PAWTUCKET, R.I. (Sept. 30, 2026) – The United Football League today announced updated head coaching assignments for the 2027 season, with AJ McCarron set to lead the league’s new Rhode Island team.

McCarron enters his second season as a UFL head coach after leading the Birmingham Stallions in 2026. A three-time national champion at the University of Alabama, McCarron went on to an eight-year NFL career before becoming one of the UFL’s most accomplished quarterbacks with the St. Louis Battlehawks.

A native of Mobile, Alabama, McCarron led the Battlehawks to the 2024 UFL Playoffs and, during the team’s XFL Legacy season in 2023, led the league in passing touchdowns (24), completion percentage (68.8%) and passer rating (108.4%).

McCarron was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft and went on to play eight NFL seasons with the Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons. At Alabama, he won national championships in 2009, 2011 and 2012 and earned first-team All-America honors in 2013, when he received the Maxwell Trophy, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and Kellen Moore Award.

 
“New England fans are some of the most passionate fans in all of sports, and that passion is something I’m really excited to experience firsthand,” said McCarron. “Rhode Island has a proud sports culture and a fan base that appreciates teams that give everything they have every time they step on the field. I’m excited to bring this group to Rhode Island, rally this community around its new team and give these fans a team they can be proud to call their own.”

The 2026 Birmingham Stallions roster will join McCarron in Rhode Island for the team’s inaugural season.

Rhode Island UFL fans will get their first opportunity to meet their new coach and team next month. The UFL will unveil the Rhode Island team’s name, colors, logos and brand identity on Sunday, October 18, in a public event at Centreville Bank Stadium.

For more information on the UFL and its teams, please visit www.theufl.com.

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