It was another monumental night for one of the greatest college football coaches in history.
A trio of Alabama football players -- defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (No. 3 overall), offensive tackle Jonah Williams (No. 11), running back Josh Jacobs (No. 24) -- were selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft Thursday night in Nashville. That gives Saban 34 players he coached who were selected in the first round of a draft, tying former Miami/North Carolina and current Florida International head coach Butch Davis for the most in history.
Saban had entered the day trailing a pair of legends in the late Joe Paterno of Penn State (33) and Bobby Bowden of Florida State (32), leapfrogging both of the College Football Hall of Famers to tie Davis. Three other college head coaches had at least 20 -- Woody Hayes (27), Mack Brown (21) and Lou Holtz (21). Brown can actually add to his career total as he’ll be back roaming the sidelines again at North Carolina this fall.
Of the 34 players, 29 have been first-rounders during Saban’s time at Alabama. During his five years at LSU (2001-05), there were two; at Michigan State (1996-2000), there were three.
Williams is the third Crimson Tide player to be drafted third overall, joining running back Trent Richardson (2012) and defensive tackle Marcel Dareus (2011). A total of 11 players, including 10 at UA, have been selected in the Top 10 of the draft.