2025, December 18th: McCarron Returns to Alabama to Become Head Coach of Birmingham Stallions

This will require some processing time. 

BIRMINGHAM, AL – The United Football League today announced that former Alabama Crimson Tide three-time national champion and former St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback AJ McCarron has been named head football coach of the Birmingham Stallions. The announcement was made by UFL President & CEO Russ Brandon. McCarron replaces Skip Holtz, who this week announced that he was stepping away from the team after four years as head coach of the team.

“AJ McCarron is a part of the fabric of winning football that is woven throughout the state of Alabama,” said Brandon. “It is only appropriate that a winner like AJ takes over the reins of the three-time champion Birmingham Stallions as they embark upon a new era.”

A native of Mobile, Alabama, McCarron was most recently the signal caller for the St. Louis Battlehawks (2023-24), leading the team to an appearance in the 2024 UFL Playoffs. During the team’s XFL Legacy era in 2023, he led the league in passing touchdowns (24), completion percentage (68.8%), and passer rating (108.4). 

McCarron is best known for being a part of three national championship teams at the University of Alabama under legendary Head Coach Nick Saban (2009, 2011, 2012). For his outstanding performance on the field in 2013, he received the Maxwell Trophy, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and the Kellen Moore Award. A first-team All-American in 2013 and a two-time All-SEC second team selection in 2012 and 2013, McCarron went on to an eight-year NFL career beginning in 2014 with the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, Houston Texas, and Atlanta Falcons.  

“I am excited about this new opportunity with the UFL,” said McCarron. “This game has given me so much as a player, and now I am ready to give back as a coach. It's even more special that I get to do that while representing my home state – a state that has supported me throughout my career. Our team will build upon the amazing legacy of Skip Holtz. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Holtz, what he has done for the league and for the Stallions. I am ready to put in the work that will continue producing championship wins for the city of Birmingham.” 

“We are so excited to welcome AJ as the new Head Coach of the Birmingham Stallions,” said David Dykeman, UFL Senior Vice President of Football Operations & Chief of Staff. “His success on the field has been achieved at every level and we know that it will continue as he becomes the leader of the Stallions. It is a great day for the Stallions and the State of Alabama.”

I understand that a developmental league can develop coaches as well as it can players. And McCarron's marketability is undeniable. 

But hiring someone with no experience to lead the league's most successful franchise is...a choice. Were there no young coordinators or position coaches waiting for their shot? 

McCarron was interviewed this morning on the McElroy and Cubelic show. The chat starts at about the 22:00  mark below. 

2025, December 16th: Skip Holtz to Step Away From UFL After Historic Championship Run

The Mike Repole-led UFL has been rather...chaotic...to this point. The Stallions, led by Head Coach Skip Holtz, appeared to have become a stable spot in a league still finding its way, but unfortunately that has turned out to not be the case. 

BIRMINGHAM, AL – Skip Holtz, head coach of the Birmingham Stallions, announced today that he will be stepping away from his role in the United Football League (UFL) to evaluate other opportunities following an extraordinary four-year run highlighted by three consecutive championships (2022-23 USFL; 2024 UFL). He leaves the UFL with a 33–7 regular-season record and 6–1 postseason mark. 

Statement from Heat Coach Skip Holtz

Coaching the Stallions has been one of the great honors of my career. I’m grateful for the players, staff, the City of Birmingham, and our passionate fans who helped create such a special and winning culture. What we accomplished together is something I’ll always treasure. 

I am not retiring. This is simply the right moment to pause, reflect, and look ahead. I’m excited about the next steps in my journey and energized by new possibilities. I look forward to seeing where this path leads. 


Statement from UFL President & CEO Russ Brandon

Head Coach Skip Holtz can be summed up in one word – Champion. When they write the first chapter of the history of the United Football League, Skip and his three-time champion Birmingham Stallions will be the first names to jump off the page. He leaves the UFL with the respect and gratitude of our owners, executives, coaches, players, and, especially myself. We wish Skip, his wife Jennifer, and their entire family the best of luck.

Before his championship run in the UFL, Holtz built an accomplished résumé across major college football. A former Notre Dame player who later served as an assistant and offensive coordinator for the Fighting Irish, Holtz went on to lead programs at UConn, East Carolina, USF and Louisiana Tech – winning 152 games overall with 12 bowl appearances (and eight bowl wins) in 17 FBS seasons and eight conference or divisional titles.   

After Holtz’s initial season at ECU, Holtz put together a run of four-consecutive bowl games with back-to-back Conference USA championships and a Conference USA Coach of the Year award.  Likewise at Louisiana Tech, after the initial season, he took the program on a run of 7-consecutive bowl appearances (winning six straight bowl games) including three consecutive nine-win seasons along with the program’s first 10-win season in 35 years.

