Nick Saban Plans to Continue to Use Both Hurts and Tagovailoa

CHRISTOPHER HANEWINCKEL - USA TODAY SPORTS

The quarterback question continues to surround Alabama football and it looks like it will remain that way as Saban has announced he will continue to use both guys.

“It’s the same as it’s always been, to use them both,” Saban said, according to ESPN Senior Writer, Chris Low. “It evolves a little bit as you go. Our team has evolved. I can’t tell you exactly how it all will play out. It’s going to be whoever helps our team play the best, and they’ve both played a role in doing that.”

Tagovailoa and Hurts have both played in all three of Alabama’s games this season. Tagovailoa has started all three while Hurts has come in no later than the second quarter. Tagovailoa is 36-of-56 for 646 yards, and eight touchdowns. Hurts is 19-of-28 for 248 yards, and four touchdowns and one interception.

Rumors begin to spread about whether or not Hurts will play four games and risk losing his redshirt eligibility a couple of weeks ago. Those claims seem to be put asleep now as it looks as if Hurts has and will continue to contribute to this high powered Alabama offense. Nick Saban spoke about how difficult this situation has been for Jalen and how he understands in his interview with Low.

“I understand how unique a situation this is,” Saban said. “I don’t know of any other precedent at any time in college football where a guy started 28 games, won 26 of them and then somebody took his place. That’s never happened. So that’s hard for Jalen, and it’s hard for me. I’m a loyal guy and loyal to the guys who get out there and lay it on the line for you. You want to be fair to all of your players, but you also want to be fair to your team.”

Saban also spoke on why he was frustrated with Maria Taylor’s quarterback question after Louisville game.

“The reason I was getting frustrated with these questions, and I apologized to [Taylor] and was wrong in the way I reacted, is that I didn’t want to put Tua on a pedestal and make it seem like I was putting Jalen on a lower rung,” Saban said. “It wasn’t about who was going to be the starter. That doesn’t bother me. I know what’s best for our football team. I watch practice. I understand what’s going on.

“I just don’t want to disrespect one of them because I respect both kids, and both are a big part of our football team.”

The Crimson Tide continue to prepare for a big SEC match up against Texas A&M. It will be interesting to see how both Hurts and Tagovailoa are used in the game.