Alabama Football: Mac Jones proves he’s a student of the game

Alabama football will rely on Mac Jones’s brain to win games.

Alabama football will have to rely on Mac Jones in 2020, and he is doing his part to earn their trust. After winning the quarterback competition over future phenom Bryce Young, Jones has taken all of the right steps to prove himself.

Mac Jones won the starting job partially because he earned the trust of his teammates. Nick Saban always specifies how important it is for a team to rally around the quarterback, and this Alabama football squad has certainly done that. DeVonta Smith said that he trusts Mac Jones as much as he trusted Tua Tagovailoa.

Mac Jones is also proving to be a student of the game. Winning the starting job isn’t Mac’s end goal. He’s going to have to continue to put the work in, and he is doing that before the season opener.

In a recent press conference, Jones detailed what he has seen from Missouri’s defense. After just a few sentences, it became apparent that he has spent plenty of time studying the Missouri defense in detail. He included a detailed scouting report, named almost every starter, and even noted which players changed their jersey numbers.

Jones’s intelligence cannot be understated. He graduated this year after three years at Alabama, and he had a 4.0 GPA upon graduation. He is now completing a one-year Master’s degree. That intelligence and work ethic are reflective of how he plays the game of football.

The key for Mac Jones to succeed isn’t his physical talent. Jones has an arm, but there is still a clear ceiling with his passing game. He’s going to have to be efficient with his presnap analysis and execution. This type of cerebral play works at the college level, and Jones has what it takes to succeed in this way.

If that’s the way Alabama football plans to use Mac in 2020, this is certainly a good sign. He’s working to gain any advantage in the film room. When you pair that with his physical talents on the field and the talent around him, Alabama’s offense is going to be dangerous.

Watch out for Jones and the Crimson Tide in 2020.