Bummed out about the NCAA Tournament being canceled? We are too. That’s why BamaInsider created its own version of March Madness to determine who is the Crimson Tide’s greatest player in the Nick Saban era.
We have compiled a 64-player field with seed rankings of No. 1 through No. 16. The tournament will be played out throughout the month and will be determined by fan voting. Fans can vote either through BamaInsider’s Twitter account (@bamainsider) or on the Talk of Champions message board. Players will be matched up against each other with the one receiving the most total votes between both mediums advancing to the next round.
Today we continue the tournament by moving into the Sweet 16 in the Jonathan Allen bracket.
No. 1 seed Jonathan Allen vs. No. 5 seed Barrett Jones
Jonathan Allen accolades
— Second on Alabama’s all-time sacks list with 28.5
— Became the first Alabama player to earn a National Defensive Player of the Year honor, winning the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award in 2016
— SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2016)
— Lombardi Award (2016)
— College Football Playoff national champion (2015)
Barrett Jones accolades
— Outland Trophy (2011)
— Jacobs Blocking Trophy (2011)
— Jim Parker Trophy (2011)
— Rimington Trophy (2012)
— BCS national champion (2009, 2011, 2012)
What we think
Tony Tsoukalas: Alabama’s best defensive lineman versus its best offensive lineman. It would have been a sight to see these two line up against each other on the football field. Allen was the first Crimson Tide player to be named the nation’s top defender, while Jones is the most decorated player in Alabama history, winning both the Remington and Outland trophies.
While Jones has Allen beat in both awards and national titles, my vote still goes to the defensive lineman. Allen was one of the most disruptive players I’ve seen at the college level and was more of a game-changer at his position.
Tyler Waldrep: If you told me Barrett Jones owns a house just for the sake of housing his awards, I'd believe it. Jones is easily the most decorated player to come through Tuscaloosa in the Saban era, and his dominant play up front helped Alabama win three national championships.
Jonathan Allen also cleaned up when awards season rolled around, and he even finished seventh in the Heisman race in 2016. Allen was so disruptive that season, I think he should have finished higher. Jones is tough to beat, but Allen actually flew once. It's tough to go against that, so I'll vote Allen.
No. 2 seed Minkah Fitzpatrick vs. No. 3 Julio Jones
Minkah Fitzpatrick accolades
— Became the just the third player to earn both the Bednarik and Thorpe awards in the same season when he earned both honors in 2017
— Holds Alabama’s all-time record for interceptions returned for touchdowns (4) and his tied for the single-game record for interceptions (3).
— Two-time consensus All-American (2016, 2017)
— Two-time College Football Playoff national champion (2015, 2017)
Julio Jones accolades
— Ranks fifth on Alabama’s all-time receiving list (2,653 yards)
— Tied for ninth on Alabama’s all-time touchdown reception list (15)
— SEC Freshman of the Year (2008)
— BCS national champion (2009)
What we think:
Tony Tsoukalas: Another matchup between elite players on either side of the ball. However, this is one we might get to watch at the NFL level.
Minkah Fitzpatrick is the best defensive back in the Saban era, and that’s saying something considering the Crimson Tide has had 18 defensive backs selected in the draft under the head coach’s watch. Julio Jones might be the most talented player Saban has ever coached and would have surely posted better collegiate numbers had he been a part of one of Alabama’s current offenses. I’m going to go with Fitzpatrick based on what he did at Alabama, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Jones ends up winning this whole tournament.
Tyler Waldrep: Despite everything I said about Allen, Minkah Fitzpatrick is the best defensive player to play for Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa. Fitzpatrick proved he could play any position in the secondary. His biggest flaw was that he could only play one of them at a time.
Julio Jones is one of the few players that might be more talented than Fitzpatrick, but he doesn't have the numbers to back it up. Jones can't help that he played in an offense that probably under-utilized one of the most talented receivers in the history of the sport. However, I have to side with the guy that truly dominated while he was still wearing that crimson jersey.
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Andrew Bone, of BamaInsider.com, is a real estate broker in the state of Alabama.
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