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Know My Name: AJ McCarron

March 2, 2023 - XFL (XFL) News Release


There is no comeback too great for AJ McCarron.

The St. Louis Battlehawks starting quarterback has led two remarkable fourth quarter comebacks in the first two games of the season. They first had a mind-boggling Week 1 comeback over the San Antonio Brahmas that featured two touchdowns, a three-point conversion and a 4th-and-15 onside kick alternative conversion that all occurred within 67 seconds of game action.

Then McCarron led a two-minute drill drive in the fourth quarter to set up a Donny Hageman game-winning 44-yard field goal as time expired to defeat the Seattle Sea Dragons.

It has been a memorable start for McCarron, who is the lone XFL starting quarterback to not throw an interception the first two weeks of the season. But his opportunity goes beyond just the plays on the field. It also is about the moments on the field after the games when he can enjoy the pageantry of it all with his family.

"It's something money can't buy," McCarron said.

McCarron has accomplished a lot in his football life. He won three national titles at the University of Alabama and was starting quarterback for two of them. As a senior, he was a winner of the Maxwell Award, a prestigious college football player of the year award, and was runner-up for the most prestigious award in the Heisman Trophy.

He was drafted in the fifth round by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2014 NFL Draft and spent eight years in the NFL as a backup quarterback. Over those eight years, McCarron made just five starts.

Four of them came during the 2015 season when Andy Dalton fractured his thumb in December and McCarron finished out the rest of the season for the Bengals under center. He went 2-1 in the regular season with his only loss coming in overtime.

McCarron then quarterbacked the Bengals in their playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, leading a fourth quarter comeback from down 15-0 only to have the Steelers hit the game-winning field goal with 14 seconds left.

After tearing his ACL in 2021, McCarron had opportunities to return to the NFL as a backup quarterback. But he was looking for something different. He wanted his shot to start, a shot to lead a football team and a shot for his three kids to watch him play live.

The decision has made an impact on many.

"Takes less money signing with us over the NFL because he wanted his little boys to see him play," XFL co-owner Dwayne Johnson tweeted after the Seattle game. "Now he's 2-0 and led his team to back to back exciting last minute wins. I'd say he's creating some memories for his boys. AJ's decision means a helluva lot to me, personally."

Another one who appreciates the journey is teammate and wide receiver Austin Proehl, who has eight catches for 86 yards, a touchdown, a three-point conversion and a 4th-and-15 onside alternative conversion through the first two weeks.

The two first met in Buffalo in the 2018 when Proehl was an undrafted rookie trying to make the team. The duo connected in upstate New York and kept in touch over the years. The chemistry they have, McCarron said, is noticeable to even fairweather football fans.

"The opportunity to come here and play with him again was a no brainer for me," Prohel said. "He brings everybody to his level, and that's something that's special."

But Proehl also has a unique perspective on McCarron as well. He is the son of former NFL wide receiver and current Battlehawks wide receivers coach Ricky Proehl.

Austin Proehl was born in 1995 when his father was amid his 17-year NFL career. He was four years old when he watched his father win the Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams.

So when he looks and sees McCarron with his three boys - especially his oldest son, Tripp - he sees something special and something familiar.

"I was Tripp," Proehl said. "Bringing them down after the San Antonio game onto the field, getting them out of the stands, I see me in them. Being that kid that just wanted to go see dad after the big game."

That experience is something McCarron is cherishing as well.

His three boys are six, four and two years old. While the two youngest don't have a full comprehension of what their father is doing, the oldest understands a lot more, especially compared to when McCarron last played in a regular season NFL game in 2020.

He is excited for Tripp to continue making memories over the next few weeks of the XFL season and cherish them for his life.

"My middle one, he's still young. He's only four," McCarron said. "But to be able to talk to the oldest about things that went bad, things that went good, him asking questions and asking about bruises and stuff he sees on my body. That's what creating memories is about. For me it was just a no brainer to be able to have this experience with them and something that he'll remember forever and we'll be able to talk about for a very long time."

The St. Louis Battlehawks take on the D.C. Defenders in Washington D.C. this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on FX.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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