If UAB’s 2026 football season goes as planned, Blazers defensive coordinator Todd Grantham may want to send Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Kaiir Elam a gift basket.
With help from Elam, Grantham and UAB landed Marshall defensive back Darrell Sweeting through the transfer portal. Sweeting, who began his career at Temple, joins the Blazers with two years of eligibility remaining.
Sweeting told Legacy Library that he received significant attention from Power 4 and mid-major programs during his brief stint in the portal. However, Grantham’s presence helped UAB stand out, especially considering that he’d coached Elam at Florida.
“I got to talk to Kaiir about the defense that he runs, and it fits in more in [alignment] with my game,” Sweeting explained. “Which is like a press man, get-in-your-face corner that can drop off in zones and read the QB.”
The 6-foot, 185-pound Sweeting joins the Blazers after a breakout 2025 season. He recorded 37 tackles and an interception in his lone season for the Thundering Herd.
Sweeting initially intended to return to Marshall, but the chance to play for Grantham was too much to pass up.
“I was the number one guy coming back,” Sweeting said. “I chose to believe in Coach Grantham and the coaching staff here at UAB.”
UAB is counting on Sweeting to build off all that he brought to Marshall last year. The Blazers open their 2026 campaign against Illinois on Sept. 3 and seek their first winning record since 2023.
That might sound like added pressure for a new arrival, but Sweeting is used to proving himself.
“I’m from West Palm Beach, Florida, and all we know is [to] compete in the South,” Sweeting said. “I’m becoming a [smarter] player, so I should be able to take the ball away this year and whatever year I play.”
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