Former Alabama Star Le'Ron McClain Responds to Josh Rosen's Comments on SATs

UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen turned heads when he told Matt Hayes of Bleacher Report that Alabama would have a different football team if the SAT requirement scores were raised, and at least one former Crimson Tide player agrees.

On Wednesday, former Alabama star Le'Ron McClain told TMZ Sports: "I don't think it's a shot at Alabama. It would be a lot of changes if they upped the SAT requirements. I know it would. It would be a lot of guys that probably wouldn't make it."

Rosen's comments came in a larger interview about the mix of academics and athletics. He also said "football and school don't go together," noting "trying to do both is like trying to do two full-time jobs."

His Alabama comment was used as context in the discussion, and he specifically said: "OK, raise the SAT requirement at Alabama and see what kind of team they have. You lose athletes and then the product on the field suffers."

Rosen's comments were particularly notable because Alabama is such a premier presence in the college football landscape as an annual national title contender, but TMZ noted McClain stressed the same would be true of a number of schools if SAT requirements were changed—including UCLA.

McClain made the most of his opportunity while juggling academics and athletics at Alabama. He played for the Crimson Tide from 2003 through 2006 and parlayed his success at the collegiate level into a seven-season career in the NFL.

McClain laced it up for the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs and then San Diego Chargers from 2007 through 2013.

As for Rosen, his comments put him under the microscope even more entering the 2017 season as he looks to lead a bounce-back effort for the Bruins after a 4-8 showing last year.