The UFL is leaning on hometown stars like Ted Ginn Jr., AJ McCarron, and Chris Redman to spark local passion and reshape spring football.

ARLINGTON – The UFL is making a clear bet on identity, and it starts with familiar faces. Ted Ginn Jr. in Columbus. AJ McCarron in Birmingham. Chris Redman in Louisville. As the spring league rolls into 2026, UFL coaches with deep college and hometown ties are becoming central to its push for relevance, fan support, and staying power.

That strategy is already showing signs of life.

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For years, spring football has struggled to make a real connection with local markets. Quarterback Jalan McClendon, now with the Columbus Aviators, knows that better than most. He’s spent time in both the XFL and UFL, and fan events weren’t always exactly packed. That changed fast in Columbus.

“You’d get maybe 20 people to show up,” McClendon said. “But at the one in Columbus, like that was my expectation going into it, but we get there and I’m like, ‘Oh, shoot.’ There’s like 1,000 people there, and it was snowing.”

That kind of turnout says plenty about what the league is trying to build. In Columbus, the biggest draw was coach Ted Ginn Jr., a name that still means something in Ohio. Before his 14-year NFL career, Ginn was electric at Ohio State, piling up 4,068 total yards and 26 touchdowns in 37 games. He scored six times on punt returns and added two kickoff return touchdowns, becoming one of the most explosive players of his era.

Now he’s back home, and he knows exactly what that means.

“It’s very special,” Ginn said. “I just want to bring a good team into town.”

That hometown energy is a major part of the UFL’s current approach. Investor Mike Repole said the goal was simple: “local, local, local.” In other words, hire coaches fans already know, respect, and want to support. That’s why McCarron landed in Birmingham after starring at Alabama, and why Redman, once a Louisville icon, now leads the Kings.

McCarron’s name still carries weight in Alabama. He won two national titles with the Crimson Tide and later spent a decade in the NFL. Now he’s in charge of a Stallions team with championship expectations after Skip Holtz stepped away. For McCarron, the transition from quarterback to coach has come with some adjustment, especially when dealing with former peers.

“They all view me as coach and the weirdest part’s hearing them, ‘Yes, sir. No, sir,’” McCarron said. “So I don’t feel like I’m that old yet.”

Still, he sounds like someone who’s found his next chapter. He said, “It’s been awesome. I mean, I’ve had so much fun doing this. I really couldn’t see myself doing anything else now.”

McCarron also made it clear he’s not trying to become a clone of Nick Saban, even though he played under him at Alabama. What he’s taken most from that experience is the value of discipline and consistency.

“Probably the most Saban thing I really talk about is being process oriented,” McCarron said. “Nobody focuses on, if you do it the right way, the work you have to put in each and every day to eventually reach that goal.”

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That same personal connection exists in Louisville, where Chris Redman is now leading the Kings. Redman was once one of the city’s biggest football stars, and his experience in the NFL, especially the frustrations he felt early in Baltimore, has shaped how he wants to coach. He’s trying to create belief and buy-in quickly, even in a league where rosters come together fast and players don’t have much time to bond.

“I want to be exactly what I would have liked when I was playing professional football,” Redman said. “If you’re here, you’re here for a reason. I 100% believe in you.”

That may be the biggest thread tying these new UFL coaches together. Ginn, McCarron, and Redman all understand what their cities expect because they lived it as players. They’ve carried those communities before. Now they’re trying to do it from the sideline.

The UFL isn’t just selling football this spring. It’s selling connection, memory, and local pride. If that formula works, the league may finally have something spring football has always chased but rarely found: teams that truly feel like they belong.