Where Do The Birmingham Stallions Go At Quarterback In 2026?

The Birmingham Stallions have had a long history of successful quarterbacks within this space. From the heroics of J’Mar Smith in 2022, to the MVP seasons of Alex McGough and Adrian Martinez – Skip Holtz and his GM’s have consistently attracted quality signal callers to the roster.

However, this past season was a trying campaign for Birmingham at the position. They dealt with injury after injury, playing five different quarterbacks – and still managing to win seven games. It’s the Birmingham way. No matter who’s at the helm, they always have a chance to come out victorious.

As we approach the 2026 UFL season, though, there are some questions surrounding the organization. More specifically, there is uncertainty in the quarterback room.

As of right now, only J’Mar Smith and Andrew Peasley have re-signed. Standout QB Matt Corral left in free agency, signing with the Michigan (but not Michigan anymore) Panthers. It’s also worth noting that Jalen Morton, who was an emergency QB this season (and won a Championship with the Stallions in 2023), signed with the Houston Gamblers.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at where Birmingham currently sits, and their potential options for next spring.

J’Mar Smith

There aren’t many veterans in this scene who have had the longevity of J’Mar Smith. After taking a full backseat last year, and unofficially retiring prior to UFL Training Camp in February, Smith made a historic comeback to the game. With injuries tearing the Stallions apart, J’Mar returned midway through the season – and led Birmingham to a few key victories along the way.

There isn’t anyone who knows this offense better than J’Mar Smith. He’s worked with Skip Holtz for a plethora of years, both in college and the pros. Smith proved that he “still has it” this past season, lighting up the stat sheets weekly in Birmingham. In fact, the velocity and touch he had on the football this year was some of the best we’ve seen out of J’Mar in his spring career.

That said, when Smith makes a mistake – it’s usually detrimental. We saw the pick sixes he threw in a loss to St. Louis, and then in their playoff come apart against Michigan. Holtz was so frustrated with Smith in the playoffs that he was benched for Corral the rest of the way.

When it comes to the competitiveness of Smith, though, he’s second to none. J’Mar revived a reeling Birmingham franchise late in the year, and after putting more tape on film – he’s clearly got the potential to still start at this level. Smith’s decision making, especially with a full training camp under his belt, could also see improvement next year.

Andrew Peasley

Andrew Peasley is one of the exciting young additions to this Stallions roster. He made his way to Birmingham early in the season, following an injury to Alex McGough. Funny enough, Peasley was with the New York Jets during the 2024 preseason – but lost his QB3 job to Adrian Martinez.

Peasley is a younger prospect who’s got legitimate upside. He played in two games with the Stallions this year, and flashed legit talent. When Andrew sets his feet, he’s got excellent touch on the football. We saw him make some impressive throws during the 54 snaps he took, at tough angles too.

Andrew is the type of quarterback who needs a platform like the UFL to develop his skill sets. Some of his mechanics are not exactly fluid, with unorthodox motions and throwing angles at times when it’s unnecessary. He also struggles with accuracy when rolling to his right, as pointed out in the film review below.

With all of that in mind, Andrew fits the mold of a quarterback who could thrive in Skip Holtz’ system. He’s scrappy, and has enough mobility to make something out of nothing. He may not be the starter in week one, but don’t be surprised if Peasley eventually makes his first start for Birmingham at some point in 2026.

Alex McGough & Case Cookus

Fans were ecstatic when Alex McGough made his return to Birmingham for 2025. The former USFL MVP spent a couple of years with the Packers as a wide receiver, but made his way back to the Stallions – and was immediately inserted back into the starting lineup at quarterback.

Week one of the 2025 UFL season told a story that many weren’t expecting. McGough looked skittish and scared in the pocket, dealing with heavy pressure all game long. It became more about playing “hero ball” for Alex, taking eight sacks in the upset loss to the DC Defenders.

It became evident that these UFL defenses weren’t the same units that Alex was playing back in 2023, when there were 16 teams in spring football. Now, there’s no denying McGough’s talent. He was the USFL’s MVP that year for a reason. McGough has the ability to start in this league, and play at a high level. With that in mind, though, the odds of him reaching those levels again – even if he’s fully healthy – are a bit low. His unscripted style of play simply won’t fly in the UFL – defenses have gotten too good.

The outlier here is Case Cookus, who played some important minutes for Birmingham. Cookus’ main issue is that he can’t stay healthy. At this point in his career, it’s tough to see him being a true starter with how injury prone he is. Case can be a reliable backup, but that seems to be his ceiling for the time being.

Other Options

It’ll be intriguing to see what happens with Adrian Martinez over the next few months. He was let go by the Jets, but landed in San Francisco – and is currently serving as QB2 with the 49ers, due to Brock Purdy’s injury. One would expect Adrian to maintain a place in the NFL – but there’s never any guarantees in that league.

It is expected that Birmingham’s GM, Paul Roell, will bring in a free agent or two to compete. A name that immediately comes to mind is Michael Hiers – the former Samford star who’s got plenty of ties to the community in Birmingham.

As we wrote about last month regarding St. Louis, Birmingham could also look to sign a younger quarterback who was recently in an NFL camp (i.e. Austin Reed, Dorian Thompson-Robinson).

Right now, one would assume that Training Camp will be an open competition. That would include J’Mar Smith, Andrew Peasley, and potentially Alex McGough. We are currently told that he is undecided on returning for 2026.

The possibilities are endless. What remains certain: no matter who the Stallions end up rolling with at quarterback, it will give them the ability to win games. Skip Holtz and this Birmingham franchise have consistently been competitive, even with the quarterback carousels over the years.

What are your thoughts on who should be the Birmingham Stallions quarterback in 2026? Who should sign? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!