Alabama football great A.J. McCarron is no longer running for lieutenant governor, his campaign announced today.
He’s instead pursuing a new opportunity in football. Details on that will be announced later, the statement said.
“… I was eager to bring a fresh voice and new leadership to the Alabama State House, but football is calling my name once again,” McCarron said in the written statement.
“My football position will require the same 100% focus, commitment, and attention that I was prepared to give to the office of lieutenant governor, so it is time to end my campaign.”
McCarron, the former quarterback who helped the Crimson Tide win two national championships, announced his bid for the statewide office in October, painting himself as a political outsider inspired by the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Alabama Daily News soon after reported that McCarron, 35, was so new to politics that he had only registered to vote for the first time just days earlier.
Earlier this month, his campaign reported $105,000 in contributions.
The 2026 GOP field for the state’s second-highest office is still crowded, including Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen,Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture Rick Pate, Nicole Wadsworth, Dean Odle and Patrick Bishop.
In his statement, McCarron criticized “Montgomery insiders.”
“They are building a new Alabama State House because the old one busted at the seams with all of the Montgomery insiders and career politicians packed inside, and while my job offer won’t allow me to run, it is time for political newcomers and conservative outsider candidates like Coach Tuberville to step forward and lead,” he said.
“I have a deep desire to help create an even better Alabama for Tripp, Cash, and Cruz, our three sons that Katherine and I love so much, so I may return to the political playing field once my career on the football field has truly run its course.”