Alabama Football: Pros and cons of Mac Jones and Bryce Young

Pros and cons for Alabama football’s Bryce Young

Pro: Bryce Young is a multi-faceted prospect

Bryce Young’s best comparison in terms of scheme is Kyler Murray. He’s a quality passer, a flashy runner, and he can break free. If Alabama football wants a completely open playbook, Bryce Young is the man for the job.

Pro: Young has more upside

Mac Jones might have a higher current floor, but Young has the highest ceiling. He has a chance to be a first-round quarterback once it’s his time. When that type of potential joins a football team, you want to see them on the football field as early as possible.

Pro: He has at least three years of eligibility

Nick Saban never lets the future decide a present decision. I realize this. However, one can objectively realize that Bryce Young has to be a starting quarterback at some point. If he’s ready, getting him on the field and ensuring that he stays with Alabama football is a big deal. I know you don’t want a freshman to hijack control in college football, but we saw what happened with Georgia when Justin Fields was going to have to sit for two years. He left and became a Heisman contender, and UGA struggled on offense without him. It won’t impact the decision, but it’s worth mentioning.

Con: Bryce Young has never taken a college football snap

Mac Jones had his mistakes last year as a starting quarterback, but at least he has played through them. With early games against the USC Trojans and Georgia Bulldogs, the Tide likely can’t afford to let him play through his mistakes as an early starter. If you wait until the end of the season, he will be starting when the games matter most. This inexperience may or may not be a big deal, though. Jalen Hurts went 14-1 as a freshman in games, and Tua Tagovailoa saved Alabama football in the second half of the national championship without many meaningful snaps under his belt. This is player-specific.

Con: Young didn’t get the spring to prepare

It is so valuable to be an early enrollee in college football, and Young was a student in the spring. However, the cancellation of spring practices kept him from showing the team what he could do for months. The competition will be shortened, which hurts his odds of winning. This reason alone is why I’ve gone on the record for saying that Mac Jones needs to be the team’s starter to begin the 2020 football season.

There are plenty of other things that Nick Saban and the Alabama football team will consider, but these are surface-level pros and cons for both options. Either way, the Tide are in good hands at the quarterback position for years to come.