A.J. McCarron took over to lead the Bengals’ offense in the fourth quarter of their 34-14 victory over the Indianapolis Colts after Cincinnati quarterback Jake Browning departed the game due to a thumb cramp.
In addition to making his first participation in an NFL regular-season game since January 3, 2021, when McCarron took his first snap, Alabama set an NFL record with the play.
In 2023, McCarron became the 71st player from Alabama to participate in an NFL regular-season game, which is a record for the most appearances from a single college program in a single season in the league’s existence.
In 2022, Alabama made history by being the first program to feature 70 former players in a single NFL season. This season, linebacker Ronnie Harrison of the Indianapolis Colts made it to 70 once more on November 26.
Georgia leads the NFL in 2023 alumni rankings with 56, while Ohio State is ranked second with 60 former players playing in the league this season.
With McCarron’s arrival, the number of Alabama alums who are currently playing in the NFL surpassing that of the previous season to seven.
One less than in 2015, 38 former Alabama players participated in at least one NFL regular-season game in 2016.
2017 saw a rise to 44, shattering the school’s record of 40 NFL games in a single season set in 1987. Three weeks of football with substitute players were interspersed throughout the 1987 season due to a player strike.
