Alabama football is resting again this week, but Mac Jones has not cooled off from receiving national attention.
On Friday, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation — in pairing alongside presenting partner, A.O. Smith — has narrowed its list of quarterbacks down to 15 for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. The honor is presented annually to the top upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with its class.
Jones was one of four Southeastern Conference signal callers on the list, joining Kellen Mond (Texas A&M), Kyle Trask (Florida) and Feelipe Franks (Arkansas). As a redshirt junior, he has the Crimson Tide with the top-ranked scoring offense (47.2 ppg) and total offense (555.2 ypg) in the SEC through six games.
Jones has completed 78.5 percent of his passes (139 of 177) for 2,196 yards with 16 touchdowns to two interceptions.
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He leads the SEC in completion percentage, passing yards, passer rating (210.3) and total quarterback rating (95.5).
NFL Draft experts are starting to project him as a first-rounder for 2021, especially with how he has performed. A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Jones is also the frontrunner in this year’s Heisman Trophy race. He has an opportunity to be the first quarterback in Alabama history to earn the award. For now, he continues to work hard in preparing the Tide for its next opponent.
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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.
