Son of former NFL insider gets college football head coaching job
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
The son of a late ESPN legend is being tabbed for a college football head coaching job.
UAB is reportedly hiring the 40-year-old Alex Mortensen as the program’s head coach, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Alex Mortensen is the son of former ESPN reporter Chris Mortensen. Alex Mortensen served as UAB’s interim head coach this season after Trent Dilfer was released after a 2-4 start.
Mortensen helped lead UAB to one of the biggest upsets of the season when the Blazers upset Memphis on Oct. 18.
His father, Chris Mortensen, died in 2024 after a battle with cancer. He worked for ESPN as an NFL insider from 1991 through 2023.
UAB went 2-4 in Alex Mortensen’s 6 games as interim head coach. The Blazers are 11-25 since transitioning from Conference USA to the American Conference. UAB has yet to reach a bowl game in that span.
Mortensen has served as UAB’s offensive coordinator since 2023. UAB’s offense peaked in 2023 under Mortensen when the Blazers ranked 3rd in the AAC in yards per play.
Prior to UAB, Alex Mortensen worked for Nick Saban at Alabama from 2014-2022 in a variety of positions.
