Former Alabama, NFL QB AJ McCarron announces run for lieutenant governor in 2026

Three-time BCS national championship-winning Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron has announced plans for a 2026 run for lieutenant governor of his home state, according to WSFA-12. McCarron, a native of Mobile, made the announcement Thursday morning, declaring his intentions to run as a Republican candidate for Alabama’s second-highest office.

McCarron, who led the Crimson Tide to back-to-back BCS National Championships in 2011 and 2012 and won another ring while redshirting in 2009, cited the assassination of Turning Points USA founder Charlie Kirk for his decision to get into politics. He also credited U.S. President Donald Trump for “inspiring him to run for elected office,” according to a press release issued by his new campaign.

“Alabama’s conservative and cultural values are under attack from every direction,” McCarron said in his announcement, according to WSFA-12. “That’s why Charlie Kirk’s assassination affected so many of us so deeply. His example convinced me to get off of the sidelines, get into the game, and stand tall for our conservative beliefs, so today, I’m announcing my candidacy for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama.”

McCarron, a fifth-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, played nine seasons (2014-21 and 2023) in the NFL. He also played two seasons with the UFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks (2023-24) before returning home to Mobile.

The 35-year-old McCarron currently talks college football as part of The Dynasty podcast with fellow Tide alumn Trent Richardson and Alabama play-by-play broadcaster Chris Stewart, in addition to co-owning McCarron Real Estate in Mobile with his wife, Katherine Webb McCarron, the 2012 winner of Miss Alabama USA.

McCarron, a former Crimson Tide quarterback, will be running on the same Republican ticket as Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, the former Auburn head coach who announced his 2026 bid for Governor of Alabama in late May. Tuberville first entered politics in 2020, beating Democratic incumbent Doug Jones by over 20 points in that year’s election. Tuberville is running to replace current governor Kay Ivey, an Auburn alum, who assumed office in 2017.

“The Montgomery insiders and career politicians have had their chance. It’s time for political newcomers and outsider candidates like me to lead the battle,” McCarron said in his announcement Thursday. “When Coach Tuberville is governor, I’ll be the quarterback who helps pass his conservative outsider agenda.”

McCarron still holds the Alabama all-time record with 9,019 career passing yards and ranks third on the team’s career touchdown list with 77, 10 behind all-time leader Tua Tagovailoa. Alabama’s 2026 primary is scheduled for May 19.