AJ McCarron on playing at Alabama under Saban!

AJ McCarron recounts stories from his days at Alabama and playing under Coach Saban and how times, as they always do, have changed things since then! AJ is the first quarterback ever to win back to back BCS National Championships. Be sure and listen to the full episode of The Southern Saturday Podcast!
Justin Stagner: linktr.ee/just...
Southern Saturday Podcast: linktr.ee/sout...

[@BamaFanUSMC]

AJ was one of those players that helped build the Dynasty ..... Much live and respect for him, and thanks for the memories

[@theknowitall4090]

Best ever QB at Bama. Dude was accurate, got out of bad plays, moved the sticks, didn't turn the ball over and would will the team to a win. Tough as nails physically and mentally. Been in Kyle Field, Jordan Hare and Tiger stadium and it was so loud your eyeballs were shaking and AJ just throwing strikes like he's in warmups. Dude would not get rattled.

[@carlprice5145]

But he ran off the field like a little bitch after the kick 6

[@poopshoes7579]

With the absolutely worst tattoos ever, his tattoos made me not get tattoos because they were so bad

[@jamescampbell9533]

Until he met a guy named Eric Striker.

[@jimdarden4686]

ever hear of joe namath

[@sonofthesouth89rolltide]

For me AJ is the GOAT Bama QB! The amount of confidence i had in those teams was fully 100% no worries. AJ wasnt gone lose the game, but if he needed to win he damn sure win it. So underrated. Imagine if he had any receiver class from 15-20 he has atleast 1 heisman. My fav QB thanks for those year's AJ!

[@Justin.Stagner]

@@sonofthesouth89rolltide I completely agree!!

[@ziff_1]

Over Bryce Young and Tua? yikes. I like AJ a lot but come on man. When healthy, I think Tua may have been the best QB to ever play in the NCAA.

[@AustinParr-dg7xj]

You just had to see AJ live that man never made a mistake he was no where as athletically gifted as Tua and Bryce and would still find ways to make plays and win the game every time

[@Hoopers_s]

One of the best managers we ever had.

[@sj3881]

@@ziff_1bro he has 3 national championships. How can anyone top that?

[@markking1960]

Gotta love AJ! He is a true leader on the field!

[@devinsherrer9240]

To be fair, Eryk Anders and Chris Rogers SMASHED Saban with the Gatorade bucket in 2010. Just rewatched that 3 times and laughed so damn hard.

[@Voodoofoxx]

Yup

[@Gulf_Coast_Gal]

AJ is Mobile’s best QB. Back to Back National Championships👍 AJ is a treasure to the city of Mobile.

[@whitexeno]

except he skipped out on the senior bowl

[@ARMY-ep6fz]

Thanks for the amazing memories AJ ! I will never forget the winning drive against LSU! Watching their hearts break 💔 still warms my soul 😂😂😂. Roll Damn Tide 🌊

[@bruhhh2629]

Fr I was a kid watching I was crying like a mf then AJ threw the pass to yeldon and I was so happy

[@ARMY-ep6fz]

@@bruhhh2629 yep ,great memories

[@CaptainRedbeard.]

Hell yeah man, i was in 11th or 12th grade 😅 drunk as a skunk with all the buddies! One of my favorite nights of my teen years! Roll Tide!

[@graysonhoward1562]

@@bruhhh2629 remember what happened a week later tho?

[@70058]

Didn't he do it without any timeouts as well in one minute

[@dudeplayinadudeplayinadude]

Hey, that’s a crazy fact about the kick six , I totally did not know that. Wow, great interview.

[@jmua8450]

2008-2012 was the greatest era of Alabama football. My favorite bunch of guys.

[@speedracer2336]

Bear would have loved early Bama Nick. Can’t be like that today, someone might get their feelings hurt!

[@truthseeker9688]

oh, lordy, dont you know it. Everybody just wallowing in their ""feelings.""

