Alabama Flips Florida 4-Star QB Mac Jones away from Kentucky
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @HogManInLA
Crimson Tide fans taking note of the Elite 11 Finals over the weekend were unknowingly treated to seeing two future Alabama quarterbacks after Mac Jones verbally committed on Tuesday.
Jones landed on recruiting boards across the country after his junior season with Bolles. The Jacksonville area rising star threw for 2,150 yards with 25 touchdowns completing 65 percent of his attempts after throwing for over 900 yards with 10 touchdowns as a backup during the 2014 campaign.
Colleges started coming around checking out the Florida talent with all the magic in the pocket. Kentucky, West Virginia, and East Carolina were the first schools to offer with Jones committing to the Wildcats on July 27, 2015. The offer list continued to grow with over 20 programs seeking his abilities. Some of the other teams to offer includes Arizona State, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Rutgers, Pitt, Washington State, Missouri, Louisville, Indiana, Boston College, Illinois, and Cal.
Alabama started following Jones on Twitter within the hour of the Tide’s kickoff before their national championship win in January. The time from interest to offer to commitment concluded on Tuesday afternoon with Jones posting an announcement on Twitter reading, “Please respect my decision! I am 100% committed to the University Of Alabama! #RollTide #SEC.” Followed by a statement:
Jones competed in the Elite 11 over the weekend in Redondo Beach (CA) against 23 other top 2017 quarterbacks including Hawaii four-star Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa is also a Crimson Tide commit.
Alabama now has 11 verbal commitments to their 2017 class after picking up top JUCO four-star offensive tackle Elliot Baker on Monday and Jones on Tuesday.
Alabama Crimson Tide 2017 Verbal Commit List (11)
SS Xavier McKinney, 6’1”, 185 lbs, Roswell HS, Roswell, GA
LB VanDarius Cowan, 6-4, 217, Palm Beach Gardens HS, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
LB Gary Johnson, 6-1, 225, Dodge City C.C., Dodge City, KS
DE Aaron Sterling, 6’1”, 270 lbs, Stephenson HS, Stone Mountain, GA
OL Alex Leatherwood, 6’5”, 298 lbs, Washington HS, Pensacola, FL
OT Elliot Baker, 6-7, 295, City College of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
RB Najee Harris, 6’1.5”, 210 lbs, Antioch Senior, Antioch, CA
RB Brian Robinson, 6’1”, 215 lbs, Hillcrest HS, Tuscaloosa, AL
QB Mac Jones, 6-2, 180, Bolles HS, Jacksonville, FL
QB Tua Tagovailoa, 6-1, 210, St. Louis HS, Honolulu, HI
ATH Chadarius Townsend, 6’0”, 180 lbs, Tanner HS, Tanner, AL
Photo credit: recruitingnewsguru.com; Mac Jones at the 2016 Elite 11.