Was Alabama QBU, RBU, WRU, OLU During Nick Saban Era: The Money Factor

It's been nearly 30 months since Nick Saban decided to walk away from coaching, leaving a incredible legacy that will continue to be defined and debated for as long as college football continues to exist. A lot of it has already been determined, of course. He was a immediately inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame., the University of Alabama made it Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, and nearly everyone concedes that the Crimson Tide's dynasty is unparalleled in the sport.

But Position U discussions are nowhere near being resolved, especially since many of the players involved are still playing football and continuing to build their status. To give an idea of how long that can take, consider that those involved in Saban's first of six national titles at Alabama are just beginning to get a taste of enshrinement. Running back Mark Ingram II will be indicted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December, while wide receiver Julio Jones looks like he could be the first Saban-coached player with the Crimson Tide to go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (he's first eligible in 2029).

Not only will it take at least a couple of decades for those possibilities to all play out, there's also the veteran committees, although for the College Football Hall of Fame it's a 50-year wait.

For those of you who may not know, Position U arguments usually stem from someone claiming that a certain school, during a certain time period, was so good at recruiting and developing players at a certain position that it could essentially be called QBU, or RBU, etc. The more vague the claim the more it could be used to elevate the program's status and in recruiting.

The debunking is almost as poopular as the claims, and every fan base is looking for an edge.

In this examination of which programs were the real U of each position we're going to go in the opposite direction and get as specific as possible. That means the obvious categories of major awards, All-American status and NFL draft success to compare programs, but then add in a unique factor for perspective, NFL earnings.

Follow the money has always been considered a strong investigative principle in everything from legal matters to storytelling, and a terrific way to cut through the rhetoric and uncover both true motives and the heart of the issue.

This will be a three-part series, beginning with the offense, with the aim of using follow the money to help determine and substantiate which college program was the best at each position during Saban's run at Alabama. Specifically, we're using data from the 2007 season (and the subsequent 2008 NFL Draft, when Alabama didn't have anyone selected), through his final season of 2023 (and 2024 draft). Anyone playing after that point counts toward Kalen DeBoer regardless of who did the recruiting.

That's one important "how we did it" aspect to this gigantic numbers crunch. Another is that transfers are credited to the team where the player finished his collegiate career ... with one exception. For our purposes, Jalen Hurts counts for both Alabama and Oklahoma as he earned a degree at each and claims both schools. The quarterback won a national title with the Crimson Tide and was second for the 2019 Heisman Trophy with the Sooners. Does it make a difference it determining QBU? No. But he obviously impacts the overall rankings in the final part of the series.

With each position listing you'll see Alabama's top five players from the Saban area in terms of NFL career earnings, and then the same for the competing program that had the most impressive showing. The financial numbers are through last season, and what was listed by either spotrac.com or Over the Cap databases through June 30, 2026. So if you're looking at a player and thinking, "Wait, didn't he just sign a big deal?" the structure of the contract may mean that not much had registered yet, especially when the salary cap is a factor.

Finally, after careful thought and deliberation, the decision not to break up the offensive linemen into three deferent position groups — tackle, guard and center — was made due to so many players being able to line up at more than one spot. A couple of examples are Landon Dickerson being a tackle before he transferred to Alabama, playing center (for the first time) with the Crimson Tide, and guard since then with the Philadelphia Eagles; or Barrett Jones going from guard as a sophomore, won the Outland Trophy at left tackle as a junior, and the Rimington Trophy as college football's most outstanding center as a senior.

Moreover, a lot of tackles slide over and play guard as their NFL career progresses (like Andre Smith). You'll see similar challenges with determining positions on the defensive side, but that's in the second part of the series. For now, here's a look at all the offensive positions:

Quarterbacks

Consensus All-Americans: Tua Tagovailoa (2018); Mac Jones (2020); Bryce Young (2021)

Major Awards
Heisman Trophy: Bryce Young (2021)
Maxwell Award: AJ McCarron (2013); Tua Tagovailoa (2018), Bryce Young (2021)
Walker Camp Award: Tua Tagovailoa (2018)
AP Player of the Year: Bryce Young (2021)
Davey O’Brien Award: Mac Jones (202); Bryce Young (2021)
Jonny Unitas Golden Arm Award: AJ McCarron (2013), Mac Jones (2020)
Manning Award: Mac Jones (2020); Bryce Young (2021)

Draft Picks/First-Round Selections: 5/3

Top 5 NFL Earnings
Tua Tagovailoa $124,378,454*
Jalen Hurts $111,405,119*
Bryce Young $32,127,836*
Mac Jones $19,836,352*
AJ McCarron $16,273,523
Subtotal: $304,021,284

Top Competition: Oklahoma
Consensus All-Americans: Sam Bradford (2008); Baker Mayfield (2017)

Major Awards
Heisman Trophy: Sam Bradford (2008); Baker Mayfield (2017); Kyler Murray (2018)
Maxwell Award: Baker Mayfield (2017)
Walter Camp Award: Baker Mayfield (2017)
AP Player of the Year: Sam Bradford (2008); Baker Mayfield (2017); Kyler Murray (2018);
Davey O’Brien Award: Sam Bradford (2008); Baker Mayfield (2017); Kyler Murray (2018).

