TAMPA, Fla. — Alex McGough first became a star on the football field at Gaither High School, so much so that he’ll be inducted into the Gaither Football Hall of Fame later this year.
Fast forward a decade, and this longhaired Florida man has his Birmingham Stallions one win away from winning back-to-back United States Football League championships.
“To me, it’s just another game that I have to go play for sixty minutes,” McGough said. "At the end of it, if they give us a trophy, they give us a trophy. We have to go play like it’s week one.”
McGough is playing at an MVP level leading the USFL in touchdown passes (20), and his team leads the league in yards per game and points. That formula boosts the confidence of his head coach and former USF head coach Skip Holtz.
“He certainly gives me a lot of confidence,” Holtz said. “He’s played really well, really focused, really dialed in. I like the way he’s played, seeing the field. He has a great understanding of this offense right now.”
McGough’s USFL stardom did not come without ups and downs. He played college ball at Florida International University. He spent four seasons as an NFL backup with Seattle, Jacksonville, and Houston.
“It’s been crazy. From starting as a freshman at college to getting cut and getting cut again,” McGough said. “To being here and being hurt, not playing, then coming to the championship.”
Gaither head coach Kirk Karsen has seen McGough’s progress firsthand. Karsen was the defensive coordinator at Sickles High School when McGough was at Gaither.
“I’m not surprised at all. He was an absolute terror to have to go and game plan against,” Karsen said. “I was the defensive coordinator. It was literally him against my defense. He was always really difficult to defend versus the run and pass. He’s a dual-threat guy that can do everything.”
McGough and the Stallions will take on Pittsburgh this Saturday at 8 p.m. for the USFL Championship in Canton, OH.
