Former Auburn football scapegoat wins championship with Birmingham Stallions

The Birmingham Stallions won their first UFL Championship in franchise history and their third straight spring league title after winning the USFL in 2022 and 2023 on June 16 after a 25-0 trouncing of the San Antonio Brahmas. Powered by an offense that former Auburn football offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery was co-OC on, Birmingham parlayed a late first-half passing touchdown reception from Gary Jennings and an early second-half touchdown run from quarterback Adrian Martinez into a sweatless win.

Montgomery went from being the fanbase's scapegoat during the 2023 season for a 6-7 team to a champion in less than a year, and he didn't have to leave the state of Alabama.

To be fair, the fanbase had legitimate gripes with Montgomery's offense. His patented RPO, which he frequently deployed at Tulsa, was absent while he was in charge of the offense -- and it was when Hugh Freeze took over play-calling duties that Payton Thorne's scrambling became a legitimate weapon in the Tigers' offense.

Former Auburn football OC Philip Montgomery helped new Birmingham Stallions personnel thrive in 2024

Many might see Birmingham as a talent factory where winning will be the result no matter who head coach Skip Holtz adds to his coaching staff. That's not the case, though, with each Stallions team featuring a unique offensive identity.

Year one was the J'Mar Smith story. Year two was all Alex McGough. However, year three saw Martinez win the UFL MVP Award as a dual-threat who ran an option-heavy offense, and Montgomery's influence was evident. Even backup Matt Corral successfully ran the offense on several occasions when called upon; most importantly during a Martinez down-game in the USFL Conference title game against the Michigan Panthers when he was the driving force behind their valiant multiple-score touchdown comeback.

Could success with the Stallions lead to another college football job for Montgomery? It's possible. We saw his boss Holtz take a temporary role with Northwestern in 2023, but Montgomery would likely take a job that takes him away from Birmingham.

No matter what's next, the Alabama chapter of Montgomery's coaching career now features a championship.