Alabama Football: 3 reasons Mac Jones is dominating the SEC in 2020

Mac Jones had to fill an almost impossible pair of shoes for Alabama football and he’s doing a much better job than anyone expected. But how?

Mac Jones is dominating the SEC, leading the nation in ESPN‘s QBR (94.1), efficiency rating (220.1) and he’s No. 1 the SEC in passing yards (1,518) while heading an explosive Alabama offense to a 4-0 start almost halfway through the season.

What is it that Jones does so well, and why is he dominating early on?

Whenever an Alabama quarterback is doing very well, people in media try to discredit the young player, talking about the “weapons around him” and the “Alabama system”.

Jones is no exception to this rule.

Currently, Jones is having one of the best seasons ever by an Alabama quarterback, coming off of the heels of second-round pick Jalen Hurts (who transferred to Oklahoma and was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy) and fifth overall pick Tua Tagovailoa.

I noted last week on my podcast, the John Vogel Show, that this Georgia-Alabama game was a very important one to watch. Jones was facing built-up pressure for the first time this season since being named the starter for the team. I thought this game was huge for Jones and would tell us a lot about his abilities as a quarterback.

Before we get into this article, I want to first impress a thought onto your mind. I think it’s very important to look at Jones through this lens to really understand who he is and what he is doing.

Jones is a natural quarterback. He plays at his highest level when he allows the position to naturally come to him without really “trying”, per se. What I mean is that he is such a natural talent that when he tries to think through plays, he tends to overthink and lose his special touch. With outside pressure building before a game, Jones could overthink his way back to mediocrity.

Let’s look at the tools that Jones has and explore why he has seen such early success in the SEC.