Alabama quarterback Mac Jones was more than just a "game manager" last season for the Alabama Crimson Tide. The starting quarterback led head coach Nick Saban's team to a perfect 10-0 regular season (including wins over Auburn, LSU, Georgia, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee), an SEC Championship Game win and a College Football Playoff National Championship.
The 6-foot-3 passer's numbers were nothing to scoff at either. Posting 4,500 passing yards and 41 touchdowns to only four interceptions made him one of the best SEC quarterbacks alongside Florida's Kyle Trask and nearly won him the Heisman Trophy (but hey, his teammate won it). The kid from the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida is heading to the NFL and is almost a lock to be a first-round pick at the 2021 NFL Draft.
Mac comes from an athletic family that stems from his parents. In fact, they were college athletes as well.
Mac Jones Parents
Happy Father?s Day to all the dads out there on their special day! And a special shout out to @gtrustee1 for being there for our family every step of the way. Love you Dad and hope you have a great day! #Thankful #GoatDad pic.twitter.com/veE1VF70PX
— Mac Jones (@MacJones_10) June 17, 2018
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Michael McCorkle Jones was born to Gordon Jones and Holly Jones.
Gordon was a star NCAA tennis player at Florida State University and at Flagler College. He played at FSU for three years in the 1970s before transferring to Flagler. There, he received national attention when he graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in May 1977 as the publication's "Athlete of the Week." He won the 1977 NAIA Singles Championship and 1977 Double Championship as well as an NAIA National Championship.
Mac's father even played professionally for a bit. According to his ATP Tour biography, his best win was over International Tennis Hall of Famer Yannick Noah. Noah won the 1983 French Open and is also the father of NBA star and former Florida Gator Joakim Noah. I guess beating the Gators runs in the Jones family.
Gordon was inducted into the Flagler Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004 for his incredible season. According to his biography, he later worked as an attorney in Jacksonville for Jones & McCorkle with his partner and wife, Holly McCorkle Jones.
Mac Jones' parents were both tennis players. Mac too knows how to swing the racket. ? pic.twitter.com/ejUOg2eYBj
— Touchdown Alabama (@TDAlabamaMag) November 22, 2020
Holly was no slouch on the tennis court, either. She played collegiately at Mercer University. Mac confirmed his parents' athletic past in an interview with 247Sports.
"My mom went to Mercer University and she played tennis there," Jones said. "My dad went to FSU, he played tennis there. He went on to play in the pro tour, so he got to do that for a while."
Mac Jones Siblings
'Bama's quarterback comes from a very athletic family. Even his two siblings played college sports.
Jones has a sister, Sarah Jane Jones, who played tennis at the College of Charleston. She played four years from 2014-18 and became one of six players in program history to earn four straight ITA Scholar Athlete Awards.
Mac's brother, Will Jones, played soccer at Mercer University. After finishing up there, he went on to med school.
Tennis may run deep in the family, but Mac Jones decided to pursue football and it paid off. He became the starter for the University of Alabama football team following in the footsteps of greats like Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts. Then, he won a national title and is set to make millions in the NFL.
They're His Biggest Supporters
Naturally, Mac Jones' family members are his biggest fans.
His family took a photo with him and Nick Saban back in 2016. Just this season, Jones' father and sister were spotted yelling "Roll Tide!" in the stands at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa for the Mississippi State game while rocking "Joker" masks in support of No. 10.
Mac Jones' dad and sister rocking the joker masks ? https://t.co/meDpvvM6wM
— Tony Tsoukalas (@Tony_Tsoukalas) October 31, 2020
Why the Joker masks? Well, that's apparently Alabama QB Mac Jones' nickname.
"I guess my buddy Richie, he used to play offensive line here, he just gave me that nickname my freshman year and then it kind of just spread throughout the team mostly just because I just laugh with my mouth open, kind of like the Joker. I have like a loud laugh or whatever. I guess that's what it comes from and it kind of just stuck," Jones told Saturday Down South. "And then prank-wise in the locker room, I don't really prank anybody, but I mean, we like to have fun in there and sometimes it gets pretty rough in there. But nothing crazy, prank-wise. Maybe put some baby powder on somebody's stuff, but other than that, nothing bad."
"The Joker" did it all this past college football season at the helm of a supercharged Alabama Crimson Tide offense featuring wide receiver Devonta Smith and running back Najee Harris. Rumors have swirled that the Heisman finalist could be a top-five pick in the 2021 NFL Draft (which airs on ESPN and NFL Network), and he could go higher than Tua Tagovailoa (fifth overall) did in 2020.
Jones has come a long way. From pop warner to high school to playing his way up the depth chart to winning an SEC Championship in Atlanta to a National Championships and now the NFL Draft, he's only getting started.
Jones' family will be cheering him along the entire way.
This post was originally published on December 15, 2020 but has been updated since.