[@JJH0326]

Bear and Nick would respect each other and hate coaching the same team. Even mean old st Nick in his prime they wouldn't get along. Bear wouldn't be able to keep up in the late BCS era with all the rules and limits and for sure wouldn't of done nothing in the NIL deal era. I got his autograph on my wall right next to me lifelong bama fan here. But he coached and entirely different sport.

[@ziff_1]

Early Bear was harder on his players than Nick ever was, and i don't think it would even be close. In his early career, Bear's players hated him.

[@graysonhoward1562]

@@ziff_1 read the Junction Boys and that’ll tell you all you need to know

[@scottjackson163]

Strangely, AJ doesn’t get the credit he deserves. How could a player do more for Alabama? What an athlete, leader, and warrior! My favorite quarterback of the Saban era.

[@bradleybrown9606]

Same here

[@JohnnyEla]

If you played qb for Bama you always had receivers and backs you could always count on if you didn’t wanna run or throw down field and could survive off small screens or slants but AJ had an arm on him & could throw a dart or deep ball with accuracy. Texas fan here.

[@jordanpuffer231]

I got your Jersey A.J. thank you for your dedication to the University of Alabama. That LSU drive is my #1 memory of your time. #RollTide

[@Bushww]

Amazing interview this was so cool to hear his insight

[@brentm8863]

Love AJ!! He is my fav qb, and I never knew why Saban got all soft, but AJ explained it perfectly.

[@sneakyquick]

Aj is my favorite Alabama player.

[@TheReactTwinss]

ROLL TIDE! Love the tide still but man do I miss those days😭 Scariest offense ever back then. We use to beat teams 48-3 at the half😮‍💨 And our defense… OMG😳😳

[@Tyblaxton22]

That’s when college football peaked. It was college football then now it’s nil and who will pay me the most.

[@maryshumate4629]

It was a crazy and exhilarating wild ride.❤

[@jaymanb2914]

​ Yeah back when it was free labor for billionaire schools... Kiss my ass @@Tyblaxton22

[@ziff_1]

2020 was the best offense ever at Bama. world class O-line, and we had FOUR NFL first round WR's on the roster, AND Najee Harris, lol. We beat literally everyone we played by 30+ pts and Mac Jones had the highest QB rating in NCAA history that season. THREE Heismann finalists on the same damn offense. That's insane.

[@Confecting]

This isn’t true, we actually started blowing teams out in the first half more often after 2017 and the offensive innovation brought on by Tua. Old Bama teams used to be up 17-3 against mediocre teams and would just wear them down in the second half

[@switcheffect]

aj my fav qb during the era !!!

[@carlosphillips3]

AJ... MOBILE.... I talked to AJ two years ago in Dallas when they were in the XFL training camp. I'm way older but i took a pic with him and told him ill always be a fan especially since we're from the same city

[@maryannproffitt44]

If you saw Nick Saban walk through a store right before Christmas to buy Christmas presents you’d have even more respect .He worked on field and off to be excellent. He got in there and got out and waved at all the people working while jogging through.

[@LawfulRaider]

Happy to see AJ doing some media

[@ASDF84.0]

Dude AJ is a goat.. I’m a GATORS fun so I have my dislikes about Alabama, but AJ is a legit QB when he was at Alabama. Sooo smooth too.

[@mtonyjr4176]

Exactly! Back in the days when men were allowed to be MEN!!! Hell...I miss coach Saban and I'm an FSU fan for cryin' out loud! #RESPECT

[@jonathanhollier3314]

IMO AJ Mac was the best QB of any of the qbs of the Saban era Alabama dynasty by far

[@LilMikey_1]

I loved aj’s career at Bama he was a dawg !!! #rolltide

[@jonathanhollier3314]

@@LilMikey_1 yes he was bro 💯 And as an LSU fan AJ made me cry on several occasions, especially the heart breaker in 2012💯😫 🤣

[@IVTee]

It’s Bryce

[@To-attempt-too]

My favorite Saban era player. Not the most talented, but he had a ton of heart. He looked like one of the only players on the field against Oklahoma that actually wanted to win. He deserved a better last game at Bama.

