FORT WORTH, Texas — Alabama has its first Davey O’Brien Award winner.
Crimson Tide junior quarterback Mac Jones won the 2020 award on Thursday night, becoming the first in school history to do so. The Fort Worth-based award is presented annually to the nation’s top quarterback.
Along with Jones, the other finalists included Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Florida’s Kyle Trask.
Jones had a standout season, completing 275 of 357 passes for 4,036 yards and 36 touchdowns with four interceptions. His completion percentage (.770), passing efficiency rating (203.0) and total quarterback rating (95.8) are the highest in NCAA history. His passing yards and passing touchdowns are second in the NCAA this season.
Alabama’s offense ranks second in the FBS in scoring offense (48.2 points per game), fifth in passing offense (349.3) and sixth in total offense (535.0).
Jones and Alabama will play for the national championship against Ohio State on Monday night. Three Davey O’Brien winners in the past seven years have gone on to win the national championship, including Florida State’s Jameis Winston (2013), Clemson’s Deshaun Watson (2016) and LSU’s Joe Burrow (2019).
The Davey O’Brien Award is voted on by select media members and all former winners. Bonus ballots were added based on social media fan votes recorded on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Jones won first place in the Facebook vote, while Trask had the most votes on Instagram and Twitter.
Due to ongoing issues with the COVID-19 pandemic, the 44th annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner at the Fort Worth Club has been canceled. Jones will be honored virtually on Feb. 15.
