Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young has yet to start a game for the reigning national champions, but is in top 5 on BetMGM’s Hei…
The Alabama Crimson Tide will spend the 2021 offseason as the No. 1 team in the nation, seeing as they won the 2020 national championship and won countless awards, including the Heisman trophy.
However, Nick Saban will be seeing many of his stars leave his programs to pursue professional careers in the NFL.
One of the departing players is former starting quarterback Mac Jones, who will presumably be replaced by Bryce Young, the five-star quarterback out of California in the 2020 class.
Young saw minimal playing time in the championship-winning season as a true freshman, but now he’s poised to be the offensive leader for the Crimson Tide.
BetMGM has put together very early odds for the 2021 Heisma trophy, and Young makes an appearance.
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Here is a really early projection for how Alabama football’s offensive depth chart could shake out in 2021. Can the Crimson Tide repeat?
The time to celebrate another national championship under Nick Saban has come and gone. Now, it’s time to start shifting the focus to the fall of 2021, especially if Alabama is going to make another push.
The offensive side of the football has suffered a ridiculous amount of turnover. Just look at some of the player departures:
QB: Mac Jones
RB: Najee Harris
WR: DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle
OL: Alex Leatherwood, Deonte Brown, Landon Dickerson
That’s a ton of production (and hardware) going out the door, but the Crimson Tide’s roster remains one of the most talented in the nation. Below is a super early projection for the depth chart.
*Note: True freshman are listed at the bottom of their respective position groups. Once we start to get an idea of where they could land on the depth chart in Year 1, we will make adjustments.
Alabama quarterback Mac Jones was underestimated heading into the 2020 season, but proved many doubters wrong as he leads his team to the…
I think it’s time to apologize to Mac Jones.
He has silenced all of the doubters with his performance this year, myself included, by doing the impossible.
Jones joined the Crimson Tide as a three-star quarterback from Jacksonville, Florida. He was one of a few quarterbacks on the Alabama roster, along with Jalen Hurts, who just led the team to a National Championship appearance, and five-star Tua Tagovailoa – both of whome are now starting NFL quarterbacks.
Sure, you can say that just being on the team is an honor, which it is, but he’s been underestimated his whole career in Tuscaloosa, and I think it’s time to acknowledge it.
Mickey Welsh/The Montgomery Advertiser via USA TODAY Sports
He sat under Hurts and then watched as Tagovailoa was chosen to save the day in the 2017 National Championship. He witnessed a quarterback battle from outside the ring as the Crimson Tide fanbase argued over Hurts and Tagovailoa for the starting job.
When thrusted into the limelight in 2019 due to contsant injuries that plagued Tagovailoa and Hurts having transferred to Oklahoma, Jones got the job done and even won the Citrus bowl over Michigan, but suffered a bad looking loss to Auburn.
On Jan. 6, 2020, Tua Tagovailoa announced that he would not be returning for his senior season, but would be declaring for the NFL draft.
Alabama fans were sad and excited to see Tagovailoa pursue a professional career, but were also scared for the future of the Crimson Tide’s potent offense that, for the last four seasons, has been an outlier to what the defensively strong program has grown accustomed to.
Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
How do you follow up two quarterbacks that have changed the way the Crimson Tide faithful view offense after years of A.J. McCarron and Jake Coker?
Well, this is where the fan base was split.
It was almost like talking to your family about politics over Thanksgiving dinner.
There’s Mac Jones, who has been with the team for three seasons, but has been deemed a potential game manager; or Bryce Young, the young No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the nation from California.
Arguments over size, arm strength, running ability and age were all over social media, all while the Crimson Tide prepared for what would be the most unpredictable season in college football history.
Nick Saban didn’t say a word and not a single leak came out of the Crimson Tide camp regarding a “QB Controversy,” certainly not reminiscent of the 2018 offseason.
Caitie McMekin/Pool via News Sentinel via Imagn Content Services, LLC
On Sept. 26, 2020 the Alabama Crimson Tide took the field for their season-opening ontest against Missouri on the road. All questions were answered when Mac Jones took the first snap.
He completed 18 of 24 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns, and fans got a glimpse into the future as Bryce Young completed five of his eight passes for 54 yards.
Since then, Jones has not only shocked Crimson Tide fans with how he’s played, but the nation.
Through 12 games played in the 2020-2021 season, Jones has completed 77% of his passes for 4,036 yards, 36 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions.
