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Evaluating Mac Jones - Bill Connelly, ESPN
Posted on 4/6/20 at 9:09 am
Posted on 4/6/20 at 9:09 am
Evaluating Mac Jones - ESPN
Exactly how good is Mac Jones?
I was surprised when my SP+ projections placed Alabama atop the 2020 preseason pile; I assumed it would be either Ohio State or Clemson. But the main reason for the favorable projection was that, while the Crimson Tide technically don't return their starting quarterback, they sort of do.
Jones started four games for an injured Tua Tagovailoa last season and looked awfully good. Granted, his biggest mistakes were enormous -- two pick-sixes against Auburn basically knocked the Tide out of College Football Playoff contention -- but he produced a better passer rating against Auburn than LSU's Joe Burrow and a better rating against Michigan than Ohio State's Justin Fields. Jones completed 69% of his passes with a 186.8 passer rating, numbers that would blow out of the water just about any quarterback not named Tagovailoa.
Comparing Jones' abbreviated 2019 production with Tagovailoa's from 2018, when Tagovailoa was a first-time starter, reinforces this point: Both completed 69% of their passes, and Jones' 91.1 Total QBR nearly equaled Tagovailoa's 93.1. (Tagovailoa raised those numbers to 71% and 94.8, respectively, last fall.) So the bar is pretty dang high for what Jones might be able to accomplish if there's a 2020 season.
I thought it might be worthwhile to dive a little deeper: How did Jones' production differ from Tagovailoa's? Where was he better or worse?
Let's compare their production (Jones' from 2019, Tagovailoa's from 2018 and 2019) in different areas of the field with data from Sports Info Solutions.
Passes behind the line of scrimmage:
Tagovailoa: 131-for-145 (90% completion rate), 1,091 yards, 8 TD, 0 INT, 7.5 yards per attempt, 8.6 adjusted yards per attempt* (AY/A), 81.6 QBR
Jones: 42-for-46 (91%), 345 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT, 7.5 yds/att, 9.2 AY/A, 87.9 QBR
* Adjusted yards per attempt starts with a passer's per-pass yardage but adds 20 yards for every touchdown and subtracts 45 for every INT.
These quick, easy strikes were a staple of Alabama's offense, and they should be a staple of any offense that has a deep set of receivers who can block. The quarterbacks' performances were about the same, though there is one potentially important difference: They made up about 34% of Jones' passes to 24% of Tagovailoa's. Either Jones was settling for easy throws more frequently or offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian was giving him easier throws to make. (That wouldn't be unheard of with your backup QB in the game.)
0 to 10 yards downfield:
Tagovailoa: 165-for-231 (71%), 2,147 yards, 26 TD, 3 INT, 9.3 yds/att, 11.0 AY/A, 94.0 QBR
Jones: 26-for-44 (59%), 308 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 7.0 yds/att, 5.9 AY/A, 26.1 QBR
The difference here is jarring. Tagovailoa threw a higher percentage of his passes within this range (39% vs. Jones' 32%) and thrived, while Jones was somewhere between mediocre and downright bad. We'll come back to this.
11 to 20 yards downfield:
Tagovailoa: 84-for-138 (61%), 1,775 yards, 19 TD, 4 INT, 12.9 yds/att, 14.3 AY/A, 96.0 QBR
Jones: 21-for-29 (72%), 533 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT, 18.4 yds/att, 19.6 AY/A, 99.5 QBR
This is an even smaller sample than the categories above, but in said small sample, Jones shined. A former blue-chipper himself, he has plenty of arm strength, and his timing on these intermediate routes was potentially even better than Tagovailoa's. Jones threw these passes as frequently as Tagovailoa, as well: They made up 21% of his passes to Tagovailoa's 23%.
