A. J. McCarron

Raymond Anthony "A. J." McCarron Jr. (born September 13, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League (UFL).

McCarron was born to Dee Dee Bonner and Tony McCarron on September 13, 1990.

His younger brother Corey McCarron played tight end at Alabama but transferred to play fullback at Middle Tennessee State.

McCarron was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama.

He attended Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School from kindergarten to fourth grade before transferring to St. Paul's Episcopal School.

At the age of five, McCarron was severely injured in a jet-ski accident and almost died.

He first played football at Trimmier Park and then Langan Park in Mobile.

He played on the same park team as future college teammate Mark Barron.

During McCarron's junior season of high school, St. Paul's went 14–1 and went on to win the state championship against Briarwood Christian School off a missed PAT.

While attending St. Paul's, McCarron was recruited by several football programs in the Southeastern Conference, including Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

He committed to the Crimson Tide on May 3, 2008, becoming the only quarterback signed by Alabama for their 2009 recruiting class.

He capped off his high school football career at the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

In his first season at Alabama, McCarron accepted a redshirt and did not play during the season as the team went 14–0 to capture the 2009 National Championship over the Texas Longhorns.

During his redshirt freshman year, he did see some playing time, appearing in nine games as the Crimson Tide finished 10–3.

His first collegiate touchdown pass came during the season opener when he connected with wide receiver Julio Jones on a 29-yard pass against San Jose State.

He passed for a total of 389 yards and three touchdowns during the season.

Against Auburn on Alabama's last possession McCarron came in for injured starter Greg McElroy.

However, McCarron threw four straight incompletions to end the game as Auburn came back to win 28–27 after being down 24–0 in the second quarter.

His first interception, and Alabama's first loss, of the season came in the team's 10th game of the season.

In their first year in the SEC, Texas A&M and eventual Heisman-winner Johnny Manziel came into Bryant–Denny Stadium and upset Alabama 29–24.

McCarron's second interception of the game seemingly sealed Alabama's loss, as he threw an interception on a fourth & goal pass with under two minutes remaining.

After a tight competition for the starting quarterback position during spring practices, McCarron was named as the co-starting quarterback alongside Phillip Sims for the team's 2011 season opener versus Kent State, and later became the de facto starter by starting in every game.

In his first collegiate start, he passed for 226 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions as Alabama won 48–7.

His first road start for Alabama came the following week, as the Tide traveled to State College, Pennsylvania.

His performance of 163 yards with no turnovers helped Alabama defeat Penn State by a score of 27–11, which came to be the last loss for head coach Joe Paterno.

Another solid performance, alongside running back Trent Richardson, helped him get a victory in his first Southeastern Conference (SEC) start, a 38–14 win versus #14 Arkansas.

During the course of his sophomore season, McCarron helped lead the Crimson Tide to a 11–1 overall record during the regular season, including 7–1 record in conference.

Alabama's only loss of the season came during a 9–6 overtime defeat at the hands of #1-ranked LSU.

During the game, he completed 16-of-28 passes for 199 yards with one interception.

By remaining unbeaten during the rest of the regular season, Alabama again met LSU at the Superdome for the national championship.

His performance of 234 yards passing earned him Offensive Player of the Game in a 21–0 rout of the Tigers.

During his first season as starting quarterback, he passed for a total of 2,634 yards with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions and a BCS National Championship.

McCarron had a strong start in his second year as starting quarterback for Alabama as the Crimson Tide started off the season with a 9–0 record.

His good start to the season, including a comeback victory over LSU, had several media members put him as a dark horse candidate for the year's Heisman Trophy.

He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, becoming the first quarterback to win consecutive BCS National Championship Games with victories in 2012 and 2013.

He also received the Maxwell, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm, and Kellen Moore Awards.

Both he and Alabama rebounded to remain unbeaten during the rest of the regular season, which led them to the 2012 SEC Championship Game versus Georgia.

McCarron was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft and played four seasons as a backup.

He spent his next four seasons as a backup with the Oakland Raiders, the Houston Texans, and the Atlanta Falcons.

Following the 2021 NFL season, McCarron joined the Battlehawks of the XFL.