"Goode job: Miles gets first win for new head coach"

Chris Goode's first victory at the head of the Golden Bears program seemed noteworthy, so we've copied the bulk of Miles' own summary of the game below.

Unfortunately, images have been difficult to come by, for some reason. The on Miles' website names TaRon Williams, but I was unable to find a website or social media account to link to.

The game took place on October 11th. Miles has won both games played since after a rough start to bring their record to 3-6 overall and 3-3 in the SIAC.

JACKSON, Tenn. -- Brinley Vandiver threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns and Miles never trailed en route to its first victory under head coach Chris Goode with a 23-13 win over Lane Saturday at Lane Field. The Golden Bears (1-6, 1-3 SIAC) broke a seven-game losing streak behind a defense that held the Dragons to 246 total yards, forced two turnovers and had four sacks.

Miles has had solid starts to games for most of the season and it was not much different against the Dragons. On the first two drives of the game, the Golden Bears were able to find the end zone to open a 13-0 advantage. Javontae Cooper forced a fumble on Lane's first drive of the game that was recovered by Ashton Whitfield. The offense methodically converted that turnover into points by going 57 yards in 11 plays, converting two third downs and a fourth down on the drive, which culminated in a 15-yard scoring pass from Vandiver to Marquez Mobley. 

Lane would drive the ball to the Miles 3-yard line in the second quarter but facing fourth-and-goal at the 5, the Dragons were stuffed when Jaylon Ruffin got a big tackle for loss on running back John Christian that turned the ball over to the Golden Bears.

The offense, again, responded with a long drive, going 91 yards in 10 plays. Vandiver hit three big pass plays - 18 yards to James Gatewood, 36 yards to Glen Williams, and 27 yards to Mobley - before running back Roderick Thomas capped the drive with a 2-yard scoring run. His fifth touchdown of the season gave Miles a two-touchdown lead with 4:47 left before the half.

The Dragons would get a late touchdown for a 13-6 halftime score but Miles struck big to start the third quarter. Vandiver connected with Williams for a 40-yard touchdown pass to up the lead to 20-6 at the 10:41 mark. It was the fourth consecutive game with a touchdown reception for Williams, all of them for at least 40 yards, and he finished with three catches for 96 yards, which broke his string of 100-yard receiving efforts at three games.

Lane continued to battle, getting a receiving touchdown by Christian early in the four quarter. But Miles Tory connected on a 30-yard field goal with just more than eight minutes remaining to make it a two-possession game.

The defense finished the job on the final two possessions, getting a combined sack by Khalil Golden and Christian Lee to force a turnover on downs, then a game-sealing interception by Curtis Bryant with less than a minute remaining to close out the Dragons.

Mobley had eight catches for a career-high 102 yards, Robert Williams had eight tackles (five solo) and 1.5 sacks, and Carson Pritchett added seven tackles (all solo) for Miles.

2012, Sept 29th: No. 13 Birmingham-Southern rolls past Austin College, 49-21

Today, we continue on with recording the results of Birmingham-Southern's highly successful 2012 season. The victory below brought the team to a 5-0 record and set numerous team records. It was BSC's fourth-straight win against Austin College, who were 1-3 coming in.

Senior quarterback Jimmy Stainback threw for 250 yards today and a single-game record three touchdown passes, going 12-17 with one interception.

Sophomore Sam Vermilyea also broke the single-game receiving yards record with 153, and an 83-yard pass from Stainback to Vermilyea in the first quarter broke the longest pass reception and longest pass completion records.

Junior kicker Ryan Laughlin also broke the single-game record for most extra points with seven, and junior Joseph Moultrie broke the record for longest kick return with an endzone-to-endzone touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

BSC scored the first three touchdowns of the game, all in the first quarter, beginning with a seven-yard run by Moultrie at the 3:52 mark. Vermilyea's 83-yard catch from Stainback came at the 652 mark, followed by a 74-yard punt return by junior Tyler Johnson, putting the Panthers up 21-0.

Austin got on the board at the 11:49 mark of the second quarter on a one-yard run by Bruce Murphy, but BSC responded with another Moultrie touchdown, this time on a six-yard scamper with 8:04 left in the half. The 'Roos put up another touchdown with 55 seconds left on a nine-yard run by Sean Sweeney, putting the score at 28-14 in favor of the Panthers at halftime.

Vermilyea caught a 64-yard pass from Stainback for the lone touchdown of the third quarter, and Austin scored its final TD of the game with 7:03 left in the fourth quarter on a 59-yard Murphy run.

Moultries 100-yard kick return happened on the ensuing kick-off, and Johnson caught an eight-yard pass from Stainback with 4:56 left in the game to put the Panthers up 49-21.