Oh, and he still has the opportunity to add to those stats with one more game as he tries to lead Alabama to National Championship No. 18.
His journey was one of silence and work behind the scenes. The 2020 version of Mac Jones is not the same as true freshman Mac Jones; however, we will never be able to compare the two.
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
All that’s left to do now is appreciate the player and the product he’s presented on the field.
He may not have won the Heisman, and he may not have as much hype surrounding him as Joe Burrow did in 2019, but one thing is for sure: Mac Jones went from third-string quarterback to one of the greatest quarterbacks to perform at the University of Alabama.
Often times the ones who are most underestimated harbor the deepest longing to succeed, and that’s what we are witnesing in Mac Jones.
So Mac, on behalf of myself and the many others that didn’t think you had it in you to take this team to even grear heights, I’m sorry and thank you for proving me wrong.
On the eve of early signing day, Roll Tide Wire recalls the most hyped commits in school history.
Alabama has built one of the greatest dynasties in sports under head coach Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide have dominated every aspect of the sport, including the recruiting game.
Sure, there were other top-rated recruits prior to the Saban era, but recruiting has gone to a new level since 2007. That got us thinking: Who should go on the Mount Rushmore of all-time Alabama recruits?
Ratings coming out of high school certainly factored into our list, but, in some instances, we pushed the selection process beyond that. The importance of certain players in certain recruiting classes changed the game for Alabama, and we took that into consideration.
So without further ado, we bring you a total of eight former high school football recruits. The first four players came up just short as honorable mention selections, while the fab four made our Mount Rushmore.
More Mount Rushmores from the College Wire Network:
The entire staff at Roll Tide Wire give their score predictions for the upcoming Alabama game against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The final regular season game for Alabama is officially upon us. After making it through nine of the 10 games unbeaten, the Crimson Tide will finish things up with a 3-6 Arkansas squad on the road.
As it sits, Alabama is a 32-point favorite over the Razorbacks, and the over/under currently sits at 68.5 points. That’s roughly a predicted score of 50-18, which falls in the range of several other games this season.
But what does the Roll Tide Wire staff think as far as score predictions? You can find those predictions, and the reasons why, below. Enjoy!
AJ Spurr, Contributor
Feleipe Franks seems to have found a decent home in Fayetteville. The Razorback offense makes its presence felt in almost every game.
While I believe Alabama could win this by triple digits, I think the second half will consist of Bryce Young and the Crimson Tide stars of the future.
With this being the only thing standing between Alabama’s meeting with Florida in the SEC championship, there’s no need to risk injury on a game that will likely be over at the half.
Final score: Alabama 56, LSU 24
Clint Lamb, Managing Editor
This is a tough game to predict. Arkansas is clearly a better team than the current 3-6 record reflects. Three of those losses were by single digits, while the other three were to No. 9 Georgia, No. 5 Texas A&M and No. 6 Florida.
It’s on the road, the weather isn’t expected to be great and it’s not necessarily a “must win” for Alabama. But with all that being said, this team hasn’t allowed a single opponent to come within two touchdowns this season. They’ve gotten the job done each and every time out.
I believe this 32-point line is spot on, but whether the Crimson Tide covers or not will depend on the ability to score — and prevent scores — from the backup units. We should see those guys at some point in the second half.
Clint Lamb and Brett Hudson sit down to discuss Alabama’s dominate 63-3 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats. How was it that lopsided?
Clint Lamb and Brett Hudson sit down to discuss Alabama’s dominate 63-3 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats.
How was it that lopsided? What about the defense’s improvement? Should fans be concerned about Dylan Moses? All that and more on this episode of The Bama Beat podcast.
Stay tuned for more episodes of The Bama Beat podcast, brought to you by Wickles Pickles and Homefield Apparel through The Tuscaloosa News and TideSports.com!
Bryce Young threw his first career touchdown pass for Alabama, and boy, was it a doozy. Check this out.
Mac Jones is still the undeniable starting quarterback for Alabama. He’s a Heisman Trophy candidate, and outside of a lone interception, he looked spectacular against Kentucky on Saturday.
With all that being said, the Crimson Tide has a backup quarterback that could start for most other teams around the country. It’s a familiar name, too.
Bryce Young entered the game against the Wildcats midway through the third quarter. He proceeded to make a couple jaw-dropping throws, including his first career touchdown pass.
