How Alabama's Mac Jones Beat The Narrative
Now it seems like such an impossible notion.
But not that long ago the narrative about Alabama quarterback Mac Jones was this: Nice kid. Pretty good arm. Great work ethic. Supreme competitor. Goal-driven fellow that you would want your daughter to marry. Did a good job of filling in when Tua Tagovailoa got hurt at the end of the 2019 season.
But a superstar? A first-team All-American? A Heisman Trophy finalist? A Davey O’Brien Award winner?
No. Not really.
Conventional wisdom said that Alabama’s next superstar quarterback arrived last January in freshman Bryce Young from powerhouse Mater Dei High School in Southern California. Depending on what service you follow, Young was either the No. 1 or No. 2 high school quarterback in the country in the 2020 signing class. The other was D.J. Uiagalelei, also from California, who signed at Clemson.
Young was billed as nothing less than the next Tua. He was the Gatorade Player of the Year in California. As a senior he scored 68 touchdowns (58 passing). His rise to the starting quarterback job at Alabama, went the narrative, was not a question of if, but when.
And if you bought in to the narrative, Mac Jones looked like the guy who would be remembered as the loyal soldier who served as the dependable backup to Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, and Bryce Young.
It’s a good thing Mac Jones never read the narrative.
That’s because we all have born witness to the fact that Jones, a redshirt junior from Jacksonville, will instead be remembered as the quarterback who put together the greatest statistical season in the history of the University of Alabama.
The numbers don’t lie: In 12 starts this season, Jones has completed an astounding 77 percent of his passes for 4,036 yards and 36 touchdowns versus only four interceptions. He has not only led Alabama to Monday night’s CFP National Championship game with Ohio State, he finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting behind teammate DeVonta Smith and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence.
In 16 career starts for the Crimson Tide, dating back to the end of the 2019 season, Jones has completed 75.8 percent of his passes for 5,208 yards, 49 touchdowns and only six interceptions.
And now, as Jones prepares to play the biggest game of his life, he is projected as a first-round pick in the next NFL Draft.
It has been a meteoric rise for Jones, who originally committed to Kentucky but changed his mind and joined the 2017 Alabama signing class that included Tagovailoa.
“This is a guy who waited his turn,” said Alabama OC Steve Sarkisian, who will be become head coach at Texas after Monday night’s game. “I’m very proud of him and I’m happy for him because he’s earned it.”
Now it has certainly helped Jones to be surrounded by some of the best talent in college football:
**--Smith, the Heisman winner, led the nation with 105 catches and 1,641 yards. Nobody else was close.
**--Running back Najee Harris (1,387 yards, 24 touchdowns) is going to be a star in the NFL. His leap over a Notre Dame defender in the Rose Bowl will be one of the ever-lasting images of the 2020 season.
**--The Joe Moore Award goes to the best offensive line in college football. Alabama won the award over Texas A&M and Notre Dame.
**--When the Associated Press All-America team was announced, Alabama had five—that’s right five—players on the first-team offense: Jones, Smith, Harris, OT Alex Leatherwood, and center Landon Dickerson.
“Yeah, it’s just really an awesome experience to lead these guys,” Jones said on a call with reporters. “I’ve said this before but they make everything go.”
The feeling, it turns out, is mutual.
“He (Jones) does everything great, actually, as far as being a leader, his ability, and what he does on the field, his preparation for the games,” said wide receiver John Metchie. “I think he’s great at all those things.”
Some credit is also due to head coach Nick Saban, who has won five national championships at Alabama with a variety of quarterbacks:
2009—Greg McElroy
2011—A.J. McCarron
2012—A.J. McCarron
2015—Jake Coker
2017—Jalen Hurts/Tua Tagovailoa
Jones credits Saban for being in his position.
“A shoutout to Coach Saban for getting me to Alabama and giving me a chance,” Jones told the SEC Network after beating Florida in the conference championship game on Dec. 19. “My teammates, obviously, make me look better than I am.”