AJ McCarron spent nine years in the NFL before he took the Birmingham Stallions job. He carried that background into his first season as a head coach, and he says it points to a better 2027.
McCarron spoke Saturday, July 18, at his 11th annual free football camp at Mobile Christian School's Harrison Field in Mobile. Talking with Mark Inabinett of AL.com, he reflected on a first year that ended one game short of the playoffs.
A 4-6 first season
Birmingham finished 4-6 in 2026. A three-game win streak moved the Stallions into playoff range, then the team lost its final two games. The season ended May 30.
McCarron ties the record to the calendar. The UFL named him coach on Dec. 18, 2025. He had no coaching experience and ran the offseason as the team's de facto general manager. The quarterback draft came Jan. 9, regional allocations Jan. 10, the unprotected-player draft Jan. 13, and the free-agent draft Jan. 14. He built the staff and the roster inside three weeks.
"I had to do everything within about a three-week span last year. I had two weeks to hire a coaching staff, and then that third week, we had to be ready for a draft. This year, just having more time to be able to prepare and take the time to kind of do some more digging and understanding of what we need throughout the year."
He told Inabinett the added months should show up on the field.
"And listen, experience always helps you, so I think we'll be much better next year."
A player's coach, not a Saban copy
McCarron coaches from his own playing career. He was the quarterback at Alabama under Nick Saban. The Cincinnati Bengals drafted him in the fifth round, 164th overall. He also played in the UFL before he moved to the sideline. In his interview AJ McCarron: From Saban to the Stallions, he described himself as a player's coach and drew a line between his style and Saban's.
"So many guys try to be Saban, and they're just not genuine. That's not me."
His time with Saban shaped how he thinks about the job. McCarron spent Sundays watching film with Saban from his recruitment through his last game at Alabama, and he has described it as a father-son bond. That closeness is the backdrop to the on-field slap from Saban during a game against Mississippi State, which McCarron has waved off.
"I grew up in the South. Like, getting a belt to the ass was nothing."
He connects his approach to the city.
"I want to match this city. I think of blue-collar, hardworking people that just want to go out and provide for their family."
He asks the roster for a brotherhood and a focus on daily work over quick results.
Time to reflect, then reset
McCarron told Inabinett he used his drive home to review the season. UFL teams practice in Dallas.
"I drove to Dallas, so I had 10 hours to think and talk and figure out about things that went great and things that I could change."
He also separates the job from his family.
"I've learned throughout my career, when you get home, you got to learn to separate the two. So I focus on my kids. I was gone for five months, and they don't need me worrying about football when I get home. Like, I need to be dad, so that's what I enjoy doing."
Birmingham's roster stays frozen until August. Free-agent searching starts then.
"Our roster is frozen until August, and then in August, we can start at least searching for free agents and everything."
McCarron enters his second season with a full offseason to study the roster and add players, a change from the schedule he faced in December 2025.