The news broke this week that the Birmingham Stallions’ quarterback, J’Mar Smith, has sustained an injury and will be missing the remainder of the season. The injury is to his ring finger, and now the team is down a quarterback. The 2023 Stallions are 1-0 and did well with passing the ball last weekend. With Smith out for the season, here is a look at the Stallions’ quarterbacks who must step up for the team.
Stallions’ Quarterback Position
In the team’s week one win against the New Jersey Generals, Smith completed ten out of 15 passes, for 160 yards, according to Fox Sports. He also had one passing touchdown. With him now out for the remainder of the season, it can be expected that Alex McGough will step up as the starter. McGough did get 11 attempts last week despite not starting. He completed seven passes for 68 yards and one touchdown. McGough also rushed the ball for 51 yards and one touchdown, according to Fox Sports. It is safe to say that this is now McGough’s job to lose.
Birmingham Stallions Quarterback Alex McGough (2) – Marvin Gentry/USA TODAY Sports
Both Smith and McGough were on the Stallions roster in 2022, so McGough stepping up would be an easy transition. In 2022, McGough only started in three games but did play in seven. In those games, the quarterback completed 39 passes out of 75 attempts for 460 yards, according to Fox Sports. McGough passed for three touchdowns and three interceptions. Looking back, playing both quarterbacks was a smart move by the Birmingham coaching staff.
Another Stallions’ quarterback on the roster is Jalen Morton. Morton actually spent a short time in the CFL before joining the USFL. Morton attended Prairie View A&M University, where he played in 35 games, throwing for 5,237 yards and 42 touchdowns, according to the University’s website. Similarly to McGough, Morton can also rush the ball. In college, he rushed for 1579 yards and 22 touchdowns. Although there is not much on Morton’s professional career, he is a solid guy for the Stallions to have behind McGough.
When the injury to the Stallions’ quarterback was announced, the team quickly signed Kyle Sloter. Sloter played for the New Orleans Breakers in 2022, and even spent time in the XFL this year with the Arlington Renegades. In 2022 with the Breakers, Sloter completed 168 passes out of 291 attempts for 1,799 yards, according to Stats Crew. Sloter also passed for nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The team announced that the quarterback will be inactive this weekend against the Memphis Showboats. Signing Sloter was still a smart move by the team, as now they know they have multiple players with experience.
Former Renegades Quarterback Kyle Sloter (10) – Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
The odds are the Birmingham Stallions’ quarterback will be McGough moving forward. This weekend the team will play the Showboats, who lost in week one against the Philadelphia Starts. The Stars passed for 212 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions, according to Fox Sports. While this is due to a strong offense for the Stars, this can still indicate it will be okay for the Stallions’ quarterback position.
It is a good thing that McGough got a couple of reps in the week one game. He will not be going into this without any game reps, which will really help the team. While it is a shame that the Birmingham Stallions lost their quarterback so early in the season, it also worked out that McGough will have the full season to grow into the starting position. The Memphis Showboats did record five sacks in their week one game against the Philadelphia Stars, according to Fox Sports. This will be something the Stallions have to watch, but with McGough’s ability to run, Birmingham should be just fine.
The 1-0 Stallions will face the 0-1 Showboats Saturday at 7 PM Eastern. The game will be held in the Birmingham Hub, giving the Stallions’ quarterback his own fans to root for him in his first start of the 2023 season. The Stallions won the league in 2022 and are hoping to repeat that this year.
