Bryce Young must be feeling immense pressure right now, even if the NFL is a far-fetched idea.
The sophomore from California now holds the keys to the Alabama football program.
Aside from defending the national championship, he must live up to expectations because of the three Crimson Tide starting quarterbacks before him.
What are the odds that head coach Nick Saban could recruit three play-callers who would end up as NFL starting quarterbacks?
Alabama Football On A Roll Producing NFL Starting QBs | Hurts, Tua and Jones Set The Tonehttps://t.co/9J8wGPITlv pic.twitter.com/gSMvV27Lnw
— The Shadow League (@ShadowLeague) September 2, 2021
In 2016, freshman Jalen Hurts took over Blake Barnett and started a revolution in Tuscaloosa.
He became the first quarterback in school history to throw for 300 yards and rush for 100 more.
His explosive rookie season made him the SEC Offensive Player and SEC Freshman of the Year.
Hurts held onto the starting role for the better part of two seasons until a change occurred.
Tua Tagovailoa burst into the scene during the national championship against the Georgia Bulldogs.
He took over from Hurts in the second half of that game and led the Crimson Tide to a come-from-behind victory, 26-23.
Saban had a difficult decision on who his starting quarterback for the 2018 season would be.
Eventually, the job went to Tagovailoa with Hurts as a backup.
A year later, Hurts transferred to Oklahoma, and Tua became the man.
With Tagovailoa as the starter, Mac Jones became the backup.
The order changed again when the Hawaii native suffered a high ankle sprain, allowing Jones to take over.
Both Hurts and Tagovailoa declared for the 2020 NFL Draft while Jones played one more year at Alabama.
As Tagovailoa and Hurts started their pro careers, Jones became a top prospect by leading Alabama to a national title.
He then joined Hurts and Tagovailoa in the NFL and will start for the New England Patriots.
Who’s The Best Of The Best?
The jury is still out on who’s the best among the three quarterbacks.
Jones is about to start his NFL career, but he showed promise during the preseason.
Meanwhile, Hurts and Tagovailoa are from the same cloth, given that they’re both mobile quarterbacks.
Tagovailoa might have a slight edge because he helped the Miami Dolphins win ten games last season.
However, we can’t blame Hurts for the Philadelphia Eagles’ dysfunction.
He did well when he eventually took over for Carson Wentz.
Now, indicators point to Hurts having an impressive 2021 season.
In contrast, Jones is more comfortable running the offense while staying within the pocket.
Yet his football intelligence was on full display when he commanded the Patriots offense precisely throughout three preseason games.
On the other hand, Hurts is manifesting that he’s more comfortable on the move.
He can evade the pressure and gain yardage with his feet.
Here is video shot by an Eagles fan from the stands of the highlight of the night TD pass from Jalen Hurts to Quez Watkins for over 50 yards
🎥 @MSavage901
pic.twitter.com/LvdCwklTOB— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) August 9, 2021
His accuracy can be suspect, though, because he’s only completed 52 percent of his passes.
Likewise, NFL defenses exposed Tagovailoa’s conservative passing approach.
Instead of letting the ball zip through a tight window for a big gain, he’d rather make the short or intermediate pass.
Yes, there are weaknesses to their game, but their strengths outweigh those shortcomings.
But now that all three are in the NFL, identifying the best among the three can finally be settled with time.
NEXT: Having A Proper Backup QB Is Important In The NFL