Turning the Tide: Jacksonville-area players boosted Nick Saban's Alabama football dynasty
With Nick Saban's retirement from Alabama, a coaching era is coming to an end for college football -- and it's an era that had several connections to the First Coast.
The longtime Crimson Tide head coach, who retired Wednesday after 17 seasons at the helm of Alabama, signed four Northeast Florida high school players during a tenure to rank among the most successful in history.
By the numbers, Saban's record is without parallel in modern college football: With the Crimson Tide, Saban won six national championships, in addition to his 2003 title while in charge of LSU.
His Northeast Florida connections during that time include the likes of national rushing champion and Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry.
One of the most productive Jacksonville players in Saban's tenure, meanwhile, arrived not through high school recruiting but by way of transfer from Georgia Tech. Former Bolles tight end Colin Peek transferred from the Yellow Jackets in 2008 and went on to star in 2009, including 26 catches for 313 yards on Saban's first Tide title-winning team and a touchdown catch against Tim Tebow's Florida in the SEC Championship that launched him onto the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Alabama also has a class of 2025 commit from Jacksonville in Mandarin junior wide receiver Jaime Ffrench Jr., a five-star prospect who selected the Crimson Tide over the summer.
Here's a look at the Jacksonville-area players to sign with Saban's Alabama teams out of high school over the years.
Chris Black
School: First Coast
Position: Wide receiver
Class: 2012
The story: A four-star wideout ranked in the national top five receiving prospects, part of a First Coast team that qualified for its first-ever Florida High School Athletic Association title game in 2011, Black struggled with injuries in Tuscaloosa. He took a medical redshirt in 2012 with a shoulder injury, then had his 2015 season halted by an ankle injury. He eventually moved to Missouri in 2016 on a graduate transfer. In his Crimson Tide career, Black caught 25 passes for 290 yards, with a high of 15 receptions for 188 yards in 2014.
Derrick Henry
School: Yulee
Position: Running back
Class: 2013
The story: The Yulee Bulldozer was a Tuscaloosa Bulldozer, too. When recruiting analysts speculated that all-time national rushing king Henry would have to convert to linebacker or defensive end to succeed in college, Saban held firm, and his faith was richly rewarded. A five-star recruit ranked in the national top 15 when he signed with Alabama, Henry did indeed play running back for the Tide, with relentless power in a record-setting career. He gained 382 yards as a freshman, 990 as a sophomore and then exploded for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2015, winning the Heisman Trophy and powering Alabama to the national title. After Alabama, Henry has rushed for 9,502 yards with the Tennessee Titans, and although his NFL future appears likely to lead him away from Nashville, he's still a dangerous runner. The Jaguars found out, yet again, in Sunday's NFL season finale.
Mac Jones
School: Bolles
Position: Quarterback
Class: 2017
The story: Patience paid off for Jones, a three-star recruit rated among the nation's top 20 quarterbacks when he signed with the Tide in 2017. His route to Alabama included appearances on state finalist teams in both football and soccer while at Bolles. Steadily rising up the depth chart, Jones saw his first significant action with 1,503 passing yards in 2019 and really broke out in 2020: 311 of 402, 4,500 yards passing, 41 touchdowns to only four interceptions on an Alabama team that won it all at 13-0. Jones finished third in Heisman balloting behind his wide receiver teammate, DeVonta Smith. Bill Belichick and the Patriots selected Jones in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but after a promising rookie campaign (3,801 yards passing, 22 touchdowns, a playoff trip and a Pro Bowl selection), he's encountered less success of late and ended the 2023 season on the bench in Foxborough.
Jahquez Robinson
School: Sandalwood
Position: Cornerback
Class: 2020
The story: The four-star corner signed with the Crimson Tide out of Sandalwood, where he was ranked as a top-40 cornerback nationwide. At Alabama, Robinson appeared only sparingly, playing seven games in three seasons and recording one sack. In the spring of 2023, he moved to Deion Sanders' Colorado squad through the transfer portal. He played seven games during the past season with the Buffaloes and recorded his first college interception, picking off Heisman finalist Bo Nix of Oregon.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Nick Saban: Alabama football coach's Jacksonville-area recruiting ties