21-plus yards downfield:
Tagovailoa: 45-for-82 (55%), 1,793 yards, 23 TD, 2 INT, 21.9 yds/att, 26.4 AY/A, 99.9 QBR
Jones: 7-for-17 (41%), 309 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT, 18.2 yds/att, 22.9 AY/A, 90.7 QBR
Jones pales in comparison to Tagovailoa in this category, but considering Jones still had a QBR over 90, we're going to say he was inferior because Tagovailoa was one of the greatest deep ball passers we've ever seen. (Yes, it helps to have Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III, DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle at your disposal for these deep balls. Still ... 99.9 QBR!)
So Jones was mostly throwing the same passes as Tagovailoa, and he was between good and brilliant in every range but one. But to remain one of the most effective offenses in the country, Alabama is going to need Jones to perform better on short, quick efficiency passes.
So what the heck happened on those shorter passes?
You can home in on Jones' struggles in this range pretty easily: He was 6-for-14 for 51 yards, a touchdown and a pick-six against Auburn and Tennessee (AY/A: 1.9) and 20-for-30 for 257 yards, a TD and an interception against everyone else (AY/A: 7.7).
I went back and looked at the 14 passes he threw against Auburn and Tennessee -- defenses that finished the year ranked fifth and 19th in defensive SP+, respectively -- to see if there were any trends to the struggles. Of the eight incompletions he threw ...
- Two were well-defended by Auburn -- one was batted down at the line, and one was a slant swallowed up by a defensive back.
- Two were terribly underthrown, either because of miscommunication or simply poor footwork/execution.
- Two were well-thrown but dropped. A factor of small samples -- Bama pass-catchers weren't exactly prone to drops overall.
- One would have been completed had the receiver not slipped.
- One was the panic throw that flipped the Auburn game. Throwing from near the Auburn goal line in the third quarter, Jones was pressured the moment he got the snap. He threw at running back Najee Harris before Harris had turned to look for the ball, and Zakoby McClain collected it off Harris' back and took it 100 yards for a go-ahead score. Instead of going up by eight points, Alabama was suddenly down by six.
It's possible that Harris was supposed to look back for the ball sooner, but visually, this played out like some of the panicked basketball passes I made when full-court pressed in junior high.
Jones was far from blameless in this set of passes. There were footwork issues with a couple of throws, and he certainly needs more reps to get a better feel for pressure. But it bears mentioning that he threw a gorgeous red zone touchdown in the face of immediate pressure against Auburn too.
To the extent that Jones' poor numbers in this range were on him, they are far from unfixable. He'll begin the season with far less hype than either Ohio State's Fields or Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, but with Smith, Waddle, Harris and a veteran line all returning, there's no reason to think the Tide will have anything besides another top-five offense. And if incoming blue-chip freshman Bryce Young can beat out Jones, as some initially predicted when Young signed, then ... well ... Young is really, really good.
Exactly how good is Mac Jones?
I was surprised when my SP+ projections placed Alabama atop the 2020 preseason pile; I assumed it would be either Ohio State or Clemson. But the main reason for the favorable projection was that, while the Crimson Tide technically don't return their starting quarterback, they sort of do.
Jones started four games for an injured Tua Tagovailoa last season and looked awfully good. Granted, his biggest mistakes were enormous -- two pick-sixes against Auburn basically knocked the Tide out of College Football Playoff contention -- but he produced a better passer rating against Auburn than LSU's Joe Burrow and a better rating against Michigan than Ohio State's Justin Fields. Jones completed 69% of his passes with a 186.8 passer rating, numbers that would blow out of the water just about any quarterback not named Tagovailoa.
Comparing Jones' abbreviated 2019 production with Tagovailoa's from 2018, when Tagovailoa was a first-time starter, reinforces this point: Both completed 69% of their passes, and Jones' 91.1 Total QBR nearly equaled Tagovailoa's 93.1. (Tagovailoa raised those numbers to 71% and 94.8, respectively, last fall.) So the bar is pretty dang high for what Jones might be able to accomplish if there's a 2020 season.
