Deep into the fourth quarter, the Louisville Kings were leading the Birmingham Stallions 13-9. Making their UFL debut in front of a sold out stadium, the Kings wanted to put their names on the map by winning the inaugural game of the 2026 season.
At the two minute warning the Stallions scored a touchdown to go up 15-13. A few short plays later and the Stallions had the ball back after an interception. With coaching changes and roster blow ups, the offseason chatter was that the Stallions wouldn’t be the same as they once were.
The reality is the Birmingham Stallions haven’t gone anywhere.
The first drives from each team would tell the story of the night; Kings quarterback Jason Bean threw a pass that was bobbled by a receiver and snagged for a Stallions interception. Afterwards, the Stallions drove down the field and Snoop Conner picked up a five yard rushing touchdown to get the first points of the 2026 UFL season. Then, Jonathan Garibay missed the extra point.
In a low scoring bout with only two more touchdowns (one by Louisville in the first, the other by the Stallions to retake the lead in the fourth), the small mistakes piled up for both sides.
For the Kings, the biggest issue was their wide receivers. From crashing into each other mid-route to dropping easy passes, there were many missed opportunities to do some damage. Jason Bean used his legs to escape the defense and made many great throws and decisions, but he couldn’t do it alone.
The Birmingham Stallions defense showed up and looked as good as they ever have. After their first interception to start the game, they piled up two more crucial turnovers. Kyhava Tezino punched the ball out at the goalline to stop a touchdown, which was recovered by Tae Crowder and stopped the Kings from scoring before the half. With less than two minutes remaining, Hudson Clark intercepted a deep pass from Bean when the Kings were driving down the field needing only a field goal to win.
While the offense didn’t put too many points on the board, the talent shown off was palpable. Matt Corral went 21 for 30 for 208 yards and a touchdown. Snoop Conner and Anthony McFarland Jr. combined for 95 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Multiple receivers had solid moments, such as Justyn Ross’ touchdown, but nobody looked as good as Jaydon Mickens. On nine targets, he hauled in all nine of them for 103 yards on the day.
However with the good comes the bad, and the kicking game for the Stallions was bad tonight. Jonathan Garibay struggled heavily, missing two extra points and a field goal. He did knock in a 31-yard field goal as well. The Stallions have always had a strong kicking identity, but that hasn’t shown itself in the new era.
What might be the most surprising, and encouraging for Stallions fans, is AJ McCarron’s coaching ability. His game plan and demeanor were that of a veteran, not a first time head coach.
The standout moment was in the final seconds of the game when Izayah Green-May sacked Jason Bean, effectively ending the game. Except, it didn’t. Green-May kept running forwards and celebrating the sack, putting him way offside and threatening a penalty that would help the Kings have a fighting chance to score. McCarron, however, called a timeout to get his players back on the right side without giving any yardage over to the Kings. McCarron’s demeanor embodies his former Coach Saban, and it seems some of the skills may have rubbed off as well.
The AJ McCarron era of the Birmingham Stallions starts undefeated. There are some flaws and there are some gems, but the season is just beginning. Next Sunday, the Stallions take on former USFL opponent the Houston Gamblers as their road trip continues. Fans will have to wait until April 18th to see the Stallions at home when they take on the Orlando Storm.
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