Alabama football has served as a pipeline to the National Football League for running backs, especially in the Nick Saban era.
Glen Coffee started it in 2009, but several backs after him got drafted into the league.
Players such as Derrick Henry, Najee Harris, Jahmyr Gibbs, Josh Jacobs, and Brian Robinson are having success.
Mark Ingram, Alabama’s first Heisman Trophy winner, had a long career in the pros before becoming a college football analyst.
Jase McClellan, a native Texan, is the latest Crimson Tide alum at the position to get drafted. He was selected in the sixth round by the Atlanta Falcons and is prepared to display why he’s one of the best do-it-all backs in the league. McClellan, a former four-star came in Alabama’s 2020 recruiting class. He played on three Southeastern Conference Championship teams (2020-21, 2023) and a College Football Playoff National Championship squad in 2020. He battled through injuries, but McClellan led the Tide in rushing last season with 890 yards and eight touchdowns on 180 attempts. The Falcons were impressed with his toughness and competitiveness and chose to take him. McClellan recently signed his rookie contract last week, and it was worth $4.21 million for four years. According to Spotrac, McClellan pocketed a $194,368 signing bonus and have an average salary of $1.05 million.
We have signed:
🔴JD Bertrand
🔴Zion Logue
🔴Jase McClellan
🔴Casey Washington
to their rookie deals! pic.twitter.com/FnEPzpN5Hl— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) May 10, 2024
He showed at Alabama his ability to run between the tackles, bounce runs outside, catch passes out the backfield, and protect quarterbacks from blitzing defenders. McClellan is a three-down back and looks forward to showing it in Atlanta.