I thought it might be worthwhile to dive a little deeper: How did Jones' production differ from Tagovailoa's? Where was he better or worse?
Let's compare their production (Jones' from 2019, Tagovailoa's from 2018 and 2019) in different areas of the field with data from Sports Info Solutions.
Passes behind the line of scrimmage:
Tagovailoa: 131-for-145 (90% completion rate), 1,091 yards, 8 TD, 0 INT, 7.5 yards per attempt, 8.6 adjusted yards per attempt* (AY/A), 81.6 QBR
Jones: 42-for-46 (91%), 345 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT, 7.5 yds/att, 9.2 AY/A, 87.9 QBR
* Adjusted yards per attempt starts with a passer's per-pass yardage but adds 20 yards for every touchdown and subtracts 45 for every INT.
These quick, easy strikes were a staple of Alabama's offense, and they should be a staple of any offense that has a deep set of receivers who can block. The quarterbacks' performances were about the same, though there is one potentially important difference: They made up about 34% of Jones' passes to 24% of Tagovailoa's. Either Jones was settling for easy throws more frequently or offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian was giving him easier throws to make. (That wouldn't be unheard of with your backup QB in the game.)
0 to 10 yards downfield:
Tagovailoa: 165-for-231 (71%), 2,147 yards, 26 TD, 3 INT, 9.3 yds/att, 11.0 AY/A, 94.0 QBR
Jones: 26-for-44 (59%), 308 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 7.0 yds/att, 5.9 AY/A, 26.1 QBR
The difference here is jarring. Tagovailoa threw a higher percentage of his passes within this range (39% vs. Jones' 32%) and thrived, while Jones was somewhere between mediocre and downright bad. We'll come back to this.
11 to 20 yards downfield:
Tagovailoa: 84-for-138 (61%), 1,775 yards, 19 TD, 4 INT, 12.9 yds/att, 14.3 AY/A, 96.0 QBR
Jones: 21-for-29 (72%), 533 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT, 18.4 yds/att, 19.6 AY/A, 99.5 QBR
This is an even smaller sample than the categories above, but in said small sample, Jones shined. A former blue-chipper himself, he has plenty of arm strength, and his timing on these intermediate routes was potentially even better than Tagovailoa's. Jones threw these passes as frequently as Tagovailoa, as well: They made up 21% of his passes to Tagovailoa's 23%.
21-plus yards downfield:
Tagovailoa: 45-for-82 (55%), 1,793 yards, 23 TD, 2 INT, 21.9 yds/att, 26.4 AY/A, 99.9 QBR
Jones: 7-for-17 (41%), 309 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT, 18.2 yds/att, 22.9 AY/A, 90.7 QBR
Jones pales in comparison to Tagovailoa in this category, but considering Jones still had a QBR over 90, we're going to say he was inferior because Tagovailoa was one of the greatest deep ball passers we've ever seen. (Yes, it helps to have Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III, DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle at your disposal for these deep balls. Still ... 99.9 QBR!)
So Jones was mostly throwing the same passes as Tagovailoa, and he was between good and brilliant in every range but one. But to remain one of the most effective offenses in the country, Alabama is going to need Jones to perform better on short, quick efficiency passes.
So what the heck happened on those shorter passes?
You can home in on Jones' struggles in this range pretty easily: He was 6-for-14 for 51 yards, a touchdown and a pick-six against Auburn and Tennessee (AY/A: 1.9) and 20-for-30 for 257 yards, a TD and an interception against everyone else (AY/A: 7.7).
I went back and looked at the 14 passes he threw against Auburn and Tennessee -- defenses that finished the year ranked fifth and 19th in defensive SP+, respectively -- to see if there were any trends to the struggles. Of the eight incompletions he threw ...
- Two were well-defended by Auburn -- one was batted down at the line, and one was a slant swallowed up by a defensive back.
