The closure of the University of Alabama - Birmingham (UAB) football program has seemingly shifted from a question of "if" to "when."
Unnamed sources "close to the situation" told AL.com Tuesday morning that UAB President Ray Watts will make the official announcement later in the day. Also expected to be announced is the deaparture of the school's athletic director Brian Mackin.
While such concerns over the status of the football program arose in Nov., when Watts said the UAB athletic department would undergo "a full strategic review of its programs." Some former football players then said shutting down the football program was on the table in the review.
UAB head football coach Bill Clark has not done anything to refute those claims either. After the season ended with his team finished 6-6, he said he expected the football program to be shuttered. Unnamed sources also told ESPN the school will officially announce the news Tuesday as well.
Jimmy Filler, a UAB booster and founder of the school's Football Foundation, told AL.com Monday that the decision was already sealed.
"Guess how many times the administration has reached out to me since I announced the foundation? Zero," he said. "They never called me, they never asked me. It's a done deal. They don't want me to raise money."
UAB's closure of their football program is seemingly coming at an inopportune time, as fan attendance has risen to an average of 20,000 attendees per home game, double what it was before Clark took over. At 6-6, the team also finished with their best record in about 10 years, a sign they were finally acclimating to the Football Bowl Subdivision.
But if they no longer have a football program, they may have to leave the Conference USA, ESPN reported, which would effect UAB's other athletic programs, cheer squads and the marching band.
