Reviewing The Birmingham Stallions 2026 UFL Season

As the Birmingham Stallions turned the corner and entered the 2026 UFL season, there were more questions about the organization than answers.

Skip Holtz was gone. J’Mar Smith and a good chunk of veterans were nowhere to be found. The “Stallions Culture” that had been built over the last four years – including three Championships and four division titles – was in the balance.

Out with the old, in with the new. The UFL appointed A.J. McCarron, the former Alabama star quarterback, as the team’s Head Coach. With absolutely zero experience as a coach, having just wrapped up his playing career in the UFL two seasons ago, it was unclear how things would go for A.J. entering this new space.

With a mostly new roster, a refreshed coaching staff, and a team’s existence that was threatened by Mike Repole – it was bound to be a rather unique ride in Birmingham this year. And it most certainly was.

The Matt Corral Era

Over the past two UFL seasons, Matt Corral has never been “the guy” in Birmingham. Battling with Alex McGough, Adrian Martinez – and then injuries – he never truly had the chance to be the mainstay at QB1 that the former NFL draft pick had hoped.

However, things were different this year. The Stallions had all sorts of VISA issues with Taylor Elgersma, and Jaren Hall walked away before the season even began. This resulted in Corral being the bonafide QB1, taking the reins in Tyler Siskey’s offense from the get go.

While week one wasn’t incredibly special by any means, Matt flashed his talents throughout the night. He led the team on a game-winning drive on the road in Louisville, finding Justyn Ross for the go ahead score late. The win sparked what some thought could be another winning streak for the Stallions, something these fans have been accustomed to over the years.

Blown Leads, Lost Confidence

That would be far from the case. Week two told an entirely different story. On the road in Houston, the Stallions had firm control of this game, moving the football with ease. However, two boneheaded interceptions from Corral allowed the Gamblers to hang around, and they would ultimately put a dagger in Birmingham with a walkoff winner from John Hoyland. Birmingham’s defense had three stops on the final drive, but all were negated by penalties.

The following week in St. Louis, the script would flip. While the defense had held up a week ago (for the most part), they were not ready for the Harrison Frost experience…well, let me rephrase that. They actually *were* ready, as Birmingham intercepted both of Harrison’s first two pass attempts.

It still wasn’t enough. Frost & Co. scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone, and despite scoring 30 points of their own, the Stallions found themselves on the losing end, with former Birmingham CB Nevelle Clarke making the winning play for St. Louis.

The Bitter End For Corral

Hype abounded ahead of Birmingham’s week four opener. The fan turnout was the best we’ve seen in years. A.J. McCarron was making his return to his home state – this time as the Stallions Head Coach. On a two game losing streak, surely they would get back on track at home, in front of 18,000 fans…right?

Wrong. The Stallions played the worst game of their entire existence. Birmingham was shutout by Anthony Becht’s Orlando Storm at home, as Corral was benched for Michael Hiers in what was an abysmal offensive performance. Matt couldn’t find open receivers to save his life, despite plenty of opportunities being available. A.J. and Siskey had already been losing confidence in Matt, which had a ripple effect that only a blockbuster trade could handle.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson: A Spark

Speaking of blockbuster trades, the Birmingham Stallions made a move. They traded Matt Corral, and star DL Amani Bledsoe to the Storm, in return for Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The former Browns starter in the NFL was dying for an opportunity in the United Football League, having lost the competition in camp to Jack Plummer in Orlando.

DTR was immediately inserted into the starting lineup. Despite a 45-28 loss to DC, it did feel like the page may be turning. Dorian brought fresh life to this organization. There was energy. There was production. And, most importantly: the vibes were coming back.

It would all peak for the Stallions in week six. In a rematch against Becht’s Storm, in Orlando, DTR went crazy against his former team. He would be talking all sorts of smack as the Stallions delivered blow after blow, eventually forcing Orlando into surrender on their home turf.

Remarkably, the momentum came to a halt…even though they won two more games. Sure, they knocked off Dallas at home with a late comeback in overtime, but it was clear that things still weren’t fully panned out on either side of the ball.

This was evident in their week eight win over Columbus. The Stallions managed to score just 14 points, largely boosted by the efforts of Steven Gilmore, who blocked and returned a field goal to the house himself to give the Stallions a late two score lead.

At 4-4, Birmingham needed to lock in to an entirely new level to keep their hopes alive, as the Kings were hot on their tail at 4-4 in their own regard.

Lackluster Collapse

Birmingham controlled their own destiny. If they could manage to win out, they would be in the playoffs. Facing off against Columbus for a second straight week, the Stallions were in the drivers seat in the second half, seemingly ready to pull away for another victory.

Then, Jalen Morton appeared. The former Stallions QB put together a Cam Newton-esque highlight reel, and after a couple of backbreaking mistakes from DTR, Birmingham found themselves on the losing end of another late blown lead on the road.

