How does Jake Coker compare to other Alabama QBs in the Saban era?

As the clock wound down on Alabama’s 38-0 trouncing of Michigan State in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl, my phone buzzed with a text message from my dad.

“Ok, Jake Coker, I apologize. I was wrong. I admit it.”

In Dad’s defense, I was wrong about Coker, as well.

Lots of us were.

You can’t really blame us. Coker’s potential has been a thorny issue for Alabama fans since the beginning of 2014, when he couldn’t beat out Blake Sims for the starting job, even though it seemed the job was essentially tailor-made for him after he transferred to Tuscaloosa from Florida State.

Coker “won” the starting job at the outset of 2015, but was shaky enough that Alabama wasn’t settled on a starting quarterback going into its home showdown with Ole Miss. Then the game started and ESPN’s somewhat confused broadcast crew announced that Coker wasn’t starting, that Alabama coaches had chosen to give the nod to Cooper Bateman.

When the dust settled after that game — a game Ole Miss won 43-37 largely because the Rebels forced five turnovers, including two crucial interceptions by Coker, who relieved Bateman in the first half) — not only was Coker’s performance in question, but so was the strength of this team.

Only, Coker wasn’t through.

At some point during that Ole Miss loss, coaches say, Coker not only grasped firm command of the starting job — he “won the team,” according to the narrative. And it’s showed in his performance — through 14 games he’s thrown for nearly 2,800 yards, an even 7.5 yards per attempt. He’s completed 67 percent of his passes, and has thrown for 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions. The last of those interceptions, by the way, came in the first quarter of a game against Mississippi State. In early November.

Coker saved his best for the semifinal. With the Spartans keying on Heisman winner Derrick Henry, all the quarterback did was hit 25 of 30 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns.

Look, no one’s going to get Coker confused with Aaron Rodgers anytime soon. In fact, he’s likely to fail comparisons to other Alabama QBs during this Nick Saban run.

Observe how even matches up with his predecessors:

— Greg McElroy (2009-2010):  McElroy is probably the ultimate “game manager” prototype that people think of when they think of Alabama quarterbacks. His completion percentage during Alabama’s championship run of 2009 was a mere 60 percent, and his greatest talent was not getting his team beat (17 TDs, 4 INTs). That season does have one footnote: McElroy earned MVP honors in the 2009 SEC Championship Game win over Florida, a game in which he outperformed Tim Tebow.

— A.J. McCarron (2011-2013): McCarron may actually be the best quarterback to ever play at Alabama in any era. This is not a huge statement to make, because McCarron is the program’s all-time leader in completions, passing touchdowns and passing yards, led two teams to national championships and only missed out on a third because Cade Foster legs betrayed him at Jordan-Hare Stadium. His 2012 season — 2,933 yards, 10.8 yards per attempt, 30 TDs, 3 INTs — was simply sublime, and his 2013 was nearly as good (don’t forget that he outdueled Johnny Manziel in September of that season in the same game where Manziel did this).

McCarron also showed a knack for the moment during his Alabama tenure, with his game-winning drive at LSU and his 99-yard TD at Auburn standing as the best examples.

— Blake Sims (2014):  Sims actually turned in the best single season in Alabama history — 3,487 yards, 28 TDs — helping Amari Cooper to the Heisman Trophy ceremony and becoming the face of the Lane Kiffin rehabilitation project in Tuscaloosa (still ongoing). At no point in the lead-up to the 2014 season did anyone believe Sims would be doing anything for Alabama besides signaling plays in from the sideline, until he took the field against West Virginia. He never gave the job back, and Alabama would not have made it to the College Football Playoff had he not delivered in the way he delivered.

The best Sims game will always be the Auburn game, when he nearly lost his job after three ghastly interceptions, only to finish with four TDs passing and one rushing in a 55-44 victory. Yes, he melted down in the playoff loss to Ohio State, but he also got them there, which nobody had any right to expect.

In the end, comparing Coker and this group is a little like comparing the faces on Mt. Rushmore — you can argue over which is more important, but the point is that they all made it up there.

And if the kid makes it home next week with a ring on his finger? We’ll probably be apologizing all over again.

Will Heath

Will Heath is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football.