Bama’s Best: Quarterback Edition

On Wednesday's episode of The Game with Ryan Fowler, we asked our callers to list their top-four starting quarterbacks in the Saban era. Below are the official rankings.

Mac Jones is currently exceeding expectations as the quarterback of the New England Patriots, but what put him at the top of our list is how he played as a member of the Crimson Tide. Jones led the Tide to an SEC championship, a national championship, and an undefeated record in the 2020 campaign. He won the Davey O'Brien Award, Manning Award, and finished third in Heisman voting that year. He received a vote from every single caller and had the most first-place votes at six.

Similar to Jones, the Hawaiian Prince is making a name for himself with the Miami Dolphins as its starting quarterback but made the list at No. 2 due to his success in crimson and white. During his time with the Tide, he went 474-for-684 7,442 yards, 87 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. On the ground, Tagovailoa saw 107 rushing attempts for 340 yards and nine touchdowns. He won a national championship, was the 2017 National Championship Offensive MVP, won the 2018 SEC Offensive Player of the Year, and is an SEC champion. Tua received a vote from every single caller, averaging the third spot.

Get our free mobile app

During his Tide tenure, AJ McCarron, who is sitting at No. 3, went 686-of-1026 for 9,019 yards, a 66.9 completion percentage, 77 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, three-time BCS national champion, two-time SEC champion, and a 36-3 record. He won the 2013 Maxwell Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and Kellen Moore Award. AJ received a vote from all but one caller.

Last but certainly not least, Young sits in at No. 4. Young broke multiple records in the Alabama history book, including most yards and touchdowns in a season, won the 2021 Davey O'Brien Award, Manning Award, and is the current Heisman winner. He led Alabama to an SEC championship, a national championship appearance, and a two-loss season, one of those coming in the regular season and the other in the natty. Young received nine votes in our on-air poll and three of those were first-place votes.