5 Alabama QBs named in the top 75 QBs of the 2000s
Alabama football enters the 2023 season with a rather unfamiliar issue: no one is sure who the quarterback will be. This hasn’t been a problem for the Crimson Tide in years, as the program had a streak going back to 2016 of high-quality starting quarterbacks.
ESPN’s Bill Connelly recently listed his top 75 quarterbacks of this century. Dating all the way back to the year 2000, he named quarterbacks from programs all over the country that had amazing collegiate careers.
Mind you, this is his opinion. The rankings of certain quarterbacks may be seen as questionable. For example, Baker Mayfield tops the list as the best quarterback of this century.
Five of the 75 spots on the list were taken up by former members of the Crimson Tide, all of whom were on national championship-winning rosters during their time in Tuscaloosa.
67. A.J. McCarron (2010-2013)
“We think of early-2010s Bama QBs as game managers, but McCarron showed serious upside when asked,” writes Connelly. “His last four games of 2012’s title run: 54-for-76 for 775 yards, 10 touchdowns and 1 interception. He could have produced even bigger numbers if asked.”
McCarron helped establish the beginning of Saban’s dynasty at Alabama and is one of the most beloved members of the Crimson Tide in the history of the program. Though his NFL career didn’t go as planned, he’s on this list for his achievements at the collegiate level.
38. Mac Jones (2018-2020)
“Like Trask, Jones patiently bided his time and didn’t really see the field until an injury,” writes Connelly. “But after taking the baton from Tua Tagovailoa late in 2019, he led maybe the best Bama team of all-time to a 13-0 record, with a 41-to-4 TD-to-INT ratio, in 2020.”
Mac Jones shocked the nation when he took over the Crimson Tide in 2020 and led the team to an undefeated title run. The former third-string quarterback for Alabama became a Heisman finalist and broke records. He deserves to be on this list.
25. Jalen Hurts (2016-2019)
“Hurts was a starter for three years, averaged 2,900 passing yards and 1,036 rushing yards per season and led three CFP bids; as a backup to Tua Tagovailoa in 2018, he helped to save a CFP bid as well,” writes Connelly. “He was the SEC’s offensive player of the year as a freshman and Heisman runner-up as a senior. What a career.”
Jalen Hurts had one of the best stories in college football as a starter that became a backup then transferred and became a starter again. His talents are impressive, but his respect for the game and unmatched work ethic are what separate Hurts from the rest.
21. Tua Tagovailoa (2017-2019)
“The first time we saw the five-star recruit taking meaningful snaps as a freshman, he was saving the Crimson Tide in the national title game,” writes Connelly. “He then posted the best passer rating ever in 2018 (199.4) and was on pace to top it (206.9) when he was lost to injury the next year. His résumé was incomplete but remarkable.”
Tua Tagovailoa’s college journey began in one of the most unlikely of places, the national championship, and ended in tragedy, with a devastating hip injury. However, what he was able to accomplish in such a short amount of time is nothing less than spectacular. The national talk about Tagovailoa was electric. At one point, he was the face of college football.
19. Bryce Young (2020-2022)
“He entered college as the top QB prospect in the country and managed to live up to the hype and the pressure of being Bama’s QB1,” writes Connelly. He threw for 47 touchdowns and won the Heisman as a first-year starter and beat 10 ranked opponents in two years, and only a pair of last-second road losses prevented him from making back-to-back CFP appearances.”
Bryce Young’s two years as the starter for Alabama were filled with memorable moments and unbelievable plays. He has a bright future in the NFL, but his college career will be one to look back on one day and question why he never won a national championship as a starter.
