Alabama QB Greg McElroy is Exceeding Expectations at the Capstone

Not so long ago, Greg McElroy was hurling touchdown passes at Texas football powerhouse, Carroll High School in Southlake. This school is known nation wide as a regular producer of impact players at the next level, and McElroy appears to support this trend. He waited his turn behind former University of Missouri quarterback, Chase Daniel, and took full advantage of his starting position upon Daniel's departure.

According to Rivals.com, McElroy excelled during his Senior year of high school, throwing for 4,636 yards, 56 touchdowns and only 9 interceptions. These numbers are absolutely staggering, but anyone who knows Southlake Carroll's offense wouldn't be all that surprised. No matter who is under center there, they always seem to produce statistics that jump off the page. Despite McElroy's prep success, Rivals.com only rated him as a three star prospect and the 11th best high school quarterback.

After considering a number of schools he settled on Alabama, and during his freshman year he was left with a red-shirt and expected to gain valuable experience in practice. After his red-shirt year, he saw some insubstantial action as the backup to, now NFL player and record setting quarterback, John Parker Wilson. On the rare occasions when McElroy was able to get in the game, he made the best of the opportunity, throwing for his first collegiate touchdown during his first eligible season.

Upon Wilson's departure to the NFL, McElroy has taken the reins of Alabama's offense, beating out the likes of red-shirt Freshman Star Jackson for the starting spot. Much to the delight of Alabama faithful nationwide, McElroy looks like the real deal; many are already saying that he could go down as one of the Crimson Tide's best. Thats quite a statement, considering Alabama's quarterback alumni includes NFL greats Joe Namath, Bart Starr and Kenny Stabler. While it is still much too early to call McElroy "the next big thing", he has managed to prove to a lot of doubters that he is extremely capable of leading the team to another winning season.

So far, his inaugural season as the Tide's starting quarterback has been stellar; his only hiccup came in his first game against Virginia Tech. During that game, McElroy struggled through the first half, but was able to finish up with a touchdown pass, and more importantly, a win. After that rough first outing, he came out nearly perfect against Alabama's next two opponents, completing well over sixty percent of his passes in each game. Fans and coaches alike looked on in awe as McElroy drove down the field as if he has been playing in front ninety thousand fans his whole life. Granted, the competition that he faced during those two games (Florida International and North Texas) is not exactly comparable to the top shelf defenses of the SEC, he was still able to demonstrate his superior passing ability and leadership.

While his numbers look great as of now, his first real test will come when the Tide reach the meat of their tough conference schedule. Bama will have to run the gauntlet, as they are scheduled to play against Arkansas, Kentucky, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU in consecutive weeks. These games will come one right after the other, and McElroy will have no room for mistakes if wants to lead his team back to the conference championship game.

"Greg McElroy" Rivals.com