In the waning years of Nick Saban’s career at Alabama, the school became a bit of a receiver factory in its own right. It churned out first-round picks Amari Cooper (2015), Calvin Ridley (2018), Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy (2020), Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith (2021), and Jameson Williams (2021).
Even with that impressive pedigree, however, 2011 No. 6 overall pick Julio Jones stands as the most impressive of the bunch with a Pro Football Hall of Fame career now officially under his belt.
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Jones, who retired Friday, was the first Alabama wide receiver to be drafted in the first round since Joey Jones was picked ninth overall by the Falcons in 1984. The superstar receiver was the second receiver off the board after A.J. Green, and despite not being a production monster with the Crimson Tide during his time in Tuscaloosa, it was immediately evident the Falcons had picked a potential star in the 6-foot-3, 220-pound wideout.
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What followed was a 13-year NFL career in which Jones amassed 914 catches (27th all-time), 13,703 yards (16th all-time), and 66 touchdowns. Jones didn’t play in 2024, so although his retirement was, in a sense, a formality, he will still go down as the best receiver in Falcons history to date.
Before he terrorized the NFC South, however, Jones was showing out for Saban with the Crimson Tide. Just how good was he? Here’s a look back at Jones’ time in Alabama.
When did Julio Jones play for Alabama?
Jones was recruited as the No. 3 player in the country and the No. 1 receiver according to 247Sports’ Composite rankings. A native of Foley, Alabama — a four-hour drive south of Tuscaloosa — he led the Tide’s 2008 class, which also featured the likes of Mark Ingram II and Dont’a Hightower.
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Jones would play three seasons for Alabama from 2008-2010, earning All-SEC honors in all three seasons (second team in 2008 and 2009, first team in 2010) and second-team All-American in 2010.
Did Julio Jones win a national championship in college?
Jones was part of Alabama’s 2009 national championship-winning team. He led the team with 43 catches, 596 yards, and four receiving touchdowns.
2009, however, was Jones’ least productive year in Alabama, as that offense was run through Ingram, who won the Heisman Trophy, and his backup, future Doak Walker Award winner Trent Richardson. Nevertheless, when Greg McElroy was passing the ball, Jones was his preferred target.
Julio Jones Alabama stats
Outside of that ruthlessly efficient 2009 offense, Jones was a key component of the Alabama offense.
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He had 924 yards as a freshman, nearly triple the second-leading receiver on the team. He also had four touchdowns. In his lone 1,000-yard season, 2010, Jones had 78 catches for 1,133 yards and seven touchdowns. At the time those 78 receptions were a record, though that has been surpassed five times over since.
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2008: 58 receptions, 924 yards, four touchdowns, 15.9 yards/reception
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2009: 43 receptions, 596 yards, four touchdowns, 13.9 yards/reception
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2010: 78 receptions, 1,133 yards, seven touchdowns, 14.5 yards/reception
Julio Jones scouting report
Even with that relatively quiet 2009 season, Jones’ talent couldn’t be hidden at the NFL Scouting Combine.
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Jones ran a 4.42 40-yard dash, showed off an insane 38.5-inch vertical jump, and flexed an absurd 11-foot-3 broad jump, all with a broken foot.
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His performance left the NFL Network desk in awe.
Jones’ NFL Draft prospect page stands as a lasting testament to just how impressive he was. He is graded as a 7.50, a “perennial All-Pro” in the parlance of the site (a prophecy the five-time All-Pro managed to live up to), and his total score was a 94, best among receivers.
Nick Saban on Julio Jones
Saban and Jones have talked about each other plenty over the years, and there’s a clear mutual respect between the two. But one of Saban’s most telling quotes came in 2021, when he talked about Jones’ importance as a trailblazer for what was to come at Alabama.
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“They all came here when we weren’t any good. We were just coming off a 6-6 season or something like that,” Saban said to media about the 2008 recruiting class. “So they came here and they believed and trusted in what we were trying to do to create a program, and they came here to prove something.”
Sabana singled out a few players in that class, but Jones got some of the most glowing praise from the coaching legend.
“There’s nobody that we’ve had that was a better leader or did more to enhance the culture of toughness, giving effort, finishing plays, being a great competitor than Julio Jones did,” Saban said. “I mean, he used to run down on kickoffs and wouldn’t come off the kickoff team during the games, and he’s one of the best receivers in the nation.
“So from a culture standpoint, from an impact standpoint in the early years, there were a lot of guys that made a great impact, but Julio was one that probably led the way as much as anyone.”
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Julio Jones at Alabama: Revisiting legendary WR’s college career
