AJ McCarron announces run for Alabama lieutenant governor
Former Alabama national championship-winning quarterback AJ McCarron on Thursday announced he is running for lieutenant governor in 2026.
The Mobile native and former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback had also reportedly been considering whether to run for U.S. Senate.
McCarron will be up against Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, Alabama Secretary of Agriculture Rick Pate, and commercial realtor Nicole Wadsworth in the lieutenant governor’s race.
Former Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill has also been said to be considering a run.
An All-State football and baseball player at St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Mobile, McCarron was a member of three Alabama teams that won the BCS national championship.
He served as the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback for the title teams for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
McCarron won the Maxwell Award as the outstanding college player of the 2013 season, when he also was the runner-up in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy.
He last played football in 2024, when he quarterbacked the United Football League’s St. Louis Battlehawks in the league’s playoffs.
Since then, McCarron has talked football in a variety of media settings and most regularly on “The Dynasty: A Podcast on the Alabama Crimson Tide.”
McCarron, former Alabama All-American running back Trent Richardson and Crimson Tide announcer Chris Stewart provide the personalities for the podcast.
He has largely stayed out of politics until this year’s Mobile mayor race, where he endorsed eventual winner Spiro Cheriogotis.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.