UAB’s president will make the news official.

For background on the politics at play, read this on Alabama vs. UAB.

In November, SB Nation interviewed UAB head coach Bill Clark, who in his debut year got the Blazers bowl eligible for the first time in a decade. He’s now out of a job.

★★★

According to Dan Wolken at USA Today, Alabama-Birmingham athletic director Brian Mackin is reportedly on his way out at the school, and with him will leave the college football program. UAB is currently a member of Conference USA and has achieved bowl eligibility this season (at 6-6) for just the second time in the program’s 19-year tenure in I-A/FBS play.

With UAB’s football future hanging in the balance, a person close to the decision-making process told USA TODAY Sports that athletics director Brian Mackin has given indications the program will shut down this week and that Mackin is working on a separation agreement from the university.

Barring a last-minute reversal in the decision-making process, it’s unclear what shutting down football would mean for UAB’s athletic future. Another person with direct knowledge of Conference USA matters told USA TODAY Sports that the league’s commissioner, Britton Banowsky, did not have enough support among school presidents to keep UAB in the league without football.

The future of football at UAB has been up in the air for months now, though the end date was thought to be still years away. As Underdog Dynasty reported several weeks ago, boosters were expressing concern about UAB’s inability to secure funding for a new college football stadium, and the athletic department had not set up any non-conference games past the 2016 season — nor had it extended head coach Bill Clark’s contract past 2016, which is unusual for most college football programs.

You can read the letter that boosters, including current NFL all-pro WR Roddy White (a 2004 UAB alum), sent to UAB president Ray Watts here.

This turmoil obviously isn’t news to Clark; even as his program awaits word on its bowl destination. He’s been hearing things, and per Joe Schad, those things aren’t good:

As the departure of Mackin doesn’t appear to be in service of saving the football program, this is probably it for the UAB Blazers.