We are all familiar with the stars on Alabama’s roster, but what about the players next up on the depth chart? Over the next few days, BamaInsider will be examining the Crimson Tide’s roster by looking at the backup options at each position group. Today we begin the series with the quarterback position.
Projected depth chart
Mac Jones, redshirt junior
Bryce Young, freshman
Paul Tyson, redshirt freshman
Outlook: The impending departure of Taulia Tagovailoa will leave Alabama with just three scholarship quarterbacks on its roster.
Barring a massive upset, Mac Jones will begin the season as the Crimson Tide’s starter. The redshirt junior averaged 293 passing yards and 3.25 touchdowns over his four starts while filling in for an injured Tua Tagovailoa last season and is the only quarterback on Alabama’s roster with any meaningful snaps at the college level.
Five-star freshman Bryce Young comes to Tuscaloosa, Ala., as the top quarterback in this year’s class and is viewed as the longterm future at the position. The dual-threat playmaker is coming off a stellar senior season of high school in which he passed for 4,528 yards and 58 touchdowns with six interceptions while adding another 357 yards and 10 more scores on the ground.
Once the forgotten quarterback on Alabama’s roster, Paul Tyson will have more of an opportunity with Taulia Tagovailoa out of the picture. The redshirt freshman appeared in just one game last season, taking seven snaps without attempting a pass.
Will Young take over at some point during the season?
Jones hasn’t been officially named the starting quarterback, but it’s hard to imagine him not taking the first snap of the season behind center, especially after Alabama’s spring camp was wiped out due to the novel coronavirus. Young has the talent to excel right away at the next level, but with limited opportunities to prove himself and a talented quarterback in front of him, he’ll likely have to wait his turn. The question is, how long?
While Jones might hold the edge early this season, the redshirt junior has little room for error with Young waiting in the wings. Nick Saban was slow to make a switch at quarterback in 2017 as Jalen Hurts struggled in the starting role with Tua Tagovailoa on the sidelines. The head coach most likely won’t be as patient with Jones if he is unable to carry over his success from last season.
Ultimately, this competition should benefit Alabama. In an ideal world, Young pushes Jones to another level, allowing the redshirt junior to depart for the NFL next year. With a season of experience under his belt, Young would be able to take over the Crimson Tide’s offense from there.
If Jones keeps the starting job, how much will Young play?
If Jones is able to hold onto the starting role throughout the year, Alabama will still likely find ways to get Young playing time in order to both keep him happy and maintain his development. While the freshman seems willing to wait his turn, five-star quarterbacks don’t usually remain stationary on the sideline for long.
During his freshman season in 2017, Tua Tagovailoa appeared in nine games, completing 49 of 77 passes for 636 yards and 11 touchdowns with two interceptions. If Young remains the backup, will he have a bigger role than that during his first season with the Crimson Tide? During our 20 for 20 series, we set the over/under at 100 pass attempts for the true freshman this season.
Assuming Young remains the backup, he will certainly get reps in garbage-time minutes when Alabama jumps out to comfortable leads. However, don’t be surprised if the Crimson Tide works him into certain packages as well. Young is by far the most athletic quarterback on the roster and could be a deadly change-of-pace option during drives.
Will Tyson be ready if called upon?
A week ago, Tyson’s role at Alabama seemed minimal. Despite joining the Tide as a four-star prospect, the Trussville, Ala. native was viewed as the Tide’s fourth option at quarterback and wasn’t expected to contribute much this season. That all changed when Taulia Tagovailoa entered his name in the transfer portal.
While Tyson isn’t currently viewed in the same light as Jones or Young, he isn’t a shabby prospect himself. The pro-style quarterback threw for more than 6,500 yards and 69 touchdowns with 13 interceptions over 24 games as a starter in high school. This offseason, he added 15 pounds of muscle, filling out his 6-foot-5 frame to 235 pounds.
Tyson likely won’t play over Jones or Young but could take on a significant role if one of those two gets injured. Early in Jones’ career, some questioned if he would ever contribute for the Crimson Tide. If Tyson takes a similarly patient approach, he might eventually put himself in position for a rise to prominence.
