He’s taken ownership of the team and while many are excited to see Bryce Young, Mac Jones has one message to those hating on Alabama football for next season.
The statement listed above was what he captioned on his Instagram story, as the rising junior worked with DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Slade Bolden, John Metchie and Tyrell Shavers through various route concepts all weekend.
He started getting more chemistry with the primary receivers in practice after Tua Tagovailoa got hurt last season; however, Jones has always been someone that prepares for the moment. He and Shavers go back to scout-team practices as freshmen in 2017, while Metchie and Bolden reflect on Jones’ MVP outings on A-Day.
Smith, a rising senior, told reporters in 2019 that he looked at Jones in the same way he viewed Tagovailoa.
In his four starts at quarterback, Jones connected with Smith 16 times for 297 yards with three touchdowns.
The chemistry between Jones and Waddle proved to be special versus Auburn as Waddle caught four passes for 98 yards with three scores in the Iron Bowl.
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Overall, the native Floridian totaled 1,503 passing yards with 14 touchdowns to three interceptions in 2019.
He has the confidence of former Tide standout, AJ McCarron and the toughness of Jacob Coker.
However, Jones is actually a step up from being a “game manager” versus the other two.
Even with Tagovailoa’s injury, the Crimson Tide changed nothing offensively and Jones proved to the coaching staff and fans that he could run the system.
He will enter his fourth season next fall with full knowledge of the playbook.
An opportunity to be explosive and balanced is a definite possibility, especially if Najee Harris decides to return for his senior year. He has been dropping cryptic posts on social media that would leave Tide fans to believe he’s coming back.
The California native and former five-star has until Jan. 20 to declare for the NFL Draft. Should he return, the offense will flow through him and Jones will continue to silence critics with his maturation of distributing the football.
A championship mindset starts in the offense. Jones wants the haters to sleep on the Tide.
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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.
