Stallions Sign Samford Legend Hiers at QB
January 30, 2026 - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
By Steve Irvine
Waiting for the opportunity is probably not the best way to describe Michael Hiers’ path toward getting a chance to make a professional football roster in the United States. Working for the opportunity is probably a better way to describe how the former Samford University All-American quarterback, who is joining the Birmingham Stallions, gets the shot at winning a roster spot on his hometown team.
Birmingham Stallions head coach AJ McCarron and his staff filled up the quarterback roster during the recent UFL draft process. They kept Matt Corral in Birmingham and added Canadian Taylor Elgersma and former BYU standout Jaren Hall. Corral, who has played two seasons for the Stallions, is thought to be the favorite to land the starting job but the competition is open once training camp opens in late February. Hall was dropped from the roster earlier this week, leaving an open spot.
For Hiers, filling that spot was a natural fit. The former Briarwood Christian quarterback, who led the Lions to an undefeated regular season and trip to the Class 5A state championship game in 2017, finished off his college career with a pair of outstanding seasons at Samford. Over his final two seasons, Hiers threw for 6,600 yards and 54 touchdowns. He was the SoCon Offensive Player of the Year in 2022 after leading the Bulldogs to an unbeaten conference title and directing his team to the NCAA FCS quarterfinals. Hiers and his wife, Kylie, live in Birmingham, as do their families and friends, and Hiers’ business, Gridiron Grip Footballs, is also located in Birmingham.
“I've been in contact for a little bit, you know, just kind of talking to the (Stallions) coaches,” Hiers said during a phone interview on Friday morning. “Obviously, they’d just lost a quarterback and gave me a call. I was fired up about the opportunity. As soon as they called, I was like I’m all in, I want the opportunity to compete for the team. Obviously, I was in Canada and had some other opportunities there too. But I really wanted to be, just not in America, but playing for my home team in Birmingham. I've been to a bunch of Stallions games the last couple of years.”
Finding a spot to play professional football, even after a dynamic college career at Murray State, Northwest Mississippi Community College and Samford, hasn’t been easy for Hiers. He did receive a chance to join the Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2024. He was placed on the club’s practice roster and remained there until being released in May 10, 2025. The Roughriders went on to win the Grey Cup in November.
“Man, there's some like really, really good talent up there,” Hiers said. “In professional football, there’s only so many spots. So, there’s a lot of really good players on the street. The football up there was awesome. It was a really good experience. Again, it’s a little tough to go up north when you’re married and your families are here. But it was definitely a really good opportunity. I don’t think people realize how good the football is up there.”
Now his focus is on this opportunity with the Stallions. He said he has trained with Elgersma and has mutual connections with Corral. He is excited to get the opportunity to play for McCarron.
“Oh man, it’s a dream, especially growing up a Bama fan,” Hiers said. “He was just such a successful football player. It’s kind of like with Coach (Chris) Hatcher when I was at Samford. He was a (former) quarterback. When I was at Northwest, my offensive coordinator was a quarterback. That just really helps because they understand what you’re seeing. They can do a really good job of helping you, by saying ‘Hey, this has helped me in the past, this can help you.’ It’s always good when someone coaching you understands the challenges that you’re facing.”
Another important piece of getting an opportunity close to home is it puts him near his growing business.
“it's a football prepping business essentially that grew into people working for me,” Hiers said. “I was training a bunch of quarterbacks last summer and a couple kids had like brand new footballs and they couldn't throw it. I was like ‘Hey, I can help you do that.’ That's what they do in the NFL and big time college. You never see like a brand new football played with because it's hard to throw. I helped a guy out and he wanted me to do more. I was like ‘Man, this takes a lot of time and effort.’ So I started charging and then word-of-mouth referrals and then got an Instagram. I started shipping balls all over the country and then realized it'd be something the high schools are interested in, so started reaching out and it grew pretty rapidly. It's been a blessing as well.”