Over the course of the past few months, the United Football League (UFL) has attracted some unique and engaging personalities. Tyler Siskey, Offensive Coordinator for the Birmingham Stallions, fits that bill.
We had the privilege of catching up with Siskey during the UFL’s media outing today, learning more about his approach to spring football, and why he decided to take this gig.
To start with, he’s one of A.J. McCarron’s “homeboys”, for lack of a better term. The two have been close for quite some time, and now have the chance to work together professionally for the first time. With McCarron at the helm as Head Coach, it was an easy decision for Tyler to team up with AJ in the UFL.
“I probably wouldn’t have done this if it wasn’t AJ and our relationship. I’ve got a good life at home. Got a wife and three kids, and I’ve never been out of football with what I do for my daily job. Transitioning into being a civilian and a father, it’s been rewarding. As a coach, you think you’re being a dad – but you’re not. You’re an absentee father. You have very little time with your family. Every year, I get chances to go back, but it always starts for me with who the Head Coach is, and if they understand the importance of family.”
For Siskey, it’s been quite a while since he has called plays. Tyler was primarily involved in football ops and recruiting during his time at Alabama and Ole Miss, but now returns to coaching and running an offense, something he hasn’t done since 2012.
Getting back into this space has been a blast for Tyler. He’s a football guy through and through, and being able to work with pros this time around has been an enjoyable experience:
“Personally, I’ve had the most fun I’ve ever had coaching. For one, I’m working with professional athletes. I’ve been curious about all the college guys that go to the NFL. Obviously, there’s no recruiting like in the new system in college with NIL. The biggest thing for me, that I’ve gotten out of it – this is kind of like ‘Last Chance U’ for a professional football player. Their mentality – you get their best every day. They com prepared every day. It’s been a pleasure to coach.”
Talent-wise, he believes that the UFL this year will top anything we have seen yet in the spring football space.
“From a talent level, I think the talent in the league is ten-fold what it’s been in the past. During the draft process, I got to watch every rep of every game from last season. Just seeing the difference in talent level this year, compared to the past – leaguewide it’s something that’s very impressive and fun to watch.”
Of course, we wanted to get a feel for where the team is at when it comes to quarterback play. With Matt Corral, Taylor Elgersma, and Michael Hiers in the building, Siskey has quite a bit of talent to work with, albeit some development along the way.
“We got a lot of talent with Taylor, Matt, and Michael. I think, early on installing the offense, understanding what I want out of the offense, probably the first 10 or so practices there was a lot being thrown at them. I’d say about that 11th practice, that light came on. Every day, we’ve gotten better, but the last 7 or 8 days, all three of them have been playing at high level. Once the picture gets put together, we’ll get even more out of those progressions.”
Siskey didn’t give us many hints as to who the starter will be. That said, based off of our conversations with Tyler and HC A.J. McCarron – we’d predict that Corral is leading the way, with Elgersma in a close second – and Michael Hiers right behind him. Of course, no true announcement has been made quite yet.
Protecting the quarterbacks will obviously be a big piece to Birmingham’s identity, as it always has been. They’ve got a lot of new, fresh faces this year, but Siskey’s evaluation of the offensive line unit has been nothing but positivity so far.
“I’m very excited about our O-Line, it makes me sleep well at night. I’d be disappointed if they didn’t view themselves as the best in the league at the end of the year. We’ve got that much depth. They’re tough, they’re physical, they understand protections and they understand all of those variations. In the run game, they’re very good. We have intelligent centers. For a group that’s only been together for 21 days, they look like they’ve been together for years. I’ve never seen a team become a team so fast.”
Fans may be curious as to what this Stallions offense will look like in 2026. It’s going to be strange with Skip Holtz no longer in the picture, given what he was able to accomplish on a yearly basis with this team.
Tyler is confident that they will be able to produce, but he’s also looking to cater his offense towards his players in the best way possible to prepare them for the NFL.
“It’s going to be night and day. There’s probably not an offense in the league that’s going to run what we do. It’s going to be a mix of what you see in the college game, and what you see in a pro system. Trying to be smart. I had to rename a lot of my terminology. People in the NFL, they run inside zone, they run outside zone. They run hitches, go’s, etc. The way we call our plays offensively, I wanted it to be similar to the NFL. Even going as far as how we label positions. So, when our players get the chance to go to the NFL, they’ll be able to adapt faster.”
Cutting this roster down is going to be nearly impossible, especially for Birmingham. From top to bottom, they’ve got incredible depth. As Coach McCarron told us a week ago, there’s not a single “bad apple” on this team.
“We’ve had to have difficult conversations about every single room on offense. We’ve got a lot of talent. Not only do we have to get down to 50 from 64, but on gameday you gotta get down to 43 active. Trying to get the mix of guys in there, who work together the best with the most upside. It’s tough. There’s going to be good players that we have to let go of. We’re going to have some difficult decisions to make.”
For players who might be in the bubble, it’s likely going to come down to whether or not they can play special teams.
“You always have players who are going to make the team, but on the bubble, you gotta look at guys who can play three spots. Guys who can be versatile. He’s gotta be a core player on three teams. It’s the one thing I would tell my guys in college, you get these guys who are 5-star guys – they’ve been ‘the man’ their whole life. But, once you go to the NFL, if you’re not WR1 or WR2, you have to play teams. So, getting those guys – if they want to make money, they have to learn how to play teams. I can’t tell you how many guys over the years, who were really good players, better than the guys who were playing on Sunday, didn’t have a job because they didn’t play teams.”
When it comes to roster security, one player who we can guarantee will be in Birmingham: Anthony McFarland. Siskey was incredibly high on what he brings to the table, shocked that McFarland isn’t in the NFL right now.
“I have no idea why Anthony McFarland is not in the NFL. None. I’ve coached a bunch of guys at that position. I’ve been with Derrick Henry, Alvin Kamara – I’ve seen NFL backs. He’s a complete player. Anthony is a three down back. He can pass protect. I would be shocked if he’s here next year. I’m very glad we have him on our team. He’s as good as any back I’ve ever been around.”
The Stallions will have to cut down their roster tomorrow to 50 players. Then, it’s time to prepare for kickoff – as they hit the road to take on the Louisville Kings on March 27th. To secure your Birmingham Stallions tickets, click here.
Are you excited to watch Tyler Siskey and this offense in Birmingham this year? Will the Stallions win over five games? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