Birmingham-Southern recorded 410 total offensive yards (250 passing, 160 rushing), while Austin had 370 (103 passing, 267 rushing). The 'Roos had three more first downs than the Panthers with 19, and held the ball 17 minutes longer than BSC.

Moultrie led with 96 rushing yards on 15 carries, and Vermilyea led with his record 153 yards on three catches. Moultrie also led with 248 all-purpose yards.

Seniors Nick Gordon and Jeffery Steele led the Panther defense with 10 tackles apiece, and Steele led with two tackles-for-losses as well as an interception. Senior Zack Lambert also had a sack for a loss of 12 yards late in the game.

2023, June 3rd: Stars 24 @ Stallions 27

The UFL earlier today announced the three teams that would be joining the league following the demise of the Michigan, San Antonio, and Memphis clubs. Louisville, Orlando, and Colombus join the fun, while the Houston team rebrands back to the Gamblers name and the Arlington franchise is now known as the Dallas Renegades.

A lot to take in, and it all puts us in a mood to look at back at another game in the Stallions brief but successful history. The summary, image, and video below all look back on the team's early June 2023 victory against Philadelphia in week 8 of that season. 

Mark Inabinett for al.com:  The Birmingham Stallions defeated the Philadelphia Stars by three points in last year’s USFL Championship Game, and they did it again on Saturday in a clash between the league’s division leaders.

Tight end La’Michael Pettway caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Alex McGough with 28 seconds remaining to lift the Stallions to a 27-24 victory over the Stars on Saturday at Protective Stadium in Birmingham.

Deon Cain #85 of the Birmingham Stallions stiff arms Samuel Akem #84 of the Philadelphia Stars during the first quarter of a game at Protective Stadium on June 03, 2023 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by Alex Slitz/USFL/Getty Images for USFL)

After Pettway’s touchdown, Birmingham cornerback Nate Brooks intercepted Philadelphia quarterback Case Cookus’ long throw on the final snap of the game to end the only fourth-quarter possession that did not finish with points.

The Stallions took a 17-14 lead five seconds into the final period on McGough’s 10-yard TD pass to tight end Jace Sternberger. A 71-yard completion from McGough to wide receiver Davion Davis set up the score.

Philadelphia had to settle for a tying field goal of 25 yards by Luis Aguilar with 7:25 left after reaching first-and-goal at the Birmingham 9-yard line. Brandon Aubrey’s 41-yard field goal with 4:35 remaining put the Stallions up 20-17.

Three consecutive completions by Cookus moved the Stars 52 yards and back into the lead with 3:05 to play, with running back Dexter Williams scoring on a 7-yard reception.

A 23-yard McGough-to-Sternberger connection on fourth-and-8 with 46 seconds to play pushed Birmingham to the Philadelphia 12-yard line to set up the winning score.

McGough completed 24-of-35 passes for 333 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Davis had four receptions for 120 yards and one touchdown.

Stallions to sign WR Julian Hicks

Now that the UFL has announced which teams are relocating or folding, I guess it's safe to get into the Stallions again. It had previously been stated by new league investor Mike Repole that the team would return, but I was concerned about a last minute swerve. 

The league's free agency period began a few days ago. Damned if you'd ever know it judging from the lack of communication from the teams or the league.

There have been a couple of signings, apparently. LB Jordan Williams is said to be coming over from the relocating San Antonio Brahmas, another linebacker has been acquired in former Carolina Panthers draft choice Michael Barrett, and defensive tackle Shakel Brown, who played collegiately at Troy is on board for 2026 as well.

But I found this one to be the most interesting (so far).  

The young man has had a bumpy road. The text below is from this article by Bill Huber following Hicks' signing with the Packers.

As a graduate student at Albany in 2023, Hicks caught 50 passes for 820 yards (16.4 average) and 11 touchdowns. A big chunk of the production came in back-to-back game against New Hampshire and Rhode Island, with four catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns and seven catches for 188 yards and two more touchdowns in those games.

...

Albany reached the FCS semifinals; in the season-ending loss to eventual national champion South Dakota State, he caught seven passes for 76 yards.

At pro day, he measured 6-foot-1 7/8 and 201 pounds, with a 4.53 in the 40 and a 36 1/2-inch vertical.

It was a circuitous route to the NFL for Hicks, who played at Central Michigan in 2018 and Akron in 2019 in 2020. In 2018, the Chippewas went 1-11 and changed coaches. In 2019, the Zips went 0-12. In 2020, he caught two passes during the COVID-shortened season.

From there, he transferred to Albany. In 2021, he missed the start of the season due to thumb surgery. In his season debut, he stepped on a defender and tore a ligament in his ankle, which ended his season.

...

