Over the weekend, Julio Jones officially announced his retirement from the NFL. Jones was the 6th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft and went on to have a prolific professional career, mostly with the Atlanta Falcons. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and five-time All-Pro. He led the league in receiving yards twice and helped the Falcons win the NFC Championship in 2017.
Before he launched a Hall of Fame worthy NFL career, Jones was one of the best WRs in the country at Alabama. The former 5-star recruit, perhaps the most important recruit in Crimson Tide history, Jones was a two-time All-SEC selection, a 2nd team All-American in 2010, and was part of Nick Saban's first National Championship team at Alabama in 2009.
During his three-year run at Alabama from 2008-2010, Jones had plenty of spectacular moments and plays. In honor of his retirement, we're going to look back at his five best moments/plays during his Crimson Tide career.
These five Julio Jones moments at Alabama stand above the rest
5. Julio makes his debut against Clemson in 2008, scores a TD
One of the most anticipated freshman debuts in Alabama history was Julio Jones' debut against Clemson in 2008. By the time of the opener in Atlanta against the Tigers, the hype surrounding Jones had reached a fever pitch.
By the time the game rolled around, most Alabama fans had seen the scrimmage clip that Nick Saban desperately tried to suppress of Jones making a spectacular play and stiff-arming All-SEC safety Rashad Johnson on the way to a long touchdown.
Alabama came into the 2008 season opener against Clemson as underdogs. The Tigers held a Top 10 preseason ranking while the Crimson Tide sat at No. 24 following a 7-6 debut season for Saban in Tuscaloosa. Most look back at Alabama's dominant 34-10 win over Clemson as the birth of the dynasty.
Jones' debut wasn't overly prolific. He only caught four passes for 28 yards, but it did include a touchdown reception, the first of his collegiate career:
4. Julio helps lead Alabama down the field in 2009 Iron Bowl, setting up Roy Upchurch game-winner
Alabama's perfect 2009 season was hanging in the balance against Auburn on the road in the Iron Bowl. Trailing by a single point with eight minutes to play, the Crimson Tide engineered a legendary drive to win the game.
McElroy connected on four passes to Julio on the drive for 33 yards. He was the go-to guy for the Crimson Tide with the season on the line. It ultimately set up the game-winning touchdown pass from McElory to Roy Upchurch, giving Alabama a 26-21 win to preserve the undefeated season.
3. Julio's over the shoulder touchdown grab against Georgia in 2008 during "blackout" game
If Alabama's win over Clemson was the birth of the dynasty, the road win over Georgia officially declared that Alabama was back and a legitimate contender in the national title race.
Alabama came into the game as an underdog at Sanford Stadium in a battle of undefeated teams. It was dubbed a "blackout" game for the Bulldogs with all the fans in the stands dressed in black to match the uniform tops of Georgia.
Alabama scored the game's first 31 points in a dominant display on the way to a 41-30 win over Georgia. Julio finished with five catches for 94 yards, including a 23 yard over the shoulder touchdown reception that gave the Tide a 31-0 first half lead and left the Athens faithful in stunned silence. You can see the play in the video below starting at the 8:55 mark:
2. Julio puts up 12-catches, 221 yards against Tennessee in 2010 two weeks after breaking his hand
Julio's pain tolerance was stuff of legend. The most famous instance of that came during his junior season in 2010 when, two weeks after breaking his hand, he had his most prolific individual performance against rival Tennessee in Knoxville.
Jones suffered the injury in practice, and rumor has it, returned to practice the next day after getting a screw inserted into his hand. He didn't miss a single game, and against Tennessee, Jones set a since-broken Alabama record with 221 receiving yards on 12 catches. His performance helped lead the Crimson Tide to a dominant 41-10 win over the Volunteers at Neyland Stadium.
1. Julio's 73-yard go-ahead touchdown against LSU in 2009
In Alabama's 2009 National Championship season, the Tide found themselves on the ropes against No. 9 LSU in Tuscaloosa in early November. Trailing 15-13 in the 4th quarter and with a sputtering offense, Alabama got the ball into the hands of its top playmaker.
McElroy threw a screen pass to Jones, who then made a defensive back miss and raced down the sidelines for a 73-yard touchdown to put Alabama up for good on the way to a 24-15 win. To this day, it's one of my favorite calls from legendary CBS announcer Verne Lundquist. "The chase is on, and it will be won by Julio Jones!"