Alabama football head coach Nick Saban remains buttoned up on conversations at the quarterback position, which has continued building more speculation as to who will receive the first snaps under center versus Louisville.
Despite Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa grabbing all headlines, Saban may be the type to confuse everyone.
Not saying he would do this, but the six-time national champion has noticed the rise of redshirt freshman quarterback Mac Jones. Since the A-Day game, the Florida native has grown in confidence, size (205 pounds now) and overall mechanics. He turned in strong outings throughout fall practice, and according to senior running back Damien Harris, he believes all three signal callers have won the team.
“We know we have a lot of guys in the room that can be successful quarterbacks,” Harris said Monday during player interviews. “We have guys that can lead us and be effective leaders for our offense so, I don’t think that is something that we are still trying to figure out. All those guys can do it and now it is up to Coach Saban.”
In speaking on the person he refers to as his “son,” Harris said the biggest thing he’s seen in the improvement of Mac Jones is his poise as a player.
“Being a young guy that came in, it is not easy to come in here as a freshman and the expectations are hard to deal with sometimes,” he said. “I use to notice him getting frustrated at times and being down on himself, but this year he is a completely different person. Everything he takes in stride. He is a lot more poised and he is more focused on what he has to do to improve.”
A confident Jones could deliver him playing time Saturday at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
