List of Alabama starting QBs for the last 10 years: Who is the best Tide QB ever?

Being the Alabama quarterback is to steer the ship of a football program that always expects to win. Many incredible student-athlete QBs have donned the Crimson Tide colors and led the team to success over the years.

But how many Alabama quarterbacks that have played under coach Nick Saban can you remember? A program as storied as the Crimson Tide naturally boasts of legendary names who have started as quarterbacks.

We go as far back as 10 years in this list of Alabama starting quarterbacks.

#7 A.J. McCarron

Former Crimson Tide quarterback, A.J McCarron

A.J. McCarron became Alabama's starting quarterback in 2011 and remained so until the end of his college football career in 2013. He led the Crimson Tide to consecutive BCS National Championships in 2012 and 2013.

McCarron thus became the first quarterback to win consecutive BCS National Championship games. He won the Maxwell Award, the John Unitas Golden Arm, and Kellen Moore Award. He also ended in second place in voting for the Heisman Trophy.

#6 Blake Sims

Blake Sims beat competition from Jake Coker to become Alabama's starting quarterback in 2014. Previously, he was on the roster as a running back and backup quarterback to McCarron.

Sims and the Crimson Tide failed to achieve a three-peat national championship win, falling in the semi-final to the Ohio State Buckeyes. He ended the season with 3,487 passing yards for 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

#5 Jake Coker

Jake Coker played most of his college career at Florida State. He transferred to the Tide in 2014 and didn't have to sit out a year. He did lose the battle for the starting quarterback spot, however.

He got his time in 2015 and achieved what Sims could not by winning the national championship for Alabama against the Clemson Tigers. Coker was undrafted in the 2016 NFL draft and quit his pro career after suffering a knee injury.

#4 Jalen Hurts

Jalen Hurts - College Football Playoff National Championship

Jalen Hurts won the battle for the starting Alabama quarterback spot against Blake Barnett as a freshman. He was the first freshman to start at quarterback for the Crimson Tide since Vince Sutton. Hurts capped off his impressive freshman season with 2,780 passing yards for 23 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

He also rushed for 954 yards and 13 touchdowns. Hurts continued his form as a sophomore but lost the starting spot to Tua Tagovailoa in his junior year. He subsequently transferred to Oklahoma, where he played as a senior.

#3 Tua Tagovailoa

After serving as Hurts' backup in his freshman year, Tua Tagovailoa dethroned him as the starting Crimson Tide quarterback the following season. He came second in the Heisman Trophy voting but emerged winner of the Maxwell and Walter Camp awards.

After his junior season, Tagovailoa declared for the draft, having set several school and NCAA records in passing yards per attempt, adjusted passing yards per attempt, and so on.

#2 Mac Jones

Mac Jones redshirted as a freshman and only got a shot at the starting quarterback spot when Tagovailoa picked an injury in 2019. He resumed his junior season as the undisputed starting Alabama quarterback for the Tide, starting all 13 games in 2020.

Jones finished the season with 4,500 passing yards for 41 touchdowns. He only rushed for 14 yards and one touchdown. Mac Jones was the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

#1 Bryce Young

After serving as Jones' backup in his freshman year, Bryce Young became Alabama's starting quarterback as a sophomore in 2021. He led the SEC in passing yards that season and collected an overall 4,872 passing yards for 47 touchdowns.

Young also rushed for three touchdowns. He won the Heisman Trophy, the first Crimson Tide quarterback to do so. He also won the AP Player of the Year, Davey O'Brien, and Maxwell awards. Young emerged as the SEC Offensive Player of the Year and a Consensus All-American.

Other quarterbacks to play for the Crimson Tide in the last 10 years include Cooper Bateman, Blake Barnett and Jalen Milroe.

Who is the greatest Alabama quarterback ever?

Joe Namath - Indianapolis Colts vs. New York Jets

The greatest Alabama quarterback ever is a difficult pick. The program has a long history and has produced scores of great names at quarterback. If recency bias were considered, Bryce Young and A.J. McCarron would have the edge over anyone.

But history is history, and the exploits of historic greats paved the way for the contemporary stars. Names like Joe Namath, who led the Crimson Tide to a national championship, come up.

So does the Pro Football Hall of Famer, Ken Stabler, another national championship winner with the Tide. It ultimately comes to individual preferences, as players can hardly objectively be compared across generations.

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