[@Jworld22]

This was an awesome interview, thank you

[@Justin.Stagner]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@nighthowell]

7:02 that’s a great piece of information, I had no idea he was that involved with Saban before he enrolled at Bama. It’s almost like he was Saban’s prodigal son QB. Very cool interview

[@Turd_Furgeson]

Starr Jackson was never going to start as AJ had worked all year with Saban al summer every day

[@thewhitemexican8318]

Aj was top 3 qb at Bama. Plus he was from 251 !!!!!!

[@SerSerington]

Thought Stagner was Mcarron in the thumbnail & was like “Jesus, bro really let himself go already.”😂💀

[@KelDaniel-ys8tl]

I love aj one of if not my fav Alabama qb

[@viceman8152]

He wasn't pissed about the gatorade. He was pissed because they conked him in the head with Gatorade cooler. Looked like it hurt to me. I don't blame him.😅

[@AaronJones-yt4vd]

Right..he got hit kinda hard😂😂

[@claylewis402]

AJ is my favorite Alabama QB. He always has been and will be. And what a list to chose from. Roll Tide.

[@jeffsharpe5048]

A.J. was a great qb and got the rings to show it. Much respect for A.J.

[@BamaFanUSMC]

Yes !! I was never worried either. The preparation and the football IQ by the team during those 3-4 years was phenomenal. The LSU game with Yeldon and the screen play call was special. But I had no doubt we wouldn't win.

[@TheReactTwinss]

Also you should try and get Blake Sims and Jake Coker on here tooo!!!

[@user-us1us6si5x]

They almost knocked him out with the Gatorade cooler the first year. I’d be pissed too lol

[@kingpeso706]

Nah ian gone lie. Aj gotta be up there. Ppl dont realize how good he actually was (im a gator fan)

[@Justin.Stagner]

Hes my favorite bama qb

[@King-ry4mo]

Aj started the qb trend at bama. Real bama legend

[@sstewart44]

3 rings from AJ!

[@ScottThrill]

Star Jackson was a beast in NCAA Football ‘12! AJ is a Bama legend tho!

[@lamarpope6216]

I will always believe that AJ could still make a good NFL quarterback if given a chance he's gotten the talent it takes

[@Jokerbutjust]

Aj number one all time Alabama qb

[@waylonswaycraps]

Love it son!

[@RD22]

Ohio State & Toledo fan. Followed Saban since 1990 when he coached Toledo & then went to Cleveland under Belichick. This was a good podcast boys, interesting stories.

[@joekerUli]

These are the stories I want to hear. Guys that were good enough to be championship caliber starters in college, and maybe fringe starters in the NFL. Feel like those are the most “real” stories you’ll get.

[@JoshShadwrick]

My opinion Aj holds the title of best and most successful QB at Alabama in our history.

[@jyellowhammer]

Miss me some AJM! RMFT!

[@Justin.Stagner]

ROLL TIDE!!

[@BrothaMal]

Great clip!

[@Justin.Stagner]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Phantom24-w3c]

my favorite alabama player by far that screen pass to yeldon is still burned in my mind

[@zilllathegod]

AJ one of the greats

[@Matthew0819]

Awesome interview!!! Thank you, AJ for being great! 🐘

[@truthseeker9688]

I miss Nick...you knew that he wasn't missing anything on that field...he would take care of it.

[@crimsonkings205]

I got 6 autographed pictures of Aj and a white Bama football; my favorite Bama QB all time.

[@patricknorwood8263]

His TD pass to Julio was against San Jose State. I have no idea why I remember this. Those years were awesome.

[@IVTee]

That happened right in front of me. Couldn’t believe my eyes

[@CptWhit3y]

Wow....Never noticed AJ wasn't the holder on all but that one play.

[@realtrunkz]

Great interview dude!!

