"You’re Not Going to Start": 49ers’ Mac Jones Reveals the Brutally Honest Pitch Nick Saban Made Before Signing Him

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It’s not uncommon for players to decommit before beginning their college football careers. But when it’s a quarterback, the decision tends to draw far more attention. That’s exactly what happened when Mac Jones decommitted from the University of Kentucky in 2016 after being committed since July 2015, before ultimately choosing the Alabama Crimson Tide. Now, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback has revealed what led him to pick Alabama over Kentucky. During the conversation, however, Jones also shared what then-Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban expected from him.

“He (Jones’ dad) drove me from Miami at one of those 7-on-7 tournaments all the way overnight to get to Alabama because (Nick) Saban called, and I guess they really wanted to see me throw in person,” Jones said on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast. “This is after they offered me because they came to my school and offered me, but then they’re like, ‘Hey, come out to camp. We just want to see you throw and stuff.’ So, my dad drove me all the way through the night. We got there at 7:00 a.m. I threw from 9 to 10.

“And then, right after the workout, Saban brought me up, and he told me the plan for me, like, ‘If you do commit here, this is how we see it playing out. You’re not going to start early on, to be honest’ is what he told me, which I respect, and he was being straight up like, ‘You need to develop. You’re not going to develop at some of these other schools.’”

Mac Jones redshirted his freshman year before becoming a backup quarterback in his sophomore and junior years. In his freshman year, Jalen Hurts ran the Crimson Tide’s offense. He threw for 2,081 passing yards, 17 passing touchdowns, and one interception. He also rushed for 855 yards and eight rushing touchdowns.

In Jones’ sophomore year, however, the Crimson Tide benched Hurts for Tua Tagovailoa, who led the team to the National Championship a year before. With Tua running the offense in the 2018 season, where he threw for 3966 yards, 43 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions, Jones had a limited presence, appearing in just 6 games. In his junior year, he started four games in Tua’s absence and went 3-1.

After Tua declared for the 2020 NFL draft, Mac Jones eventually became the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback. He went 13-0 while throwing for 4500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and just 4 interceptions. Then, in the 2021 NFL draft, the New England Patriots selected him with the 15th overall pick.

So, when Nick Saban told him that the quarterback needed to be developed before getting the starting job, it’s fair to say why Jones respected his head coach’s decision. While Jones struggled to find stability in the NFL initially, he turned heads during the 2025 season, leading the 49ers in Brock Purdy’s absence and helping them reach the postseason. That said, he’s signed with San Francisco ahead of the 2026 season.

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