Quarterbacks
Tua Tagovailoa
Tua could have made an all-time Mount Rushmore for Alabama. When your first important moment as a player is as historic as the Tide’s comeback against Georgia in the national championship, you know your future is special. Tua has taken over at quarterback and smashed just about every record the Tide have to offer, including some for all of college football. I believe he deserves a Heisman Trophy, and he still has the potential to come back for his senior season.
Jalen Hurts
It’s hard to imagine a man who got benched on college football’s biggest stage could make the Mount Rushmore, but Jalen Hurts is an anomaly. He was the only Alabama football quarterback to start as a freshman, and he got his team to a national championship game in that year. He also made it there in his second season, where he inevitably got benched for Tua. There was no one who could stop Jalen as a freshman in Lane Kiffin’s system. But none of that is why he is on this list. He got here due to his leadership when losing the starting job. Staying and using a year of eligibility was a hard decision he made, and it ended up saving the Tide in the SEC Championship game. At the end of the day, ‘Bama played for three championships while Jalen Hurts was on the team.
A.J. McCarron
McCarron was the most successful Tide quarterback before Alabama football adopted the modern offense with Hurts. McCarron did it in terms of stats and team success. The only three-year starter Saban has had at Alabama, A.J. won multiple rings for the Tide. Before Hurts and Tua, McCarron was the first quarterback everyone thought of.
Jake Coker
The fourth quarterback was hard to decide on. There are a few other quarterbacks who have started for full seasons, but Coker had a great single season as a starter. He didn’t do it for as long as others, but he was also one of the more successful quarterbacks Saban has ever had.
Honorable Mentions
Blake Sims was my next pick, but I gave it to Coker simply because he won a ring as a starter. I also considered Greg McElroy, but I think he gets too much recognition for being the first quarterback to win a championship.