In 2022, he caught 24 passes for 345 yards. He had the only touchdown in a loss at powerhouse Baylor and scored the game-winning touchdown on the final play against Maine.

He seems like exactly the kind of player that the UFL is for; those that for whatever reason just need another opportunity to showcase their ability. Already looking forward to seeing how he does!

2025, Sept. 8th: "Brown Receives Multiple Player of the Week Honors"

I hadn't paid much attention to this blog throughout the summer, so I'll be doing some catching up over the next few days. 

The graphic and (abbreviated) text below are from Alabama A&M's website. 

Alabama A&M University redshirt senior quarterback Cornelious Brown IV earned multiple weekly honors on Monday, including being selected the STATS Perform HBCU National Player of the Week.

Brown, who also earned Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Offensive Player of the Week, BOXTOROW HBCU National Co-Player of the Week, and HBCU Legends Co-Player of the Week honors, racked up 329 yards of total offense and was responsible for five touchdowns as the Bulldogs defeated Alcorn State 41-31 in the Louis Crews Classic.

The Birmingham, Ala., native completed 25-of-34 passes for 260 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions and rushed the ball seven times for 69 yards and two touchdowns. His seven-yard touchdown run with 2:43 remaining in the first quarter broke a 14-14 (tie)...

We may be seeing Brown's name a whole lot more on here in the coming weeks; he was named the SWAC's co-offensive player of the week on September 15th as well.

"Entering second season with Birmingham Stallions, former WSU DB Daniel Isom maintains NFL dream"

The article below, released yesterday, was written by Stephen Hunt for the the Spokesman-Review as part of their coverage of Washington State football. You can read the full version by clicking this link. I'm unsure as to who gets credit for the photo, however. 

ARLINGTON, Texas – Last season, Daniel Isom showed little rust in playing his first football in two years with Birmingham of the United Football League.

Isom, a defensive back who played at Washington State from 2019 through 2021, had 11 tackles and one interception in 10 regular-season games (five starts) – including a key 48-yard game-tying interception return for a touchdown in a come-from-behind win over Michigan in the UFL semifinals.

His Stallions won the inaugural UFL championship game a week later, beating San Antonio 25-0 in the city where Isom was born and raised, St. Louis – the perfect ending to a great season for the 27-year-old.

“Yeah, I think the first year (in the UFL) was really good. I was really thankful for the opportunity to get my feet back under me,” Isom said. “I had dealt with some issues that led me to not play for two years, so it was good to get out and play ball again. Obviously, we had a great year as a team. We ended up winning the championship. We came together as a team and were able to get it done. This year, we’ll focus on doing the same thing, taking it day by day and coming together to win games.”

Prior to landing in Birmingham, the defensive back’s last on-field action had come with the Los Angeles Rams, a short stint in the NFL which was truncated by injury.

“It was a good time, a good opportunity. I ended up unfortunately getting hurt and having to leave, but it was a good time,” Isom said. “I learned a lot about the game of football, about myself. It’s led me to the opportunity I’m at now.”

Being away from football for two years showed him how much he’d missed the game and maybe even increased his love for the sport.

“I definitely gained some sort of extra appreciation from being away from the game and coming back and being able to accomplish all the things we were able to accomplish as a team,” he said.

With the Stallions, he’s playing for Skip Holtz, son of Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz. Skip Holtz took over as Stallions head coach prior to the 2022 season. It’s an experience he’s enjoying.

“I love his approach to the team. He wants us to be comfortable in our position on the team, never be too high or low,” Isom said. “We’re always worried about going 1-0 and what’s in front of us. The way he leads the team, he gives us a good way to lead our lives and worry about what we can take care of now.”

Isom arrived at Washington State in 2019 after playing his first two collegiate seasons at Northern Illinois and Iowa Western. He started the first five games that season before then-coach Mike Leach dismissed him from the program for “a violation of team rules.”

The following season, Leach’s replacement, Nick Rolovich, reinstated Isom, who was named Pac-12 honorable mention his senior season.

"Play It Again, Samford!"

My access to past high school and university yearbooks will come to an end soon, so I may do a run on that type of content in the coming days. 

The following images are snips from Samford's 1985 yearbook, the first following the program's return in 1984. 

"Tailback Greg Switzer goes off tackle for a long gain against Arkansas Monticello"

"Quarterback Tommy Bledsoe prepares to discharge the football down field while a fellow team(mate) protects him against the sack."

2011, Nov. 13th: "Doormat No More: Miles Wins Inaugural Title Game"

Not much to add here. The image comes from the Atlanta Constitution newspaper. The article did as well, originally, but I copied the version displayed in the Birmingham News because the layout was better suited to the task. 

1985, Jan. 3rd: "Stallions Make Rice No. 1 Pick"

Birmingham News coverage of the Stallions' draft results in preparation for the 1985 season. The last two images are from the January 4th edition.

