Before the season, I speculated that the Birmingham Stallions had the deepest QB room in the UFL. They’ve needed every bit of that depth this season.
Alex McGough has been in IR since week one.
Matt Corral stepped in for three weeks. He got progressively better each week, but went down in week 4.
Case Cookus was forced to step in and looked good at times, but was inconsistent in last week's loss to Memphis.
All three QBs have had their good moments, as well as their struggles. That begs the question: If they’re all healthy, who should be the starter?
By The Numbers
Let’s start by taking a look at the stats.
Corral:
- 53.7% Completions
- 648 Yards Passing
- 4 TDs
- 4 Ints
- 91 yards Rushing
Cookus:
- 45.7% Completions
- 181 Yards Passing
- 2 TDs
- 1 Int
- 82 Yards Rushing
McGough:
- 41.7% Completions
- 89 Yards Passing
- 1 TD
- 1 INT
- 85 Yards Rushing
A couple of things jump out to me:
- Each QB needs to do a better job of taking care of the ball. The Stallions have had at least 1 INT in each game this year. That needs to improve.
- All three QBs have had some success with their legs. That’s been a big part of the Stallions’ offensive success for years. While each QB can make big throws, they will all need to use their legs at least a little to find success.
Matt Corral
Matt Corral’s 2025 season is a story of growth.
He struggled a bit with his reads in the beginning, but has gotten progressively better with each start.
His reads against the Roughnecks were solid, and he finally got going with his legs (52 yards). The one negative was that he missed some throws. If he improves his accuracy, he has a chance to see sustained success.
Case Cookus
I had high hopes for Cookus coming into week 5. It’s not often you see a backup with as much experience as him.
Unfortunately, it was a rough game for him. He only completed 45% of his passes, and he had a costly interception.
But it was his first start of his season. Even with his level of experience, it’s a lot to ask a QB to go from QB 3 to QB 1 in just a couple of weeks.
It wasn’t all bad, though. Cookus surprised a lot of people with his legs. He’s generally thought of as the least athletically gifted of the quarterbacks. That didn’t stop him from rushing for 83 years against the Showboat.
Given more time to get comfortable, I would expect him to look greatly improved, similar to Corral.
Alex McGough
Week one was a rough passing day for Alex McGough.
He almost had more rushing yards than passing (84 vs 89).
But, given his past success, it’s safe to say he would have found more success if given more time.
If he can get things going with his arm, it opens up his legs even more.
His legs are his biggest asset. Cookus and Corral are both athletic enough to take free yards when the defense provides the opportunity. McGough is athletic enough to create opportunities even when the defense doesn’t give him any space.
My Rankings
So, who should be QB1?
If everyone is healthy, here’s how I would rank them.
- Corral
- McGough
- Cookus
The Corral that played against the Roughnecks was he best QB play the Stallions have had all year. He consistently made good decisions and was aggressive with his legs at the right moments. If he improves his ball placement, he can lead the team far.
McGough would almost certainly play better and better given more time. But, with no word on if and when he’ll be available, there might not be much time for him to get comfortable.
Cookus made some big throws, but was too inaccurate. He will likely get another chance as a starter in the UFL if he wants it. But if everyone is healthy, it probably won’t be this season.
These are just my thoughts about the QB play so far this season. Let me know in the comments what I got wrong.