Well, Alabama politics just got a whole lot more interesting — and let’s be honest, a whole lot more quarterbacked.
On Thursday, AJ McCarron, the guy who led Alabama to back-to-back national championships and once threw touchdowns like confetti in Tuscaloosa, officially announced he’s running for lieutenant governor of Alabama as a Republican. If that sentence made you blink, you’re not alone. Because this isn’t just another football star running for office. It’s a Heisman runner-up, Crimson Tide legend, and freshly retired pro athlete jumping straight from the huddle to the campaign trail.
And McCarron’s reason for running? That hit hard.
In his announcement, McCarron pointed directly to the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. This political murder rocked the conservative world and brought national attention to the rising threat of political violence in America. McCarron called Kirk’s death a turning point, saying it forced him off the sidelines and into the arena. And for anyone who thought he’d spend retirement coaching high school ball or selling insurance, he’s made it clear: this is about much more than a second act.
In his own words, Alabama’s “conservative and cultural values are under attack from every direction.” And honestly, he’s not wrong. You’d be hard-pressed to find a Southern state that’s had to fight off more federal overreach, coastal elite policies, and media scorn in the last five years. From D.C. mandates to progressive curriculum fights in the classroom, it’s felt like Alabama has been under siege. And now a household name — with a cannon arm and a deeply rooted Southern backbone — says he’s had enough.
🚨BREAKING: Former Alabama QB AJ McCarron just announced his run for Lt. Governor of Alabama, inspired by the tragic loss of Charlie Kirk. A political outsider stepping up, could this be a game-changer for the 2026 midterms? pic.twitter.com/ohJcyDxDrE
— 𝐃𝐔𝐓𝐂𝐇 (@pr0ud_americans) October 23, 2025
He’s not just calling out the left, either. In a not-so-subtle jab, McCarron said, “The Montgomery insiders and career politicians have had their chance.” Translation? The GOP establishment better buckle up. This isn’t your typical suit-and-tie conservative. This is someone who’s been in locker rooms, not boardrooms — who’s been on the field when the pressure’s real, the stakes are high, and the clock is ticking. And now he’s bringing that energy to the state capitol.
McCarron’s professional resume isn’t a footnote here, either. After being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2014, he bounced around the NFL, XFL, and even the UFL, finally wrapping up his football career in 2024. That means his campaign won’t just be a nostalgia trip for Alabama fans. It’s fresh. It’s current. And it brings something most politicians can’t offer: real-world, high-pressure leadership under the spotlight.
But he won’t be alone in this race. The 2026 lieutenant governor’s race in Alabama is already crowded — Secretary of State Wes Allen, Deputy Patrick Bishop, Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate, and a few others are all tossing their names in. And let’s not forget that Sen. Tommy Tuberville — another former football coach, albeit from Auburn (cue the boos) — is running for governor. That’s right. Alabama politics now reads like a Saturday SEC scoreboard: Bama vs. Auburn, all over again.
Still, don’t let the football credentials fool you. McCarron’s messaging is anything but fluffy. His campaign video was a direct call to action, not just to voters but to conservatives everywhere who are tired of being pushed around, talked down to, and told to stay quiet. It’s clear he plans to run as an unapologetic, Trump-era conservative — tough on the culture wars, skeptical of the establishment, and unafraid to challenge business-as-usual politics in Montgomery.
The question now isn’t whether McCarron can win. It’s whether Alabama’s political insiders are ready for the kind of momentum he’s likely to bring. Because if he can fire up voters the way he used to fire off 60-yard bombs, this race could get wild — fast.
And if you think this is just another celebrity vanity run? Think again. McCarron’s already shown he knows how to win when it counts. The only difference is that this time, the scoreboard reads Election Day.