2023, May 27th: "Stallions find that winning song, rock past Breakers to division lead"

Fox Sports' RJ Young provides the summary below of the Stallions win over the Breakers. 

Did I miss something? Did this game have a classic rock theme to it at the time? I have no idea why Young is referencing 70s songs all over the place, but I love seeing someone enjoy his work! 

Photography credit provided where available.

I've probably said it in an earlier post involving these two teams, but man, I loved to hate the Breakers for a variety of reason. Hopefully they are brought back some day.  

The Birmingham Stallions got it on, banged a gong, and sang that winning song after their 24-20 victory against the New Orleans Breakers on Saturday.

...

(Alex McGough) has proven to be the most valuable player in the Birmingham locker room since taking over the job due to a season-ending injury to J'Mar Smith. But he needed — needs — help. For the second week in a row, he received that from the run game and the defense.

McGough completed 16 of 23 passes and accounted for 198 total yards with two TDs against John DeFilippo's Breakers.

...

Defensively, Birmingham linebacker Quentin Poling, a native of Gomer, Ohio, rocked out with 11 tackles, including three tackles for loss, two sacks, and a fumble recovery in the win.

"We've been doing a great job as a unit," Poling said. "We just have to keep growing."

Despite out-gaining the Stallions 186-96 in the first half, not to mention converting seven of 10 third downs and getting off 40 offensive plays, the Breakers walked into halftime down 10-6 due to two costly turnovers. 

With outstanding field position after a Wes Hills fumble and a mistake by the New Orleans punt team, Birmingham needed just 21 plays to put double-digits on the field and build quite a bit of momentum. 

...

QB Alex McGough

Coming out for the third quarter, it was like Holtz looked down at the stat sheet, saw running back CJ Marable had just four carries, and decided to let the Chanticleer crow. Marable accounted for just 46 total yards against the Breakers a month ago, but he matched that on the ensuing drive alone.

Former North Carolina State running back Ricky Person finished what Marable started on that drive, punching it in to give the Stallions a 17-6 lead in the third. 

(Photo by Stew Milne/USFL/Getty Images USFL)

Marable ended the game with 23 touches for 138 total yards from scrimmage, his second straight game with 100-plus yards.

After a stop by the Birmingham defense on New Orleans' next possession, the Stallions looked to be putting a Ted Nugent stranglehold on the game. That's until Breakers defensive back Michael Stevens ripped the ball free of wideout Adrian Hardy to take over possession on the Birmingham 19 yard-line.

The turnover amounted to three points and put New Orleans back on the Stallions' scent, and here the Breakers come again now, baby. Or so Breakers fans thought, because on the next drive McGough and the offense made like they heard one guitar just blow them away, saw stars in their eyes and decided to become something like jukebox heroes.

McGough started rocking, up eight in the third, scrambling, dipping, ducking and diving to find La'Michael Pettway, and then Myron Mitchell, and then Jace Sternberger — twice — to extend the Stallions' lead to 24–9 with less than a minute left to play in the third.

(Photo by Stew Milne/USFL/Getty Images USFL)

(Bethel-Thompson) found wideout Lee Morris for six and then converted the two-point try with a pass to Surratt to make it a one-score game with 12:10 left to play, giving New Orleans fans permission to dream on.

After a defensive stop, the Breakers took possession of the southern rock on their own 35-yard line looking like making a bigger mess than George Thorogood & the Destroyers at a bachelorette party. The Stallions came up with a stop to force a 55-yard field goal but to close the game to 24-20 with 5:40 left to play.

DB Jojo Tillery, photo credit unavailable)

Four inches, fourth down, up four, 1:26 left to play, the Stallions let their defense finish the game. It was a fitting end for a team that had given up 45 points to New Orleans in Week 4.

Quincy Crawford to Tuskegee

The Tuskegee football program announced its list of signees for 2025 earlier this week, and it included a Birmingham player. 

The team's website also identified a receiver by the name of Ashten Long as being from Birmingham and playing at Ramsay, but that appears to be incorrect. 

2012, Sept. 22nd: "No. 18 Panthers remain undefeated with 16-2 SAA victory over Rhodes"

This game follows a 61-14 pounding of Ave Maria the previous weekend. While numerous records and standards were set in that game, Ave Maria was only in its second year at that point, and playing its first game of that season, making the accomplishments somewhat less impressive. 

Still, for record-keeping...

The Panthers broke the single-game scoring record (previously 54 points against Rhodes College on Nov. 5, 2011), the single-game touchdowns record with nine (previously eight against Rhodes on Nov. 5, 2011), and the single-game rushing yards record with 408 (previously 406 against Millsaps on Nov. 12, 2011).

