Alabama has a long and storied history as a football program. The Crimson Tide have won 18 claimed national titles, with the first coming in 1925 and the most recent taking place in 2020.
Over the years, that has led to several elite quarterbacks making their way through Tuscaloosa. But when it comes to picking a “Mount Rushmore” of Alabama QBs, there are only 4 spots available.
With apologies to some of the honorable mentions listed at the end of this piece, there are 4 guys who stood out over the years at Alabama.
Without further ado, and in chronological order, here are the 4 quarterbacks who make up Alabama’s QB Mount Rushmore:
Joe Namath (1961-64)
When you get called “the greatest athlete I ever coached” by Bear Bryant, that has to count for something. Namath led the Crimson Tide to the 1964 national title and finished 29-4 as the starter.
His numbers won’t wow you (2,713 career passing yards, 25 touchdowns, 19 interceptions), but when you account for the era he played in, it’s impressive. His personality is the stuff of legend. “Broadway Joe” is more famous for what he accomplished in the NFL, but that doesn’t mean his success at Alabama should be overlooked.
AJ McCarron (2010-13)
McCarron won 3 national titles during his time with the Crimson Tide. Make no mistake about it, those Alabama teams won national championships due to the fearsome defenses Nick Saban put together. But McCarron also deserves some credit for longevity and the way he oversaw the offense during that era.
He is still first in Alabama history with 9,019 career passing yards. He’s third all-time with 80 passing touchdowns, behind only the 2 guys who follow him on this list. His highlight reel won’t wow you, but McCarron consistently provided exactly what Alabama needed.
Those Nick Saban-led defenses needed a quarterback who didn’t turn the ball over. Only 1.5% of McCarron’s passes were intercepted. They needed a quarterback who was able to manage the running game. McCarron did that brilliantly.
And, of course, when Alabama needed a play through the air, McCarron proved he could do that, too. You don’t throw for 9,000+ career yards without doing something right.
Tua Tagovailoa (2017-19)
Tagovailoa made one of the greatest throws in college football history to earn Alabama the 2017 national championship after replacing Jalen Hurts. The play known as “2nd and 26” will never be forgotten in Tuscaloosa:
Tagovailoa dealt with multiple lower body injuries down the stretch of the 2018 season. If he had stayed healthy, it’s possible he would have been Alabama’s first Heisman winner at QB. Instead, he finished second in the voting behind Kyler Murray of Oklahoma.
Still, Tua is all over the Alabama record books and still holds the lead for “most total career touchdowns” with 96. He threw for 87 scores and ran for 9. The next guy on this list is second all-time with 87 total touchdowns accounted for. Let’s discuss him now, shall we?
Bryce Young (2020-22)
Young is the only quarterback in Alabama history to win the Heisman Trophy. The others have been RBs (Mark Ingram, Derrick Henry) and a WR (DeVonta Smith). He certainly earned that Heisman in 2021, too, throwing for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns to lead all Power 5 quarterbacks.
He had a lot of great moments that you, obviously, but the 97-yard drive to force overtime in the Iron Bowl that year at Jordan-Hare Stadium was nothing short of magnificent:
That 2021 performance pretty much rewrote the Alabama record books for a quarterback in a single season. He then went on to become the first Alabama player since the AFL-NFL merger to be picked No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft.
Honorable Mentions: Bart Starr, Jalen Hurts, Mac Jones, John Parker Wilson
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