Draft Picks/First-Round Selections: 5/3

Top 5 NFL Earnings
Kyler Murray $170,152,845*
Baker Mayfield $131,760,454*
Sam Bradford $130,022,863
Jalen Hurts $111,405,119*
Landry Jones $5,264,205-x
*Does not include his XFL earnings.
Subtotal: $548,605,486

Was Alabama QBU during the Saban era?

No. It’s still kind of challenging to make the case for Oklahoma when it often had a revolving door at the position. Kyler Murray transferred from Texas A&M. Jalen Hurts came in from Alabama. Spencer Rattler, was benched for Caleb Williams, and transferred to South Carolina, and Williams subsequently headed to USC to follow head coach Lincoln Riley. Subsequently, the Trojans would get third on this list as Williams was the first-over pick in 2024, Sam Darnold was the third selection in 2018, and Mark Sanchez was fifth in 2009. But that’s all after Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer had departed. Three of Alabama’s top quarterbacks were on the team at the same time and were then followed by the program’s first Heisman winner at the position. Maybe Saban’s Crimson Tide quarterbacks can close the gap in NFL earnings, but it doesn't change the fact that the Sooners won three Heismans and nearly a fourth.

Running Backs

Consensus All-Americans: Mark Ingram II (2009); Trent Richardson (2011); Derrick Henry 2015; Najee Harris (2020).

Major Awards
Heisman Trophy: Mark Ingram II (2009); Derrick Henry (2015)
Maxwell Award: Derrick Henry 2015
Walter Camp Award: Derrick Henry (2015)
Doak Walker Award: Trent Richardson (2011), Derrick Henry (2015), Najee Harris (2020)

Draft Picks/First-Round Selections: 15/5

Top 5 NFL Earnings
Derrick Henry $81,472,749*
Josh Jacobs $46,813,951*
Mark Ingram II $36,823,116
Kenyan Drake $25,880,239
Najee Harris $18,305,637*
Subtotal: $209,295,692
On pace to soon be on this list: Jahmyr Gibbs $14,668,006, 61

Top Competition: Georgia

Consensus All-Americans: None

Major Awards: None

Draft Picks/First-Round Selections: 10/3

Top 5 NFL Earning
Todd Gurley $49,066,286
Nick Chubb $38,867,362*
D'Andre Swift, $25,296,289*
Knowshon Moreno $20,084,000
James Cook, $14,933,682*
Subtotal: $148,247,619

Was Alabama RBU during the Saban era? Absolutely. It’s no contest.

Wide Receivers

Consensus All-Americans: Amari Cooper (2014), Jerry Jeudy (2018), DeVonta Smith (2020).

Major Awards
Heisman Trophy: DeVonta Smith (2020)
Maxwell Award: DeVonta Smith (2020)
Walter Camp Award: DeVonta Smith (2020)
AP Player of the Year: DeVonta Smith (2020)
Paul Hornung Award: DeVonta Smith (2020)
Fred Biletnikoff Award: Amari Cooper (2014), Jerry Jeudy (2018), DeVonta Smith (2020)

Draft Picks/First-Round Selections: 12/8

Top 5 NFL Earnings
Julio Jones $149,167,021
Amari Cooper $138,442,228
Calvin Ridley $69,952,584*
Jaylen Waddle $58,715,175*
DeVonta Smith $50,734,912*
Subtotal: $467,011,920
On pace to soon be on this list: Jerry Jeudy $50,560,984; Jameson Williams $31,213,765, 55

Top Challenger: LSU

Consensus All-Americans: Ja’Marr Chase (2019); Malik Nabers (2023)

Major Awards
Fred Biletnikoff Award: Ja'Marr Chase (2019)
Paul Hornung Award: Odell Beckham Jr. (2013)

Draft Picks/First-Round Selections: 17/5

Top 5 NFL Earnings
Odell Beckham Jr. $101,896,476*
Justin Jefferson $83,541,172*
Ja'Marr Chase $71,610,317*
Jarvis Landry $67,036,112
DJ Chark $23,285,259
Subtotal: $347,369,336
On pace to soon be on this list: Malik Nabers $20,987,815

Was Alabama WRU during the Saban era? This one is a lot closer than at running back, but the answer is yes, especially when considering the NFL career earnings. Granted, Jefferson and Chase are having stellar NFL careers, and LSU had more wide receivers drafted during the Saban years. However, in terms of players having the biggest impact Alabama has the edge. The statistic that reflects it best is first-round draft selections, eight to five in favor of the Crimson Tide.

