Brock Purdy today is most well-known for being the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL, and the player known as “Mr. Irrelevant” in the 2022 NFL Draft, which is the very last player drafted.
Although Alabama was top on Purdy’s list, the commitment of Mac Jones to the Crimson Tide changed all that, and Purdy flipped to Iowa State. On top of this, according to Sportskeeda, when Purdy met with Tide head coach Nick Saban, he was told everything about him was average; including arm strength, height, accuracy, etc.
Purdy in turn told his high school coach that Saban didn’t know who he was, and this most likely turned him off as well in addition to the commitment of Jones.
Not only was Jones a new quarterback on the Alabama roster, but Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa were already on the roster as well. This loaded quarterback room left little hope for Purdy to see any glimmer of playing time, at least in his first few years.
What would’ve happened if Brock Purdy went to Alabama?
It appears Purdy made the right choice going to Ames, Iowa to join the Iowa State Cyclones as he became a four year starter completing 67% of his passes during his time there, while throwing for 81 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. Purdy helped lead the Cyclones to a 9-3 season in 2020, which was their first nine-win campaign since the year 2000.
The question begs what if Purdy had gone to Alabama? Would he have leap-frogged any of the quarterbacks on the roster? Would he have played at all? Would he be the story of the NFL right now, or even in the NFL at all?
On the contrary for Alabama, if Purdy had taken Jones’ scholarship, the Tide may not have had the record-breaking season they did in 2020 where Jones led them to a national championship.
Things in sports have a way of working themselves out sometimes, and this time it seems to have done so for all involved.