Former SEC quarterback accepts head coaching job in new career move

A former SEC quarterback has accepted a job to coach in a professional football league

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron (4) watches a replay in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 12 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023. The Steelers took a 16-10 win over the Bengals in Cincinnati. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

The college football coaching carousel is slowing down as the 2026 offseason draws near. But college is not the only level of football where teams have been searching for new coaches.

In the UFL, the Birmingham Stallions entered a brief head coaching search to replace the outgoing Skip Holtz. The Stallions had been to four consecutive league championships between their time in the USFL and UFL in Holtz's four years on the job, winning titles in three of those seasons.

The Stallions made a quick decision in hiring their next head coach, naming former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron the successor to Holtz.

McCarron had previously announced he would enter the race for lieutenant governor of Alabama, but bowed out due to what he called a "sports-related opportunity."

Former Alabama QB AJ McCarron was named today as the head coach of the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions.

— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) December 18, 2025

McCarron played for Alabama from 2009-13 under Nick Saban. Alabama won two SEC championships in those seasons, the second of which McCarron won as a starter against Georgia (32-28) in 2012.

The Crimson Tide also won national championships in three of McCarron's five seasons at Alabama, the last two of which McCarron was the starter for. He was named to the All-SEC and AP All-America teams in each of his final two seasons in Tuscaloosa.

The Cincinnati Bengals drafted McCarron at No. 164 overall in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft. In 10 NFL seasons, he played in stints with the Bengals, Bills, Raiders, Texans and Falcons.

While the UFL is a relatively new professional football league, McCarron has been involved with a team in the league before as a player.

Prior to 2024, the XFL and USFL existed as separate entities until they announced a merger on Dec. 31, 2023. McCarron played for the St. Louis Battlehawks in both 2023 and 2024. While the Battlehawks were still a member of the XFL, he led the league in passing touchdowns, completion percentage and passer rating.

St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback AJ McCarron (10) passes the ball against the Seattle Sea Dragons during the first half at Lumen Field. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

In the Battlehawks' first UFL season, McCarron threw for 1,758 yards and 16 touchdown passes while rushing for an additional 92 yards and a touchdown. The Battlehawks fell to the San Antonio Brahmas (25-15) in the XFL Conference Championship game.

St. Louis also lost to Birmingham (30-26) in a regular-season game on May 11, 2024. The game was at Protective Stadium, the place where McCarron will coach the Stallions in their home games.