ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Battlehawks have selected former Alabama star and Hesiman Trophy runner-up A.J. McCarron ahead of the XFL league-reboot in 2023.
The XFL announced quarterback selections for each of the league’s eight teams on Tuesday as part of the 2022 draft. St. Louis selected McCarron and Virginia Tech alum Ryan Willis as its two quarterbacks.
McCarron won national college football titles with the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2012 and 2013, his sophomore and junior seasons. He is the program’s all-time leader in passing yards (9,019) and second in passing touchdowns (77). McCarron spent parts of six NFL seasons in back-up roles with the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans from 2015 to 2020.
Willis spent two seasons with Kansas before transferring over to Virginia Tech for his final two seasons. His junior season with Virginia Tech was his strongest season with 2,716 passing yards and 24 touchdowns over 12 games. Willis competed on the Chicago Bears’ practice squad last year, but has never played at the NFL or XFL level.
The XFL quarterback selections are considered separate from the 2022 XFL Draft, which is set to begin Wednesday. Teams are allowed to pick offensive skills positions, defensive backs, offensive line members and others when the draft starts, per SportingNews.com. The Battlehawks are drafting second in the league reboot.