Over the past three years, Julio Jones has been one of the most dominant players in all of athletics at the University of Alabama. During his career with the Crimson Tide, Jones was heralded as one of the greatest receivers to ever play here.
“Julio changed the whole receiver culture here [at Alabama],” head coach Nick Saban said. “He is a hard worker, runs routes well, catches the ball well, plays physical, very unselfish and never complains. He’s a team guy, and he’ll do whatever he can to help his team win.”
That has been the case for Jones since he arrived on campus. Coming out of high school, he was ranked the No. 2 overall player in the nation and the best wide receiver in the 2008 class by ESPN.
Jones lived up to the hype as a freshman in 2008, setting multiple Alabama freshman receiving records with 58 receptions, 924 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Jones caught at least one pass in every game, and at least three passes in 12 of 14 games during his freshman season.
Although his stats dropped as a sophomore due to injuries, he was still Alabama’s go-to receiver, accounting for 596 yards, four touchdowns and a team-high 43 receptions. Even though he didn’t have the same productivity as his freshmen campaign, Jones’ still managed to embarrass opposing defenders.
In the Tide’s fourth game of the season in 2009, Jones got his first touchdown of the season on a 50-yard bomb from former Tide quarterback Greg McElroy. On the play, Jones’ had to slow down and adjust his body to catch the ball before shedding his defender to high step his way into the end zone.
One thing people will remember most about Jones is his ability to make big plays in big games. In 2009, Julio had one of the best games of his illustrious career with four catches for 102 yards against a stout LSU defense. However, Jones’ biggest play for Alabama on the night, and perhaps the year, was a screen pass that turned into a 79-yard touchdown pass that gave the Tide the lead against the Tigers.
Former quarterback Greg McElroy said having an elite receiver like Jones made his job much easier, whether it was from his big play ability or his ability to coach younger players.
“He’s obviously a dynamic player, and he has been since he’s been on campus,” McElroy said. “He’s really stepped it up big time as far as the leadership aspects are concerned. He just goes out there and he works as hard as anybody every day. You’ve got to appreciate that out of a wide receiver… That’s obviously encouraging for me as a quarterback to see.”
Jones finished off a stellar career at Alabama with another record-breaking season in 2010. Jones broke the Alabama single-season receiving record with 1133 yards, and had a career-high 78 receptions and seven touchdowns. He regularly beat elite Southeastern Conference defenders, (here’s looking at you, Patrick Peterson), and terrorized opposing secondaries. Against Tennessee, Auburn and South Carolina, Jones had 221, 199 and 118 receiving yards, respectively.
“He certainly had an outstanding year this year and an outstanding career at Alabama,” Saban said. “He is the kind of guy that if he was a safety, he’d be a first-round draft pick.”
Fortunately for NFL teams, Jones will be entering the NFL Draft as a receiver and is considered likely to go in the first round. He is considered one of the best overall athletes available, and is projected to be one of the top receivers taken in the draft.
