The UFL’s off-season theme has been to make changes to improve the success of the Spring football league. Mike Repole has been a driving force behind those changes and hopes the adjustments he is making will improve the league’s on-field product and increase fan engagement. However, with changes to the league’s managerial structure, the UFL is undergoing sweeping changes to its teams’ coaching staffs. Earlier this week, Dallas Renegades coach Bob Stoops announced his retirement from football, and the following day, Birmingham Stallions head coach Skip Holtz announced he was leaving the organization.
Holtz leaves Birmingham as the most successful coach in modern Spring football history. While coaching the Stallions for four seasons, Holtz posted a 32-4 record and led the Stallions to three consecutive championships, including two USFL titles and the UFL championship in the league’s first year. The announcement that Holtz was leaving shocked UFL fans. It was even more shocking when UFL Insider James Larsen reported on his X account that A.J. McCarron could be the next head coach of the Birmingham Stallions. McCarron is a football icon in Alabama for leading the Crimson Tide to three BCS National Championships in 2009, 2011, and 2012, and he will likely create an immediate connection with the Stallions’ fan base.
Recently, McCarron decided to run for political office, seeking to be elected lieutenant governor. However, in the last few days, McCarron made the shocking announcement that he was withdrawing from the race for lieutenant governor to return to football. McCarron said in an interview with 1819 News, “With a double-digit lead in the polls and solid fundraising commitments lined up, I was eager to bring a fresh voice and new leadership to the Alabama State House, but football is calling my name once again.” McCarron also added that his new football position would require as much time investment as the political office, and he was choosing football.
Most recently, McCarron spent several seasons playing quarterback for the Saint Louis Battlehawks in the XFL and the UFL. Last year, McCarron chose to leave the Battlehawks and did not pursue another opportunity to play in the UFL. Previously, McCarron spent time in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders, Houston Texans, and Atlanta Falcons as a backup quarterback. McCarron is now a 35-year-old looking for a role in Alabama that allows him to serve the community outside of playing football.
McCarron would unify an Alabama fan base and potentially give the Stallions a big boost in community support. The last time McCarron played football in Alabama, he helped the University of Alabama Crimson Tide win three National Championships. Despite the Stallions’ outstanding results on the field, they have struggled to maximize their fan base in Birmingham, and McCarron could be a lightning rod that brings all Alabama football fans together to support the UFL.
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