- Two were terribly underthrown, either because of miscommunication or simply poor footwork/execution.
- Two were well-thrown but dropped. A factor of small samples -- Bama pass-catchers weren't exactly prone to drops overall.
- One would have been completed had the receiver not slipped.
- One was the panic throw that flipped the Auburn game. Throwing from near the Auburn goal line in the third quarter, Jones was pressured the moment he got the snap. He threw at running back Najee Harris before Harris had turned to look for the ball, and Zakoby McClain collected it off Harris' back and took it 100 yards for a go-ahead score. Instead of going up by eight points, Alabama was suddenly down by six.
It's possible that Harris was supposed to look back for the ball sooner, but visually, this played out like some of the panicked basketball passes I made when full-court pressed in junior high.
Jones was far from blameless in this set of passes. There were footwork issues with a couple of throws, and he certainly needs more reps to get a better feel for pressure. But it bears mentioning that he threw a gorgeous red zone touchdown in the face of immediate pressure against Auburn too.
To the extent that Jones' poor numbers in this range were on him, they are far from unfixable. He'll begin the season with far less hype than either Ohio State's Fields or Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, but with Smith, Waddle, Harris and a veteran line all returning, there's no reason to think the Tide will have anything besides another top-five offense. And if incoming blue-chip freshman Bryce Young can beat out Jones, as some initially predicted when Young signed, then ... well ... Young is really, really good.
This post was edited on 4/6/20 at 9:12 am
Posted on 4/6/20 at 9:53 am to SummerOfGeorge
quote:
And if incoming blue-chip freshman Bryce Young can beat out Jones, as some initially predicted when Young signed, then ... well ... Young is really, really good.
Posted on 4/6/20 at 10:05 am to TidalSurge1
Hard to realistically compare first-year numbers between Tua and Mac when Tua was a true freshman and played in a different system behind Daboll. Mac comes in the program as a 3rd year player in a Sark attack.
That said, Mac isn't chopped liver. He's going to have a wonderful array of offensive talent around him. I do believe that as long as Mac is the QB you are going to see the best of our running game. Which is deep, deep, deep, and talented. You will also see the best of our defense as well. Mac will be more methodical and the defense will benefit immensely with the ability to get off the field and rest.
Najee, Trey, and Golding should be rooting for Mac Jones.
That said, Mac isn't chopped liver. He's going to have a wonderful array of offensive talent around him. I do believe that as long as Mac is the QB you are going to see the best of our running game. Which is deep, deep, deep, and talented. You will also see the best of our defense as well. Mac will be more methodical and the defense will benefit immensely with the ability to get off the field and rest.
Najee, Trey, and Golding should be rooting for Mac Jones.
Posted on 4/6/20 at 10:33 am to bamameister
quote:
Najee, Trey, and Golding should be rooting for Mac Jones.
They really should be rooting for Bryce Young. You would think that we may be even more conservative with a true freshman quarterback.
Posted on 4/6/20 at 10:52 am to SummerOfGeorge
Observing Mac in practices and closed scrimmage situations, I think he's much better than the average fan probably realizes. Bolles has been recognized as one of the best high school programs in the nation. Coming in to Alabama, he was stuck behind Jalen in the depth chart for two years even before Tua, and his reps have suffered as a result. Tua is a generational player and comparisons to him will almost always fall short, but in a starting role with adequate preparation there's no reason to think that Mac couldn't be more than effective given his level of talent.
Posted on 4/6/20 at 11:01 am to Commander Data
quote:
They really should be rooting for Bryce Young. You would think that we may be even more conservative with a true freshman quarterback.
If Bryce is that conservative his press clippings are off.
Young’s playoff stat line alone suggested he will move the ball and quickly: 393 yards, seven touchdowns; 520 yards, seven touchdowns; 405 yards, five touchdowns.
So the subject is big plays. Big plays are a blessing and a curse as we've found out. Putting a harness on Mac Jones and asking him to do less through the sky is far more conceivable than the Bryce Young experiment.
