Raymond Anthony "A. J." McCarron Jr. (born September 13, 1990) is an American former professional football quarterback and current head coach of the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, becoming the first quarterback to win consecutive BCS National Championship Games with victories in 2012 and 2013. McCarron also received the Maxwell, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm, and Kellen Moore Awards.

McCarron was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft and played four seasons as a backup. He spent his next four seasons as a backup with the Oakland Raiders, Houston Texans, and Atlanta Falcons, then spent two seasons as the starting quarterback for the St. Louis Battlehawks, a team that played initially in the XFL and then the United Football League (UFL).

In October 2025, McCarron announced his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama in the 2026 election. He dropped out in December of the same year.

McCarron was born to Dee Dee Bonner and Tony McCarron on September 13, 1990. His younger brother, Corey, played tight end at Alabama but transferred to play fullback at Middle Tennessee State.

McCarron was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama. He attended Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School from kindergarten to fourth grade before transferring to St. Paul's Episcopal School. At the age of five, McCarron was severely injured in a jet-ski accident and almost died. He first played football at Trimmier Park and then Langan Park in Mobile. McCarron played on the same park team as future college teammate Mark Barron. During McCarron's junior season of high school, St. Paul's went 14–1 and went on to win the state championship against Briarwood Christian School off a missed PAT. While attending St. Paul's, McCarron was recruited by several football programs in the Southeastern Conference, including Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi, and Tennessee. On May 3, 2008, he committed to the Crimson Tide, becoming the only quarterback signed by Alabama for their 2009 recruiting class.

McCarron capped off his high school football career at the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

In his first season at Alabama, McCarron accepted a redshirt and did not play during the season as the team went 14–0 to capture the 2009 National Championship over the Texas Longhorns. During his redshirt freshman year, McCarron did see some playing time, appearing in nine games as the Crimson Tide finished 10–3. His first collegiate touchdown pass came during the season opener when he connected with wide receiver Julio Jones on a 29-yard pass against San Jose State. McCarron passed for 389 yards and three touchdowns during the season. Against Auburn on Alabama's last possession McCarron came in for injured starter Greg McElroy. However, McCarron threw four straight incompletions to end the game as Auburn came back to win 28–27 after being down 24–0 in the second quarter.

After a tight competition for the starting quarterback position during spring practices, McCarron was named as the co-starting quarterback alongside Phillip Sims for the team's 2011 season opener versus Kent State, and later became the de facto starter by starting in every game. In his first collegiate start, McCarron threw for 226 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions as Alabama won 48–7. His first road start for Alabama came the following week, as the Tide traveled to State College, Pennsylvania. McCarron's performance of 163 yards with no turnovers helped Alabama defeat Penn State by a score of 27–11, which turned out to be the last loss for head coach Joe Paterno. Another solid performance, alongside running back Trent Richardson, helped McCarron get a victory in his first Southeastern Conference (SEC) start, a 38–14 win over #14 Arkansas.