Speaking of Rhodes, let's review how BSU reached the 4-0 mark that year. 84 below should be Aaron Sherrill.

MEMPHIS, Tenn.—No. 18 Birmingham-Southern opened Southern Athletic Association play with an 16-2 victory against Rhodes today at Crain Field in Memphis, Tenn.

The Panthers remain undefeated at 4-0, while the Lynx fall to 2-1. Today marks BSC's fourth straight win against Rhodes over the past six seasons. Today's game marked the first SAA game for both teams in their new conference.

BSC scored on its second drive, using four plays to score on a five-yard pass from senior Tyson Beacham to senior Aaron Sherrill. Junior Ryan Laughlin's extra point was good to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead at the 4:12 mark of the first quarter.

BSC led 7-0 at halftime but Rhodes got on the board in the third quarter. After a long drive by the Lynx to the BSC one-yard line, the Panther defense held steady and Rhodes turned the ball over on downs. BSC took over at their own one-yard line, and Rhodes was then able to get a safety, tackling senior Shawn Morris in the end zone, cutting the score to 7-2 with 7:39 left in the quarter.

The Panthers scored on their next possession on a 30-yard field goal by Laughlin to go up 10-2 at the 1:25 mark of the third.

In the fourth quarter, after another Rhodes turnover on downs, the Panthers drove 60 yards to score once more, this time on a one-yard dash by Morris into the end zone. BSC tried for the two-point conversion, but it was no good, and the Panthers led 16-2 with 10:34 left in the game.

...

Beacham was 7-9 for 48 yards with one touchdown; senior Jimmy Stainback also saw action and was 5-7 for 66 yards. Morris led with 76 yards rushing on 15 carries, and junior Matt Hansard led with 38 yards on two catches.

Senior Nick Gordon led the BSC defense with 10 tackles, including seven solo tackles, two sacks, two tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble and a pass break-up.

"Aydden Moody is coming to The Gump!"

This young man was the first player announced by Alabama State on Wednesday during signing day. One to watch!  

2023, May 20th: Birmingham Stallions 27 @ Michigan Panthers 13

The game summary below is by Josh Boutwell for the Troy Messenger. 

In light of how successful the Stallions have been, it's easy to forget that they were 3-2 at this point of the 2023 season after losing two of their previous three. The  got back on track against the Panthers and rolled from here on in.

The two sides exchanged field goals in the first quarter and the Stallions capped off a 14-play drive to open the second quarter with another Brandon Aubrey field goal to go up 6-3 with 10:16 left in the first half. After Michigan missed a 48-yard field goal attempt, Birmingham marched on a 10-play drive that quarterback Alex McGough finished off with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Zaquandre White to give the Stallions a 13-3 lead at halftime.

CJ Marable

The only score in the third quarter came on a Michigan 11-yard touchdown pass from Josh Love to Cole Hikutini with 4:09 to play in the period, cutting Birmingham’s lead to 13-10. 

The Stallions capped off an 11-play drive to open the fourth quarter with a 4-yard scoring pass from McGough to CJ Marable to extend the Birmingham lead to 20-10. 

After the Birmingham defense forced a three-and-out, White lost a fumble on Birmingham’s first play of the next drive. A 31-yard Michigan field goal cut the Stallion lead to 20-13 with 8:46 left. Birmingham answered with an 8-play scoring drive that saw McGough cash in a 10-yard touchdown run to secure the 27-13 for the defending champs.  

Birmingham rolled up 312 yards of offense, while the Panthers managed 295 yards. The Stallions tallied 190 yards on the ground, by far the best rushing performance of the season for Birmingham. Marable led the Stallion ground game with 100 yards on 18 carries, while also grabbing three catches for 16 yards and a score. McGough finished the game 19-of-24 passing for 133 yards and two touchdowns along with 11 carries for 82 yards and one touchdown. Adrian Hardy caught four passes for 37 yards.

2025, Jan. 28th: "Kevin Garver Named Pass Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach"

BIRMINGHAM – Head Coach Trent Dilfer has announced that Kevin Garver will serve as UAB's Pass Game Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach for the 2025 season.

Garver, who won Super Bowl LV as the Tampa Bay wide receivers coach in 2021, was on UAB's staff in 2024 as a senior offensive analyst working alongside the receivers and now takes over full-time duties leading that unit.

A Birmingham native, Garver served as the Buccaneers wide receivers coach from 2019-2022, and helped Tampa Bay defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl LV. While coaching Tampa Bay, Garver helped Mike Evans achieve four-consecutive 1,000 yard receiving seasons as Evans compiled 288 catches for 4,322 yards and 41 touchdowns during that span.

Prior to Tampa Bay, Garver was on staff with the Arizona Cardinals from 2013-2018. He started as offensive quality control in 2013 and progressed to the wide receivers coach for the 2018 season, working alongside future NFL Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald.