Either way, spring ball would have been nice to see for no other reason than to see how coach Saban's offensive approach will evolve going forward. He controls the throttle. The last 2 years of offensive identity is a lot to digest.
Posted on 4/6/20 at 11:30 am to paperwasp
quote:
Bolles has been recognized as one of the best high school programs in the nation.
They're a prep school who recruits, nothing more or less. Haven't won a title in almost a decade, and Corky is no longer alive.
Posted on 4/6/20 at 1:18 pm to SummerOfGeorge
I have all the faith in the world in Mac Jones, and I believe he can be just as good as AJ McCarron. Very similar skillset.
Regarding Bryce Young, I'd do everything I could to not give him the starting job in 2020, for sure not in the first half of it. Why? I like having second string QBs on the roster - i think they are important and necessary, and if you give Young the job really quickly, your QB room will likely empty, which is bad. Really bad.
Of course, if Mac Jones is not playing up to snuff and/or the team prefers Bryce Young, or any other issues like that, then you play the kid. You gotta play the kid. However, now especially without Spring ball, Young has a lot of reps in front of him before he can win the team over, which is what Saban has said any starting QB must do.
As long as our offense is playing well, I'd prefer Bryce Young spend a whole season as the backup, assuming he won't bolt. (I think his words to this point have indicated he wouldn't bolt that quickly.) Then it's probably his show as a true Sophomore.
Regarding Bryce Young, I'd do everything I could to not give him the starting job in 2020, for sure not in the first half of it. Why? I like having second string QBs on the roster - i think they are important and necessary, and if you give Young the job really quickly, your QB room will likely empty, which is bad. Really bad.
Of course, if Mac Jones is not playing up to snuff and/or the team prefers Bryce Young, or any other issues like that, then you play the kid. You gotta play the kid. However, now especially without Spring ball, Young has a lot of reps in front of him before he can win the team over, which is what Saban has said any starting QB must do.
As long as our offense is playing well, I'd prefer Bryce Young spend a whole season as the backup, assuming he won't bolt. (I think his words to this point have indicated he wouldn't bolt that quickly.) Then it's probably his show as a true Sophomore.
Posted on 4/6/20 at 1:24 pm to bamameister
quote:
If Bryce is that conservative his press clippings are off.
Young may be the absolute truth from the beginning of his career, if his press clippings are accurate. Barton Simmons said, "If you believe Tua should have started as a true freshman, then you gotta start Young. Young is right-handed Tua." (He then said it wasn't quite a fair comparison because Mac Jones is a much better passer now than Hurts was at that time, so it's complicated in the end.)
Personally, I only play him when he has won the team.
Posted on 4/6/20 at 1:44 pm to prevatt33b
Our best teams had a pocket passer that ran the offense and won games when necessary - I feel like Mac is another AJ type QB...i like what i have seen so far!
Posted on 4/6/20 at 1:52 pm to 1ManWolfPack
Mac Jones reminds me a lot of Jake Fromm. Solid pocket passer. Nothing spectacular but solid. Distributes the ball efficiently to the play makers surrounding him. Young is a spectacular talent that will take the offense to another level but will take chances throwing the ball and running like Tua. My hope though is that Bryce is not as big of a gunslinger as Tua was at times.
Posted on 4/7/20 at 7:55 am to SummerOfGeorge
Mac is a lot better than even our fans seems to realize. Being stuck behind Tua only means he isn't a generational player. I sincerely think, barring injury of course, that by the end of 2020 he will be evaluated as a second round pick. Ignoring the 2 pick sizes against AU, everything else I've seen from him tells me he has talent.
I think he would started for more than 90 D1 teams this past season. Has good size, solid frame, goes through reads well, slides in the pocket and feels pressure far better than he should with limited experience, has a good arm and solid release, can also make very accurate throws from different release points and lower body platforms while evading pressure, very good footwork in the pocket. Yeah, yeah....he threw a pick six under pressure, but go back and watch his snaps. There were several plays where he delivered an accurate throw either under duress or while moving in the pocket.