[@Bamaboy813]

I'll never forget going to the Bama-Florida game in G'ville I think AJ's junior year and Bama blew them out. But what I remember most about that game was I think in the second half AJ started acting out a little, like celebrating after big plays and such, and Saban was livid with him. I think that was a turning point where Saban wasn't going to be able to keep bringing in ballers and expect them to just be stoic every play, every game, every season. I credit AJ for breaking the seal on that

[@danielmaddox886]

I’m also a Bengal… AJs looked a lil rattled at times on Sundays haha he was lethal in college ball 100000%

[@Ropeium]

Saban was pissed about the Gatorade shower after beating Texas bcuz Rolando McClain smacked Saban in the side of the face with it 😂😂😂 Watch the video!

[@Mikevdog]

Saban even said that

[@user-re2ce3vf5q]

Loved this

[@campbellseamon5076]

Favorite bama qb to the day

[@cliffordcox9393]

Guess it is good luck for your quarterback to be the holder

[@JoshH-rc2uy]

AJ my favorite QB ever at Alabama

[@heiliger1000]

McCarron was such a great player. Unfortunate he never really got a chance with the Bengals. He was better than Andy Dalton in my opinion.

[@b-rad2699]

Never realized he wasn’t the holder on the kick six…makes you wonder…would he have made a play…very interesting

[@theknowitall4090]

The refs were never letting Bama win that game. College football was scared to death of a Bama 3 peat (which they would have) 5 times inside the 10 in the 2nd half and came away with 3 points and it wasn't because AU's defense was outstanding.

[@averygaming8707]

W interview brother

[@Michael-c8k2x]

Dude was interrupting Aj non stop !

[@JamesNunley-i8n]

The best Alabama QB of my lifetime.

[@BoostedYote]

Saban has had some better passer but never a better leader than AJ.

[@smitrj1916]

We used to debate who was better AJ or Greg McElroy

[@Illustrator76]

Sorry, but I can't agree with how the "old" Saban did things. Even in MMA/sparring they always say that you don't break your training partners. There's a difference between going very hard and going over the limit. Saban was going over the limit. Period. For anyone who disagrees, Saban was forced to adjust to a more "realistic" style, yet he still won a bunch of championships. Running your players into the dirt is irresponsible, and it increases the risk of serious injury (or worse) for absolutely no reason at all.

[@Turd_Furgeson]

FYI AJ played hurt his entire senior season after the Tenessee game as he messed up his shoulder. Never practiced during the week and got shot up before every game. Also AJ was going to burn a year to play in the championship because McElroy was a puss and had sore ribs.

[@brysimm404]

AJ had hard luck in his pro career, but he deserves to always be appreciated as one of Bama’s best 👍

[@maverick214]

There was nothing hard luck about his NFL career. He was a mediocre college quarterback who just happened to play on a dominant team, surrounded by 1st round talent. He was lucky enough to play a few years in the NFL as a backup QB.

[@brysimm404]

@@maverick214 Yeah, I suppose you’re right - he was just along for the ride on a team that happened to be good enough to win back to back National Championships. Lucky for him QB isn’t what every football “expert / analyst” considers the single most important position. I’m really glad you pointed out something I’d been wrong about for over 10 years. Smart somebodies like you are definitely the best thing about KZbin. Thanks!

[@garrettnewman7438]

I had no idea aj didn't hold on the kick six...

[@Justin.Stagner]

@@garrettnewman7438 i dont think anyone did??? I had no clue!!

[@JJH0326]

Backups hold the kick for Saban teams

[@carlosphillips3]

I did BUT hell AJ wasn't going to be able to stop him

[@danielmaddox886]

Love AJ and I’m a damn Vols fan…. Vols be fitty baby 🤣👍🏼 no for real NOTHING but RESPECT for Saban and the Tide… can’t do a thing but tip my cap. The josh HEUPel folks… VOLS ARE BACK

[@Mikevdog]

Best NFL quarterback all time

[@timmywright9240]

Great video Roll Tide

[@Justin.Stagner]

Thank you!! Roll Tide!!

[@gordonhall9871]

should hear some Bear Bryant stories

[@Mikevdog]

Are any of his players still alive?

[@carnurse]

Roll Tide from Salt Lake City Utah by way of sweet home Alabama

[@rolltide9547]

Saban did not take any crap off parents.