— Sidelines – Bama (Win it for Waddle) (@Sidelines_Bama) November 21, 2020
Earlier on the drive, the former five-star prospect made another throw that had Alabama fans salivating. That throw was also to star senior wide receiver DeVonta Smith.
It is hard to believe that Young is the Crimson Tide’s second-team quarterback, but that’s the sort of depth that has helped Nick Saban build one of the best college football dynasties of all time.
Stay tuned for more updates from Roll Tide Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports College Wire network!
Alabama quarterback Mac Jones will have a decision to make following the 2020 college football season. Will he enter the draft or return?
Alabama quarterback Mac Jones saw minimal action in his first three years with the Crimson Tide. Enrolling in 2017, along with Tua Tagovailoa, he entered a quarterback room that was run by Jalen Hurts.
Fast forward to 2019 with Hurts gone to Oklahoma and Tagovailoa as the starter, Jones is thrusted into action as the No. 1 quarterback due to Tagovailoa sustaining a season-ending hip injury mid-November.
With Tagovailoa entering the 2020 NFL draft, the starting job was somewhat open, with the two contenders being Jones and five-star true freshman from California, Bryce Young.
Jones not only won the starting job, but is exceeding expectations and is in contention to be named the 2020 Heisman trophy recipient.
If Jones continues performing as well as he is, grabbing the attention of draft analysts around the country, and having one more year of eligibility, one must begin to wonder: “What’s next for Mac Jones?”
Well, there are three options:
1. Mac Jones goes pro.
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
This time last year, if you were to tell an Alabama fan that Mac Jones was a potential first-round quarterback, you would have likely been laughed all the way out of Tuscaloosa.
However, the idea doesn’t seem so far fetched, as he is breaking records and is leading the Crimson Tide to a strong season that could bring Alabama National Championship No. 18.
Recent 2021 NFL mock drafts have projected Jones to be drafted mid-first round to teams that missed out on quarterbacks such as Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields.
He’s not the quarterback with the most recognition in the class, but analysts see him as a viable option for teams that are in need of a fix, like the Chicago Bears or the San Francisco 49ers.
Alabama starting quarterback mac jones has been named the SEC offensive player of the week for the third time this season.
Alabama quarterback Mac Jones is surprising Crimson Tide fans and the nation, alike, with his performance through the first five weeks of SEC action. After entering as the starter late in 2019 due to a season-ending hip injury to Tua Tagovailoa, he has been the starter. For the third time in the 2020 season, Jones is recognized as the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Week.
In Week 5’s win over Tennessee, Jones threw for 387 yards on 25 completions, but no touchdowns.
On the season, he is earning his name to be mentioned in the Heisman conversation. 78.8% completion, 1,905 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and only two interceptions.
His name his also being mentioned as a possible first-round draftee for the 2021 NFL draft, a sentiment few predicted heading into the 2020 college football season.
Five-star true freshman quarterback Bryce Young has seen the field in two games this season, and was believed to have seen much more. However, There’s been no need for Nick Saban to see anyone behind the center not named Mac Jones.
Alabama football takes on Missouri to start their season and they open up the half with a 21-3 lead.
The Alabama Crimson Tide leads the Missouri Tigers at halftime with a score of 28-3 in the season-opening matchup for the two SEC programs.
Mac Jones got the nod as the teams starting quarterback over true freshman Bryce Young. Jones has thrown for 239 yards off of 17 completions through 23 attempts. He has two touchdown passes to Jaylen Waddle.
Alabama receivers have also shown early signs of success without the help of Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III.
Jaylen Waddle wasted no time making his presence felt. Seven receptions for 121 yards and two touchdowns is worthy of the high praise he’s gotten in the offseason.
While DeVonta Smith has reeled in four receptions for 36 yards, sophomore receiver, John Metchie III has 42 yards on two receptions.
The success shared between Waddle, Smith and Metchie should be a relief to the Alabama offense, as there may have been some nerves after losing Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III to the 2020 NFL draft.
Najee Harris opens up his senior season with a pair of touchdowns, both showing his strength to break through the line and get into the end zone. He’s the lead rusher with 13 carries for 71 yards.
The defense has shown signs of slight rust, but had held the Tigers to three through two quarters and only allowing 10 completions on 17 attempts for 64 passing yards, but saw 49 total rushing yards, with 40 of those coming from Larry Rountree III’s seven carries.
Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on all things Alabama football as the Crimson Tide kickoff the second half of their season-opening matchup vs. Missouri.
