Where did Mac Jones play college football?
Mac Jones is taking the NFL by storm in 2021. The rookie first-round pick is making the New England Patriots relevant again and has the team on pace to fight for the AFC East crown all the way until the end of the season.
So should fans have seen this coming? Those who pay attention to college football know Jones was a starter at Alabama, which has a recent track record of getting quarterbacks into the NFL. It's no surprise that Jones made it to the NFL, but it can be seen as a bit of a shock that he is playing better than his fellow first-year quarterbacks.
Mac Jones is now 5-0 this season on the road. He joins Dak Prescott and Ben Roethlisberger as the only rookies in NFL history to win each of their first 5 career road starts.
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Mac Jones' college football highlights
Jones appeared in limited action in 2018, but started to prove himself in 2019 when Tua Tagovailoa suffered his hip injury. He threw for 14 touchdowns and led Alabama to a win in the Citrus Bowl.
Twenty-twenty, while a bizarre season due to COVID-19, was the year when Jones really made a name for himself. He guided the Crimson Tide all the way to the national championship and took home a dominating win over Ohio State to become a champion.
He lit up the Buckeyes defense for over 400 yards and threw five touchdowns in the 52-24 beatdown. Such a performance over a top defense made it clear that Jones was one of the top quarterbacks available in the 2021 NFL Draft. It may have been that game alone that boosted his stock to be a first-rounder given all the hype surrounding the likes of Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Justin Fields.
Mac Jones' Alabama stats
Jones saw gradual improvement every year at Alabama, as a result of getting more and more playing time from 2018 through 2020.
Mac Jones returns to ATL tonight with the @Patriots. The last time he played in the 🅰️ ...
🐘 418 Pass Yds
🐘 5 Pass TD
🐘 @AlabamaFTBL became the first team in SEC history to win 10 conference games in a season https://t.co/D0sggfw6Gg
He began in 2018 with 13 total pass attempts. Then came 2019 when he made four starts and led Alabama to the Citrus Bowl victory. His 1,503 yards and 14 touchdowns were just the beginning.
In 2020, Jones threw for exactly 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns. He also threw only four interceptions all year, which is arguably just as impressive as his touchdown total.
Jones capping off his career with a championship win is what makes his legacy such a great one at Alabama. He lit up the Ohio State defense with five touchdowns and could have had even more if the game was not a blowout at halftime.
These stats were impressive enough to get Jones selected as the No. 15 overall pick by the Patriots in the 2021 NFL Draft. Based on how he plays now, other teams may be wishing they had taken a chance on Jones. Do the New York Jets really think Wilson is the better player between the two?
Jones dominated at one of the best dynasties the world of college football has ever seen. Now he is on an NFL team that was a true dynasty for nearly two decades. He is looking to continue that trend by keeping up his current pace for the remainder of the regular season and potentially the postseason.