I think he would started for more than 90 D1 teams this past season. Has good size, solid frame, goes through reads well, slides in the pocket and feels pressure far better than he should with limited experience, has a good arm and solid release, can also make very accurate throws from different release points and lower body platforms while evading pressure, very good footwork in the pocket. Yeah, yeah....he threw a pick six under pressure, but go back and watch his snaps. There were several plays where he delivered an accurate throw either under duress or while moving in the pocket.
This post was edited on 4/7/20 at 7:56 am
Posted on 4/7/20 at 8:39 am to SummerOfGeorge
Mac is very good, but at this level, you can’t make glaring mistakes. They cost you games.
He is an SEC starting QB for sure - he could start and win for many schools - SC, KY, Miss. St.. But for Bama? I don’t know.
We’ll see.
He is an SEC starting QB for sure - he could start and win for many schools - SC, KY, Miss. St.. But for Bama? I don’t know.
We’ll see.
This post was edited on 4/7/20 at 8:42 am
Posted on 4/7/20 at 10:37 am to VaBamaMan
quote:
Tua
Was the worst thing that happened to Mac. Being next in line when fans are use to Tua's laser accuracy is tough on Mac. If Mac were replacing Jalen Hurts instead of Tua a lot of you guys would be excited. Mac is no slouch. I personally hope that Young shows up and is the phenom that he is said to be and takes the job in short order but we don't really need him to. Would be nice but I think we are in good shape with Mac. I look forward to many future arguments about which guy is best suited to run the offense.
Posted on 4/7/20 at 7:35 pm to MoarKilometers
MoarKilometers
Did you ever swim against Bolles? I know you were a swimmer, so this will resonate with you. My daughter's high school was 1A for her first 4 years swimming high school (she swam varsity as an 8th grader) here in Florida and while we were always #1 or #2 in our District, Regionals was always held at Bolles because they were in our Region. It was like swimming at the Junior fricking Olympics with swimmers from all over the globe. Our state dreams always ended in Bolles home pool since they have won 1A State Team finals in boys and girls for 33 and 30 years in a row respectively. Their swimmers have won 20 Olympic medals over the years.
Fortunately, my daughter's 400y freestyle relay was a machine her Sophomore year and they qualified for state. Hurricane Michael cancelled her Junior state series and her Senior year, her high school moved up to 2A and she qualified individually in 100y butterfly and 200y medley relay. It was much easier in 2A.
I say all that to say, they may not be the international juggernaut in football that they are in swimming, but they aren't a pushover either. They have an artificial turf field in their stadium. It was right behind the pool where we swam. For a small school, it was one of the nicest stadiums I've ever seen. I think IMG has hurt them some by recruiting some kids away from them where they would usually have gone to Bolles. Bolles was IMG before IMG existed.
Did you ever swim against Bolles? I know you were a swimmer, so this will resonate with you. My daughter's high school was 1A for her first 4 years swimming high school (she swam varsity as an 8th grader) here in Florida and while we were always #1 or #2 in our District, Regionals was always held at Bolles because they were in our Region. It was like swimming at the Junior fricking Olympics with swimmers from all over the globe. Our state dreams always ended in Bolles home pool since they have won 1A State Team finals in boys and girls for 33 and 30 years in a row respectively. Their swimmers have won 20 Olympic medals over the years.
Fortunately, my daughter's 400y freestyle relay was a machine her Sophomore year and they qualified for state. Hurricane Michael cancelled her Junior state series and her Senior year, her high school moved up to 2A and she qualified individually in 100y butterfly and 200y medley relay. It was much easier in 2A.