Fast forward to week 10, and everything was on the line. At home, in a rematch against Houston, the Stallions fell flat yet again. They were shut out in the first half, hearing boos from the crowd walking to the lockers. That wouldn’t spark much, as they lost by double digits at home to a team that had already been eliminated, and were resting a few of their All-UFL pieces. It was a brutal end to a very strange year. For the first time in franchise history, the Stallions had a losing record at the end of the season.

Standout Playmakers

WR Jaydon Mickens: One of the constants throughout the year was Jaydon Mickens, who laid it all out on the line for Birmingham. The veteran was more than just a player, but also was a leader on and off the field. Mickens racked up 588 receiving yards and two touchdowns this season. His efforts were crucial during their week seven win over Dallas.

DT Isaiah Coe: While he was cut early in the year for Perrion Winfrey, Coe returned and made an immediate impact. He wasn’t perfect, but Isaiah brought energy and legitimate playmaking abilities to the interior line for Birmingham. When they needed a play, Coe seemed to show up on a multitude of occasions. He had nine pressures, two sacks, and seven defensive stops in just six games.

LB Tae Crowder: Tae led the UFL in tackles this year (84), as an integral piece to a defense that never really found their mojo. Crowder was as consistent as they come, though, with two interceptions and 25 defensive stops to his name.

LB Kyahva Tezino: Tezino, another spring football veteran, made an impact. He racked up 68 tackles, forced three fumbles at crucial points this year which all assisted in wins, or at least keeping the game within arms reach.

Major Takeaways

While we covered some of Birmingham’s offensive flaws, the storyline that went unnoticed was the defensive issues all year long. Kevin Sherrer took over as the team’s Defensive Coordinator, and we saw a major dropoff in Birmingham’s efficiency on defense compared to what Corey Chamblin produced previously.

The Stallions allowed 328.4 yards per game, ranked eighth in the UFL. Generating pressure wasn’t really in their vocabulary, either, with just 17 sacks on the year – tied for last. That lack of a consistent edge rusher presence was noticeable all season long. Opposing quarterbacks took advantage of it, as the secondary couldn’t help but break down. Takeaways were the one thing that kept this Stallions defense relevant, with 10 interceptions and six recovered fumbles.

What does need to be addressed: Birmingham’s offensive line was absolutely riddled with injury on the backend of the year. They lost four of their starting O-Linemen, which led to pain and misery for DTR the final few weeks. Birmingham’s offense was already rather predictable, and due to the limitations they faced in the trenches, Houston and Columbus capitalized the final couple of weeks.

Had Birmingham been able to stay healthy offensively, this team was more than talented enough to be above .500. RB Anthony McFarland has now missed 50% of matchups for three straight seasons. Because he can’t stay healthy, teams can’t rely on his playmaking abilities. It’s a shame, because McFarland truly is one of the best backs in the UFL when he’s on the field.

McCarron may want to rethink his coaching style. This team had little camaraderie from start to finish. Obviously, he takes heavy inspiration from Nick Saban. However, blowing up at your team nonstop might not be the way to go about it – especially when you have zero coaching accolades to back it up.

The Future Ahead

The Stallions have plenty of questions to answer in the offseason. For starters, QB will need to be addressed. If Dorian Thompson-Robinson comes back, that would be a good thing. Having a full camp would be beneficial for DTR to be more comfortable. With that said, the team desperately needs a security blanket – Donovan Smith and Michael Hiers cannot be the two backup options.

It’s unclear as to which offensive pieces will return. The talent is there. Heck, the Stallions quite literally cut John Ross and Leviska Shenault during the season – which speaks to what they already had rostered. The final results don’t show it, but McCarron & Co. did put together a pretty dang good roster.

Defensively, Birmingham must see an overhaul. McCarron may want to look for a new defensive coordinator. Sherrer’s group was incapable for a large chunk of the year, despite the pieces they had on that end. Special Teams is also a question mark, as neither Jonathan Garibay or Anders Carlson provided any stability at kicker.

For those wondering about A.J., he does plan to return. He signed a two year contract with the UFL prior to joining the league. As long as the UFL doesn’t move on from A.J. (or Birmingham, for that matter) – he will be back.

“I signed a two year contract. I’ll be back…we all expect to win. You live and you learn. It’s part of it. Everything is not going to be perfect. I thought, when we hit our groove, and started playing well with that three game win streak, the injury bug popped up and started attacking us pretty bad. It’s tough. In this league, these teams are built off of D-Line, and O-Line. When four of your starting O-Linemen go down in three weeks, it’s hard to be successful.” – HC A.J. McCarron

Final Thoughts

This was an odd year in the UFL. For the first time in modern spring football history, the playoffs took place without the Birmingham Stallions in it. This is a season that this organization will want to put behind themselves sooner rather than later. It was not pretty, in any regard, from start to finish.

What are your thoughts on how the Birmingham Stallions season went in 2026? What needs to change heading towards 2027? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!