Projected depth chart
Mac Jones, redshirt junior
Bryce Young, freshman
Paul Tyson, redshirt freshman
Outlook: The impending departure of Taulia Tagovailoa will leave Alabama with just three scholarship quarterbacks on its roster.
Barring a massive upset, Mac Jones will begin the season as the Crimson Tide’s starter. The redshirt junior averaged 293 passing yards and 3.25 touchdowns over his four starts while filling in for an injured Tua Tagovailoa last season and is the only quarterback on Alabama’s roster with any meaningful snaps at the college level.
Five-star freshman Bryce Young comes to Tuscaloosa, Ala., as the top quarterback in this year’s class and is viewed as the longterm future at the position. The dual-threat playmaker is coming off a stellar senior season of high school in which he passed for 4,528 yards and 58 touchdowns with six interceptions while adding another 357 yards and 10 more scores on the ground.
Once the forgotten quarterback on Alabama’s roster, Paul Tyson will have more of an opportunity with Taulia Tagovailoa out of the picture. The redshirt freshman appeared in just one game last season, taking seven snaps without attempting a pass.
Will Young take over at some point during the season?
Jones hasn’t been officially named the starting quarterback, but it’s hard to imagine him not taking the first snap of the season behind center, especially after Alabama’s spring camp was wiped out due to the novel coronavirus. Young has the talent to excel right away at the next level, but with limited opportunities to prove himself and a talented quarterback in front of him, he’ll likely have to wait his turn. The question is, how long?
While Jones might hold the edge early this season, the redshirt junior has little room for error with Young waiting in the wings. Nick Saban was slow to make a switch at quarterback in 2017 as Jalen Hurts struggled in the starting role with Tua Tagovailoa on the sidelines. The head coach most likely won’t be as patient with Jones if he is unable to carry over his success from last season.
Ultimately, this competition should benefit Alabama. In an ideal world, Young pushes Jones to another level, allowing the redshirt junior to depart for the NFL next year. With a season of experience under his belt, Young would be able to take over the Crimson Tide’s offense from there.
If Jones keeps the starting job, how much will Young play?
If Jones is able to hold onto the starting role throughout the year, Alabama will still likely find ways to get Young playing time in order to both keep him happy and maintain his development. While the freshman seems willing to wait his turn, five-star quarterbacks don’t usually remain stationary on the sideline for long.
During his freshman season in 2017, Tua Tagovailoa appeared in nine games, completing 49 of 77 passes for 636 yards and 11 touchdowns with two interceptions. If Young remains the backup, will he have a bigger role than that during his first season with the Crimson Tide? During our 20 for 20 series, we set the over/under at 100 pass attempts for the true freshman this season.
Assuming Young remains the backup, he will certainly get reps in garbage-time minutes when Alabama jumps out to comfortable leads. However, don’t be surprised if the Crimson Tide works him into certain packages as well. Young is by far the most athletic quarterback on the roster and could be a deadly change-of-pace option during drives.
Will Tyson be ready if called upon?
A week ago, Tyson’s role at Alabama seemed minimal. Despite joining the Tide as a four-star prospect, the Trussville, Ala. native was viewed as the Tide’s fourth option at quarterback and wasn’t expected to contribute much this season. That all changed when Taulia Tagovailoa entered his name in the transfer portal.
While Tyson isn’t currently viewed in the same light as Jones or Young, he isn’t a shabby prospect himself. The pro-style quarterback threw for more than 6,500 yards and 69 touchdowns with 13 interceptions over 24 games as a starter in high school. This offseason, he added 15 pounds of muscle, filling out his 6-foot-5 frame to 235 pounds.
Tyson likely won’t play over Jones or Young but could take on a significant role if one of those two gets injured. Early in Jones’ career, some questioned if he would ever contribute for the Crimson Tide. If Tyson takes a similarly patient approach, he might eventually put himself in position for a rise to prominence.
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