Garver began his coaching career at the University of Alabama as a student assistant from 2007-09, then served as a graduate assistant in 2010-11. He was an offensive analyst for the Crimson Tide in 2012, and overall he was a part of three national championship winning teams at Alabama.

In 2024 with the Blazers, Garver's unit accounted for 64.4 percent of UAB's completed passes (183 of 284 passes) and 19 of the 24 receiving touchdowns.

Garver is a graduate of Oak Mountain High School and earned a business marketing degree in 2009 and a master's degree in business marketing in 2011 from the University of Alabama.

Dr. Gregg Carr Elected to CFB Hall of Fame

The following biography for Dr. Gregg Carr was produced by the National Football Foundation. It was displayed, and copied from, the Auburn football website.

The heart of the Auburn defense in the early 1980s, Gregg Carr established himself as a hard-hitting and instinctive linebacker with game-changing playmaking abilities. The Birmingham, Alabama, native now becomes the ninth Auburn player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.

A consensus First Team All-American in 1984, Carr was Auburn's leading tackler as a sophomore (125 tackles), junior (136) and the second leading tackler as a senior (139). A two-time First Team All-SEC selection and 1984 SEC Lineman of the Year, Carr amassed 453 career tackles, currently ranking him second in school history. His career totals include 289 solo tackles, which also rank second in the school record books, and nine sacks. His 139 total tackles as a senior rank eighth in school annals for a single season.

Playing for College Football Hall of Fame coach Pat Dye, Carr helped the Tigers to a 34-14 record, a SEC title and victories in the 1982 Tangerine Bowl, the 1984 Sugar Bowl and the 1984 Liberty Bowl. His sophomore season, the Tigers beat archrival Alabama for the first time in ten years, handing Hall of Fame Coach Bear Bryant the final loss of his career. His junior season, the Tigers claimed the 1983 SEC title, the school's first conference crown since 1957. Auburn finished ranked No. 14 in 1982, No. 3 in 1983 and No. 14 in 1984 during Carr's run with the Tigers.

Carr, the 1984 team captain, also excelled in the classroom, boasting a 3.22 GPA in civil engineering. His combined academic and athletic accomplishments earned an NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award and recognition as an Academic All-American and as one the NCAA's Top Five Student-Athletes.

Drafted in the sixth round (160th overall) of the 1985 NFL Draft by Pittsburgh, Carr played four seasons with the Steelers. He graduated from the University of Alabama-Birmingham School of Medicine in 1994, and he is currently an orthopedic surgeon in Birmingham.

Carr was inducted into the State of Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2010, he was selected as a recipient of the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award as well as being honored as an SEC Legend.

2024, Nov. 23rd: "HISTORY!: Golden Bears get first NCAA D2 playoff win!"

In light of Head Coach Sam Shade's departure from Miles for the same position at Alabama A&M, let's look back at his last victory at the helm of the Golden Bears, since it was a historic one. 

Hosting its first-ever NCAA Division II playoff game, the Golden Bears leaned on a stifling defense...in a 14-13 win over Carson-Newman (9-3) in the opening round of the NCAA Super Region Two playoffs Saturday at Sloan-Alumni Stadium. The win was the first in the postseason for No. 22 Miles (10-2), which set a school record for wins in a season and extended the single-season school mark with its 10th consecutive victory.

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Carson-Newman was out of timeouts and Miles was looking to run down the clock. The Golden Bears faced a third-and-7 at their own 45-yard line. Jonero Scott, who had already scored a touchdown and finished with a team-high 48 yards on the ground, was looking to get a first down to effectively end the game. Even if he didn't make the line to gain, Miles could have pinned the Eagles deep with less than 10 seconds to go, making a victory seem inevitable.

Unfortunately, Scott coughed up the ball and the Eagles recovered at the Miles 41 with 1:01 to go. The celebratory mood on the sideline quickly changed. The defense had to get another stop and had little margin for error as Carson-Newman had a kicker that had range from nearly 50 yards and had just missed from that distance in the third quarter, hitting the cross bar.

But Miles stepped up to the challenge. After an incomplete pass on first down, the Golden Bears got pressure on Eagles quarterback Zane Whitson, who lofted a pass into the wind against double coverage. That's trouble against any team, even more so against one that leads the nation in turnovers gained and second in interceptions. This time, Malachi Oglen got his first interception of the season, bringing a sense of relief to the Golden Bears sideline and reigniting the celebratory feelings that had temporarily been erased.

Miles never trailed in the contest. On their second drive, the Golden Bears used a methodical 13-play drive that chewed up more than six minutes off the clock. The team converted on four third down plays, one coming on a big pass interference penalty, the other coming when quarterback Kamren Ivory found Jaquel Fells in the end zone for an 11-yard scoring toss to give Miles a 7-0 lead.

