(Photo credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images)

Former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron is running for lieutenant governor in the state's 2026 election, he announced Thursday.

The Mobile native and two-time national champion with the Crimson Tide released a statement on YouTube.

'When Coach (Nick) Saban recruited me to play quarterback for the University of Alabama, he taught me the principles of being a leader,' McCarron said. 'And together we won back-to-back national championships. And playing in the NFL reinforced the importance of achieving goals bigger than ourselves.

'My roots run deep in Alabama, and with my football career behind me, Katherine and I are raising our boys here, instilling in them our deep Christian faith and teaching them the fundamental morals that make this state so special.'

McCarron, 35, is the seventh candidate to declare for the election. All are Republicans and include Wes Allen, the Alabama secretary of state, and Rick Pate, the agriculture commissioner.

The primary election is May 19, 2026.

The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was a driving force in his decision to make his first run for public office.

'Alabama's conservative and cultural values are under attack from every direction,' McCarron said. 'That's why Charlie Kirk's assassination affected so many of us so deeply. His example convinced me to get off the sidelines and get into the game and stand tall for our conservative beliefs.'

The statehouse in Montgomery could have a football flair. Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the former Auburn head coach, is running for governor.

'When coach Tuberville is governor, I'll be the quarterback who helps pass his conservative, outsider agenda,' McCarron said. 'Alabama is my home. It's made me who I am, and I feel led from above to give back to the state that has given me so much.'

McCarron was the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback in the 2011 and 2012 seasons, which ended with BCS national championships, as well as in 2013.

He was selected by Cincinnati in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft and went on to appear in 19 games (four starts) for the Bengals, then-Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans through the 2023 season. He was the quarterback of the UFL's St. Louis Battlehawks in 2024.

--Field Level Media