Trent Dilfer, a former Super Bowl champion known for his 14‑year NFL career, has been announced as the new head coach of Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, after being dismissed from the University of Alabama‑Birmingham (UAB) earlier this year.
The 2026 football slate for the private academy will be built around a unifying narrative: every opponent will be billed as ‘Us vs. Us,’ a theme that will extend through the regular season, the playoffs and the state championship game.
A Program Seeking Its Former Glory
Dilfer previously guided Lipscomb to two state championships between 2019 and 2022, but the program slipped to an 11‑20 record over the three seasons that followed his exit, managing only a single playoff berth.
His return comes after a turbulent two‑year tenure at UAB, where he inherited a team that had posted a 7‑6 record in 2022 but finished 9‑21 before the school terminated his contract midseason.
The 2026 schedule comprises 13 contests, including a Week 7 bye, and will pit the Eagles against a series of rivals all branded under the ‘Us vs. Us’ banner, a concept Dilfer says reflects his belief that every game is a battle for the program’s identity.