After months of rumblings and speculation, former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback AJ McCarron announced he is officially running for Lt. Governor of Alabama in 2026.

His campaign blasted out his announcement on Thursday morning, which included his first video advertisement, packed with political content, thus far unknown about the former NCAA, NFL and XFL quarterback.

“Even as a kid, I loved football because there was something special about joining the fight, taking charge, and motivating others to win,” McCarron says in the ad. “When Coach Nick Saban recruited me to play quarterback for the University of Alabama,  he taught me the principles of being a leader, and together, we won back-to-back national championships.”

McCarron’s campaign announcement strongly promoted him as being two important things in a political race in Alabama: A resident of the state and a supporter of President Donald Trump.

“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, but today, 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 of the sidelines, get into the game, and stand tall for our conservative beliefs, so today, I’m announcing my candidacy for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama.”

In his campaign announcement, McCarron was billed as an active, high-profile Alabamian who has stayed committed to his community.

He currently works as a popular college football analyst and co-owns McCarron Real Estate with his wife, Katherine Webb McCarron, who represented Alabama in the Trump-owned Miss USA pageant in 2012.

They reside in Mobile and have three young sons, aged nine, six, and four.

Now officially in the race, McCarron enters a field that includes two tenured and respected statewide elected officials: Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen and Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate.

Allen and Pate have been in the race since February and June respectively, and have both padded their campaign war chests with half-million-dollar fundraising hauls, ahead of the May 19, 2026 Republican party primary election.

At the top of the ticket, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) remains the definitive frontrunner in the 2026 governor’s race.

McCarron says he is tailormade to serve as the state’s second-in-charge executive official.

“The Montgomery insiders and career politicians have had their chance. It’s time for political newcomers and outsider candidates like me to lead the battle,” McCarron says.

“While playing for the Cincinnati Bengals, I endorsed Donald Trump in 2016 because he was an outsider candidate, and when Coach Tuberville is governor, I’ll be the quarterback who helps pass his conservative outsider agenda.”

The Lt. Governor presides over the Alabama Senate, can influence committee assignments under Senate rules, and is first in the line of succession to the Governor. The post has historically carried leverage over how legislation moves in the chamber. Outgoing Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth, who is term-limited in his seat, and opted to not run for Governor in 2026, has added new scope and authority to the office, such as his leadership in health, workforce, aerospace and military taskforces.

As for McCarron, his campaign launch draws a clear contrast between he and the rest of the field: He is not a politician.

“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.”

Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.