Report: Former Alabama, NFL QB AJ McCarron exiting race to be Alabama lieutenant governor
A little less than two months after announcing he would run for lieutenant governor in the state of Alabama, former Crimson Tide quarterback AJ McCarron is dropping out of the race. AL.com reported the news.
McCarron is apparently planning to rededicate himself to his football pursuits. He said that will require “100% of my focus, commitment and attention that I was to give to the office of lieutenant governor, so it is time to end my campaign.”
The former Alabama star, a three-time BCS national champion, was running as a Republican. The lieutenant governor position is Alabama’s second-highest office.
AJ 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, had 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 campaign.
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“Alabama’s conservative and cultural values are under attack from every direction,” AJ 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.”
AJ 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 AJ McCarron currently talks college football as part of The Dynasty podcast with fellow Tide alumnus 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.
On3’s Alex Byington also contributed to this report.