Tight End

Consensus All-Americans: None

Major Awards: None

Draft Picks/First-Round Selections: 5/1

Top 5 NFL Earnings
O.J. Howard $20,790,104
Irv Smith Jr. $8,814,627, 70
Cameron Latu $2,348,675*
Michael Williams $1,085,371
Miller Forristall $979,398
Subtotal $34,018,175

Top Challenger: Iowa

Consensus All-Americans: 0

Major Awards

John Mackey Award: T.J. Hockenson (2018)

Draft Picks/First-Round Selections: 8/2

Top 5 NFL Earnings
George Kittle $82,420,021*
T.J. Hockenson $61,530,401*
Noah Fant $34,595,581*
C.J. Fiedorowicz $10,171,854
Brandon Myers $9,523,082
Subtotal: $198,240,939

Was Alabama TEU during the Saban era? Ah, no. It’s the only position that Saban didn’t have a first-team All-American. Iowa was used for the top comparison over Notre Dame because even though the Fighting Irish had the most draft picks (10 compared to eight), including one in the first round and five in the second-round, the top five players in the NFL have combined for $159,033,973.

Offensive Line

Consensus All-Americans: Antoine Caldwell, C (2008); Andre Smith (2008); Mike Johnson (2009); Barrett Jones (2011), C (2012); Chance Warmack (2012); Cyrus Kouandjio (2013); Ryan Kelly, C (2015); Cam Robinson (2016); Jonah Williams (2018); Alex Leatherwood (2020)

Major Awards
Outland Trophy: Andre Smith (2008), Barrett Jones (2011), Cam Robinson (2016), Quinnen Williams (2018), Alex Leatherwood (2020)
Rimington Trophy: Barrett Jones (2012), Ryan Kelly (2015), Landon Dickerson (2020)
Joe Moore Award: Offensive line (2015, 2020)

Draft Picks/First-Round Selections: 22/10

Top 5 NFL Earnings
Cam Robinson, T, $81,168,132*
Ryan Kelly, C, $76,846,154
Jonah Williams, T, $59,817,582*
Andre Smith, T, $52,118,506
James Carpenter, T, $36,752,650
Subtotal: $306,703,024
On pace to soon be on this list: Landon Dickerson, $35,964,409, 37; Jedrick Wills Jr., $34,111,378, 35

Top Challenger: Ohio State

Consensus All-Americans: Taylor Decker (2015); Pat Elflein, C (2016), Billy Price, C (2017); Wyatt Davis (2019); Wyatt Davis (2020); Paris Johnson Jr. (2022); Seth McLaughlin, C (2022)

Major Awards
Rimington Trophy: Pat Elflein (2016); Billy Price (2017); Seth McLaughlin (2024)

Draft Picks/First-Round Selections: 19/3

Top 5 NFL Earnings
Taylor Decker, T, $101,434,695*
Corey Linsley, C, $66,101,658
Andrew Norwell, G, $58,104,631
Jonah Jackson, G, $41,032,146*
Paris Johnson, T, $23,807,499*
Subtotal: $290,480

Bonus Challenger: Iowa

Consensus All-Americans: Tyler Linderbaum, C (2021)

Major Awards
Outland Trophy: Brandon Scherff (2014)
Rimington Trophy: Tyler Linderbaum (2021)
Joe Moore Award: Offensive line (2016)

Draft Picks/First-Round Selections: 12/5

Top 5 NFL Earnings
Brandon Scherff $111,226,076
Riley Reiff $76,942,754
Tristan Wirfs $68,479,586*
Bryan Bulaga $63,284,068
James Daniels $41,791,602*
Subtotal: $361,724,086

Was Alabama OLU during the Saban era? Yes, but we want to give a big shoutout to Iowa, which has developed linemen better than anyone. The Hawkeyes’ top five players during this stretch have made the most in the NFL (so far), but the Crimson Tide linemen have collectively made more than a half-billion dollars. Interestingly, Alabama and Ohio State dominated at center, however the Buckeyes were way behind in first-round draft picks and the third Rimington winner spent the first half of his career in Tuscaloosa.

Next Up: The Defense

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