For Alabama football, life after Tua will take some adjustment. No 2020 SEC quarterback is equal to a healthy Tua. Who will come closest?
Mac Jones could well be the most underrated quarterback in the SEC going into the 2020 season. His body of work is limited and the two pick-sixes against Auburn taint his reputation. Replacing the greatest Alabama football quarterback in decades leads to Mac being discounted.
Mac may surpass expectations. He will be protected by a veteran offensive line. The running back roster is loaded. Even without Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III, Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle can lead a strong receiving group. Mac could end up being the QB of an SEC and National Champion.
Until those championships are won, Mac must be compared with other SEC quarterbacks based on past performance. It is easy to expect Mac will be in the top seven SEC QBs in 2020. Where he fits in that seven-man pecking order is harder to determine.
On the basis of performance and game experience, Kellen Mond (TAMU), Jamie Newman (Georgia) and K. J. Costello (Mississippi State) have an edge. Senior, Kellen Mond has thrown for over 7,000 yards, including 52 touchdown passes. Mond has also rushed for over 1300 yards, even though Jimbo Fisher prefers him to be a pocket passer. The only downside with Mond is occasional inaccuracy but the 2019 season showed improvement at 61.6 percent completions.
Georgia Bulldogs fans have already marked down senior, Jamie Newman as the next Heisman winner. The Wake Forest transfer led the Demon Deacons to some exciting wins in 2019. Pundits tout his accuracy. Last season he completed 60.9 percent of his passes.
Due to injuries, K. J. Costello did not see much action for Stanford last season. When healthy in 2018, he was a top QB, passing for over 3500 yards and 29 touchdowns. He is more accurate than Mond or Newman (65.1 percent in 2018) and Mike Leach’s offensive schemes will allow him to ring up big numbers.
When national pundits project the best SEC quarterbacks for 2020, Mond, Newman and Costello get the most votes. Consider one comparative stat with the experienced trio and Mac Jones. Based on data from sportsreference.com, Mac Jones had a 2019 ‘Passing Efficiency Rating’ of 186.8. The best season rating in the career of Kellen Mond is 135. Jamie Newman’s best is 145.3 and K. J. Costello’s best is 155.
Too much can be read into stats. Mac Jones will have to prove himself over the length of a season. Even though all the pundits are doing it, Alabama football fans should not underestimate Mac.
If Mac, Costello, Newman and Mond are the four best in next season’s SEC, who comes next? Our guess is Kyle Trask, Bo Nix and John Rhys Plumlee will round out the top seven. Plumlee has a long way to go as a passer, but in Kiffin’s offense, he can thrive without having to make tough throws.