I say all that to say, they may not be the international juggernaut in football that they are in swimming, but they aren't a pushover either. They have an artificial turf field in their stadium. It was right behind the pool where we swam. For a small school, it was one of the nicest stadiums I've ever seen. I think IMG has hurt them some by recruiting some kids away from them where they would usually have gone to Bolles. Bolles was IMG before IMG existed.
This post was edited on 4/7/20 at 7:52 pm
Posted on 4/7/20 at 7:41 pm to SummerOfGeorge
Mac Jones is a gamer and has real talent. He hangs in the pocket and took some serious shots in both Auburn and Michigan games. You can tell Saban really likes him as well.
Posted on 4/7/20 at 7:56 pm to Bham4Tide
quote:
Mac is very good, but at this level, you can’t make glaring mistakes. They cost you games.
He is an SEC starting QB for sure - he could start and win for many schools - SC, KY, Miss. St.. But for Bama? I don’t know.
We’ll see.
You remember why we were told Jalen started over Tua? Because Tua threw all those picks in practice. When he was inserted in the NC game against UGA, one of his first throws was a pick. He had to learn what he could and couldn't do to protect the football. Mac Jones hasn't had the luxury of playing much except during garbage time. He's still learning how to take care of the football. He'll be just fine and we can ride him all the way to the playoffs.
Posted on 4/7/20 at 9:00 pm to phil4bama
quote:
Did you ever swim against Bolles?
Worse... it's where I eventually swam. Hence my comment on them recruiting. I've literally seen it firsthand. I think back in 96 I had 3 coaches coaching 3 different national teams at the Olympics. To go with 2 teammates who won gold for US, 1 fresh out of h.s. and one starting their jr. year. Even Les Miles' daughter ended up out here, obviously a decade or so after me.
There were 2 guys from my side of the river who got stolen by Bolles. 1 made the nfl... the other was Lawrence Phillips before Lawrence Phillips, blew his full ride to Nebraska to play rb... class of 96, so almost peak Nebraska.
They have incredible facilities, in every sport. Hopefully they didn't make y'all swim in that dump of a short course only pool. And fun fact, the building between the 2 pools is named after a friend's dad. Donated that money right before his federal embezzlement indictment And much like Bernie Madoff, dude did attend Bama at some point.
And you've never seen a h.s. football coach mad, until you've seen them lose time in the weight room... to the swim team. Imagine being a coach with multiple state titles getting the shaft to swimming
quote:
Their swimmers have won 20 Olympic medals over the years.
That sounds about right. I swam with 4 of them, had 2 others for coaches. Another one of that group of olympic medalists set a world record in our pool in Tuscaloosa in the early 90s. Only person to ever do that, I believe.
Posted on 4/7/20 at 11:14 pm to MoarKilometers
Moar,
Oh, so you were a part of the 1,000 year swim dynasty at Bolles.
Yeah, they made the whole damn Region swim in that shithole short course pool that looks like it was built in the 70’s. Nice enough back in the day, but long overdue for a total refit. But yeah, it’s a humbling experience when your kid and her team are just trying to get to State and they are competing against kids swimming for Bolles for high school but on the National teams in their home country.
Oh, so you were a part of the 1,000 year swim dynasty at Bolles.
Yeah, they made the whole damn Region swim in that shithole short course pool that looks like it was built in the 70’s. Nice enough back in the day, but long overdue for a total refit. But yeah, it’s a humbling experience when your kid and her team are just trying to get to State and they are competing against kids swimming for Bolles for high school but on the National teams in their home country.
This post was edited on 4/7/20 at 11:18 pm
Posted on 4/8/20 at 7:25 am to bamameister
quote:
Hard to realistically compare first-year numbers between Tua and Mac when Tua was a true freshman and played in a different system behind Daboll. Mac comes in the program as a 3rd year player in a Sark attack.
They were comparing Mac last year to Tua’s first year as a starter - as a sophomore.
This post was edited on 4/8/20 at 7:26 am
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