Alabama Football: Why mobile quarterbacks have seen less success

Alabama football has done better with pocket passers in the past

At the beginning of the Saban era, Alabama football fans were used to pocket passers who played behind a dominant offensive line. Blake Sims changed the game, and Jalen Hurts used his legs two years after Sims. While Alabama has seen more mobile quarterbacks over the years, they haven’t had as much success.

Sims is the only starting quarterback since Saban’s first title to not play in a national championship game. Hurts was benched for Tua Tagovailoa in his only championship win. While their stats were dominant, their performances did not lead to Alabama winning it all.

So, why is this? It starts with recruiting. In order to have a mobile quarterback, you need dynamic offensive linemen. Your receivers will likely have to rely on shorter routes. Deep routes won’t develop if a quarterback is willing to scramble quickly. You also need a running back who is willing to block.

While Alabama can recruit these needs, they did not realize that they had to when they had mobile quarterbacks. Blake Sims was in a quarterback battle with Jake Coker, the definition of a traditional pocket passer. Jalen Hurts was buried on the depth chart as a freshman before showing promise in the first game of the season. If Blake Barnett or Cooper Bateman had lived up to the hype, Hurts wouldn’t have been the starter that season.

This forced Alabama football to put square pegs into round holes. The offense was built for a player willing to stay in the pocket and run the ball, but the quarterbacks were built to run option plays and scramble. Alabama had success, but it kept the Tide from firing on all cylinders. This is why Derrick Henry thrived in 2015 and not 2014. It’s why the stud receivers played better with Tua Tagovailoa than Jalen Hurts. Sims and Hurts were quality passers, but their best way to win games was not what they were doing.

So, what does that mean for Bryce Young? Young will be one of the most athletic quarterbacks in college football history. The good news is that Alabama has enough depth to work with his talents. He can be the focal point when Alabama builds for the next few seasons.

Also, Young will be a better passer than Sims or Hurts. Even though Sims averaged nearly 250 passing yards a game, he was not in the right situation to succeed. Bryce Young will have the arm strength to run the old system efficiently.

The reason pocket passers succeed isn’t simply because they stay in the pocket. It’s because they prioritize passing the ball and going through progressions. Young can do this for Alabama football. As long as he keeps his eyes down the field and doesn’t instinctively tuck the ball, he will thrive in 2021.

Alabama football might not have the best history with mobile quarterbacks, but Bryce Young will look to change that this season.