[@b-rad2699]

No but parents of recruits might have questioned his compassion for their child prior to signing

[@rolltide9547]

@@b-rad2699 Only clueless parents would ask Saban about compassion for there son. I have never heard a player saying Saban did nor care.

[@Mikevdog]

Saban demanded excellence

[@supermidgaming]

@@b-rad2699we as a country have gotten so soft lol. Them boys wouldn’t stand a chance serving this country if they get upset because they don’t get cookies for doing what they’re supposed to do

[@Senio25]

Aj probably would've made the tackle on Chris Davis lol

[@yourfavoritelawnguy2722]

11:59 so you are saying the kick 6 is TECHNICALLY your fault? That damn play lol. I do miss the days of Old Nick Saban with his scary ass defenses, a set of running backs to make you quit paired with a QB who can manage the parts and make the big throws. Back when Minkah Fitz, Foster, Jackson, Cody, Kirpatrick, Baron, Milliner, and so many more put legit fear into the other team.

[@connorrod6251]

Is it just me, or all of our best child hood coaches are now retired due to having to “change with times”. Sad.

[@calebbrooks7780]

The part about the Kick 6 being the only time he didn’t hold is inaccurate.. vinnie Sunsari was the holder that year and got hurt

[@CJx_D]

Is AJ still playing football if he do what team, i miss watching him play

[@bradbilkingtonsonmon3617]

Really appreciate it parents of God given talent. Really….. thanks….🙄

[@RoadTo19]

Wish you had asked him why he wasn't holding on the Kick-6... #roadTo19

[@SS11660]

The Gatorade can hit him in the head !!! What did people expect him to do ?

[@Mikevdog]

Shake it off

[@DonovanGG__]

Choked when it mattered most, November 2013😎

[@theknowitall4090]

AJ did everything he could. College football was not gonna let Bama 3 peat. The refs made sure Bama wasn't leaving JHS with a win that day. I'll believe that until the day I die.

[@vietnameeseguy]

AJ didn’t get the same chance as Jalen, Tua or Mac got in the NFL and had the Bengals won that playoff game, I think he would’ve gotten a chance with another team.

[@Mikevdog]

Backup QB is the best job on the team

[@theknowitall4090]

Agree. Had he gotten a fair chance on a good team who knows. Cincy had their head so far up Andy Daltons butt because of his contract. Had Belichick taken the same approach with Drew Bledsoe we never see Tom Brady become what he became..

[@Daniel-il8jc]

AJ reminds me so much of Luke Bryan.

[@AtomicHercules]

He got pissed about the Gatorade because they cracked him in the back of the head with the cooler. You can see it on video plus he mentioned it after.

[@asiangin]

Ngl I kinda disagree that he couldn’t be himself later in his career and if anything he was more himself. Instead of being a hard ass he leaned on his ability to be more personable and this is coming from a die hard bama fan

[@millecinematics]

Yeah idk if running players till they almost pass out is something that made coach saban the best at what he did it’s good times changed I don’t think that made coach saban what he was. Still was great after the changes he arguably the best at adapting to the different changes than any other coach.

[@Bonelesswatrmelon1]

No idea who the guy is asking questions is but Nick saban could whoop his ass tomorrow

[@stevenmiller7747]

He was a nice game manager on a great team. GOAT BAMA QB? LMFAO

[@anthonyjames4319]

People need to quite saying “oh hundred percent” to everything.

[@lifeisgood3589]

To be honest Saban was mad because he got assaulted by that Gatorade container. It hit him up side the head pretty hard. Probably would have been different had they just poured it over his head.

[@benjamin5726]

How do you not know your teamates names AJ?

[@markyarbrough9538]

Major OGILVIE's son , Morgan

[@brianferry1853]

Unless your behind the plate catching a 96 mile an hour fastball, put your hat on the wright way.

[@user-sy3nz4gx3o]

Spell “wright” the RIGHT way. :)

[@brianferry1853]

@@user-sy3nz4gx3o Im not a English major. relax