On Jan 8, 2018, Nick Saban made one of the gutsiest moves in college football history. He substituted starting quarterback, Jalen Hurts, for his freshmen backup, Tua Tagovailoa. This situation would usually end with the starter letting his frustration get the best of him but Hurts let a different side of him show.
He was the first person to congratulate Tagovailoa and stood by his side while he took control of Alabama’s offense and lead the Tide to an epic comeback and their 17 National Championship. By the end of the game, Hurts show of class was a huge storyline. But it was not the first time Hurts showed Tagovailoa this level of support. He was seen several times throughout last season congratulating Tagovailoa when he came in for mop-up duty last season.
Now everyone’s attention is turned towards who should be the starting quarterback for the Crimson Tide. While many people have pitted the two against one another, they have constantly supported each other and not let this heated quarterback competition get in the way of their friendship.
“I think the way they have handled the situation has been incredibly mature and incredibly respectable,” Alabama senior running back, Damien Harris, said at SEC Media Days. “They are always pushing each other to be better players. You wouldn’t really think there was much of a competition going on with how close they are. You always see them together, you always see them working together.”
This is not the first time Alabama has been involved in a quarterback competition. Although, no past competition was filled with this level of talent. Alabama starting center, Ross Pierchbacher, believes both guys are quite similar and will ask for the same thing on the field.
“Both of them obviously have great talent,” Pierchbacher said. “Regardless of who is out there, we will still have to do the same job. We still have to block, same guys and stuff like that, so nothing changes.”
Nick Saban made it clear that the quarterback decision is yet to be determined. Both players will get a fair shot at the position and Saban will hopefully have the quarterback situation figured out before midseason. No matter what happens, you can bet Hurts and Tagovaoiloa will look to keep their bond.
