Alex McGough named starter ahead of stallions’ opener
MARCH 28, 2025 - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
By Steve Irvine
Alex McGough will take the first snap for the visiting Birmingham Stallions in the team’s UFL opener against the DC Defenders on Sunday.
The 6-foot-3, 213-pound McGough won the starting job over Matt Corral, who played in five games with four starts in 2024. McGough was with the Stallions in 2022 and 2023, winning USFL Player of the Year honors is second season, before spending two seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
On Thursday, during a teleconference with media members, Stallions coach Skip Holtz said he wasn’t sure if it would be McGough or Corral getting the starting nod. He did say that spring football veteran Case Cookus is currently the team’s third quarterback.
“I'm still rolling them,” Holtz said at the time. “I think they're both doing a really good job. I feel very comfortable with either one playing right now. I think, obviously, they both have a year under their belt. They've both started for us. They've both won for us. They're both very, very talented players. I've got to make that decision (Friday). But even today, I'm rolling. I'm rolling those guys about every four reps in the team.”
He also left the door open for Cookus, who is still learning the team’s offensive system.
“I think he continues to get better and better every time he gets in,” Holtz said. “(He gets) more and more comfortable. And I feel very comfortable that if we were to get into a situation in week two or week three, in a couple more weeks, Case is good enough to go in and win with.”
For now, though, it’s back to McGough, who looks to recapture the magic of 2023 when he accounted for 2,507 yards and 25 touchdowns. In two playoff games, he was a combined 39-for-56 for 553 yards with eight touchdown passes and no interceptions and he rushed 17 times for 148 yards with one touchdown.
Corral joined the Stallions last season. He split time with Adrian Martinez early in the season before Martinez became the full-time starter and went on to win UFL Player of the Year honors. Corral was 36-for-62 with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the regular season. Perhaps his shining moment came in the UFL Divisional Championship game against visiting Michigan when he came off the bench to complete nine passes in 11 attempts for 120 yards with two touchdowns in the 31-18 win at Protective Stadium.
Sunday’s game will kick off at 2 p.m. CT at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. and will be televised on ESPN. Other season opening games pit the St. Louis Battlehawks vs. the Houston Roughnecks on Friday at 7 p.m. CT on Fox, the San Antonio Brahmas vs. the Arlington Renegades on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT on Fox and the Michigan Panthers vs. the Memphis Showboats on Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPN.