The quarterback position was one people thought Nick Saban could not transition from Alabama to the NFL.
Has the Crimson Tide become “Quarterback U?” One Pro Football Hall of Famer believes so.
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Joe Montana won a national championship as the quarterback of Notre Dame in 1977.
He had an illustrious pro career with the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. Montana earned several awards, including four Super Bowl titles, three Super Bowl Most Valuable Player honors, two NFL Most Valuable Player awards, and three first-team All-Pro honors.
As accomplished as he was, Montana paid the ultimate respect to Nick Saban and Alabama’s football program. During Tuesday’s segment of College Football Live, he compared the Tide’s recent success with quarterbacks to the USC Trojans under Pete Carrol.
Joe Montana on College Football Live: “I would have taken Mac if I was the 49ers… I think it’s funny, Alabama reminds me of the old USC the way they are producing quarterbacks”
More high praise and more recruiting material for @AlabamaFTBL
— Brett Greenberg (@74Talk) November 2, 2021
Montana believes his 49ers should have taken Mac Jones with the No. 3 overall pick.
His words might become a massive recruiting tool for Coach Saban. Since the 2016 season with Jalen Hurts, Alabama has witnessed its quarterbacks have huge numbers. Tua Tagovailoa and Jones set records, especially Jones. He recorded a single-season school record for passing yards (4,500) in 2020 and tossed 41 touchdowns. Jones was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, a Consensus All-American, and won a host of other awards.
He is having success as a rookie with Bill Belichick and the Patriots.
Bryce Young, a sophomore, is turning heads.
As a first-year starter, he is sixth all-time in UA history for touchdown passes (26) in a season.
Young is a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy and is in the running for Maxwell and Manning Awards. Saban is doing something right at quarterback, and Montana sees it.
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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.