Photo by Adrenaline Shots

...C-N finished with 179 yards on the ground, almost 100 yards below its season average. Still, they were able to even the score when Jayden Sullins punched one in from two yards out on the third play of the second quarter.

The Golden Bears were hardly able to get their offense on track, mustering season lows in rushing yards (69), total yards (153), total offensive plays (53), and first downs (10). But the defense continued to do its thing, which led to an opportunistic second score.

Carson-Newman quarterback Justin Johnson appeared to have converted a first down on a 12-yard run on third-and-8. But Jeremiah Hudson-Davis (game-high nine tackles) popped the Eagles starting quarterback and defensive lineman Keith Green (four tackles, 1/2 sack) recovered (a fumble) at the C-N 34. It was the Golden Bears' 11th fumble recovery of the season - second in Division II - and Green's third, which is tied for the national lead in Division II. He returned it to the Eagles 22 which set the Golden Bears up with a short field.

Miles leads Division II in turnover margin (plus-23) and that became the difference on the scoreboard.  Ivory hit Travaunta Abner (game-high four catches, 36 yards) - a Carson-Newman transfer - with a 19-yard pass before Scott finished the drive with a 5-yard run for a 14-7 advantage with 4:09 left before halftime. The Eagles got a field goal at the horn but the Golden Bears went into the break ahead 14-10, making it 10 straight games that they have held a halftime lead.

The 10 (games) is also the length of the streak in which Miles had not trailed in the second half. But the Eagles had a couple of opportunities to end that stretch of success. On the opening drive of the second half, Carson-Newman attempted a 50-yard field goal but kicker Bennett Smith hit the crossbar and the attempt fell short. On the final drive of the third quarter, the Eagles traversed deep into Miles territory, setting up first-and-goal at the 5. But William Hardy (eight tackles, two tackles for loss) got a tackle for loss on the first play before a sack by JaMichael Rogers - his team-high eighth of the season - forced the Eagles to settle for a 29-yard field goal to preserve the lead.

Photography Credit

Alabama A&M Formally Introduces Sam Shade as Head Football Coach

Wow, it appears it has been longer than I realized since I last looked in on the various Alabama-based schools. I was not aware of this hire. Good for Coach Shade, this will make A&M very interesting to watch this fall. 

What follows is an abbreviated version of the press release issued January 6th. 

Photo credit unavailable

Alabama A&M University President Dr. Daniel K. Wims and Director of Athletics Dr. Paul A. Bryant welcomed new AAMU head football coach Sam Shade during an introductory press conference on Monday morning at the AAMU Event Center. 

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Shade is a winner at every level, from high school to college, having led Pinson Valley High School to a State Championship in 2020 and Miles College to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) crown in 2024. 

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Over the past three seasons at Miles, Shade compiled an 18-15 overall record and a 15-7 mark inside the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). In addition, his 2024 team won the conference title and reached the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs, falling to top-ranked Valdosta State in the second round. 

In 2023, the Golden Bears finished 7-3 overall, 6-2 in the SIAC. The season included the program's first win over Division I FCS opponent Alabama State and a 9.2 average margin of victory. It was a marked improvement over his first season in Fairfield, where Miles went 1-9 overall, 1-5 in the SIAC Western Division.  

Shade came to Miles after spending two years as head football coach at Pinson Valley High School, where he won an Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 6A state championship in his first season in 2020.

Prior to coaching, Shade played eight years in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals (1995-98) and Washington Redskins (1999-02). He was the Bengals' leading tackler in 1997 while ranking second on the team in 1998, and then he led the Redskins in 1999. 

During his NFL career, his defensive coordinators included NFL Hall of Fame coach Dick LeBeau as well as Mike Nolan, Ray Rhodes and Marvin Lewis. In April 2000, Shade received the Redskins' Unsung Hero Award for commitment and community service involvement.

Shade played collegiately at Alabama, where he was a member of the Crimson Tide's 1992 national championship team and was named a team captain as a senior in 1994. He was selected by the Bengals in the fourth round of the 1995 NFL Draft.

Following his retirement from the NFL, Shade began his coaching career as a volunteer coach at Briarwood Christian School in Birmingham, Ala., from 2004-08 before spending eight years at Samford, coaching the secondary and special teams. He would then move to Georgia State, where he coached cornerback. His career would send him back to the NFL as an assistant special teams coach for the Cleveland Browns before returning home to coach at Pinson Valley.

Shade is a Birmingham native who attended Wenonah High School, where he was the recipient of the prestigious Bryant Jordan Scholar Athlete Award, given to the state's top student-athlete. He earned his bachelor's degree from Alabama in business administration and finance.