He was two years behind everyone else in his physical development (before signing with the University of Alabama) and after a stellar A-Day Game performance last spring, Crimson Tide fans did not see much of him during the 2018 season.
Mac Jones enters his third year at Alabama, and his second season in terms of field action.
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, the four-star quarterback from Florida had five completions on 13 attempts for 123 yards with one touchdown as a redshirt freshman.
Prior to the start of last season, Damien Harris praised Jones for his poise as a competitor and listed him as someone who was starting to grow in leadership. He did create history at Bryant-Denny Stadium, as his 94-yard scoring strike to receiver Jaylen Waddle versus Louisiana (formerly Louisiana-Lafayette) was the second longest play in UA’s record books.
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Now a sophomore, Jones is itching for more opportunities to show head coach Nick Saban and his teammates that he is highly capable of running the offense. During his presser on Friday, Saban said the product of The Bolles School has made a lot of progress since his arrival.
“He really played well, especially at the beginning of last year when he was getting a lot of reps in fall camp,” Saban said of Jones.
“He had to be the scout team quarterback half the time, so maybe toward the end of the year he didn’t have the opportunities to progress like we’d like… But he’s going to get every opportunity to do that now.”
Jones led TBS, a private school, to the Class 4A State Championship Game during his senior year in 2016 and with the knowledge of the entire system in his mind, Saban wants Jones to take the information and apply it in the huddle.
“I think he has the right attitude about what he has to do to play winning football at the position,” Saban continued on Jones.
“I think he has shown more maturity in his approach in how to be a leader and affecting other people. We are encouraged by everything he has done to this point.”
The first thing Jones must prove is that he’s the right choice to backup Tua Tagovailoa.
While fans and media personnel alike are drawn to true freshmen Taulia Tagovailoa and Paul Tyson, the 2017 signee needs to show why he’s the ideal player for this offense.
Jones and the Tide will return to spring practice after the break.
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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.
