It will be Mac Jones more than likely; however, whether it is Jones or Taulia Tagovailoa – college football must be ready for anything dealing with Alabama football.
He may have sat at the feet of Nick Saban for nine years, but Kirby Smart suffered two bitter defeats at the hands of his boss. The root of the losses came from him and the University of Georgia not being prepared for the Crimson Tide’s secret weapon: a backup quarterback.
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While it had no issues stopping both Jalen Hurts (2018 CFP title game) and Tua Tagovailoa (2018 SEC Championship) when they were starters, troubles ensued for the Bulldogs upon the two coming off the bench as backups.
Hurts rescued the team to a 35-28 win (trailed 28-21) to earn a conference title, and Tagovailoa pushed the Tide to a 26-23 victory (down 13-0, halftime) in the national title game.
As Hurts is now with the Oklahoma Sooners, Saban wants the pattern of prepared backups to continue.
In speaking with SEC Network host Paul Finebaum at the ESPN Car Wash, Saban said he wants to get the backup quarterback playing with “confidence.”
“We played Tua a lot two years ago. Last year, we played Jalen – even though he had a lot of experience. We’ll try to do the same thing this year whomever the backup quarterback is,” Saban said Thursday on the Paul Finebaum Show.
Three signal callers stand behind Tua Tagovailoa (starter), but two – Jones and Taulia Tagovailoa – are getting the most reps.
Fans are intrigued by the younger Tagovailoa and after his touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle in the spring game, there is much potential there.
Despite his talents, Jones is more knowledgeable within the system.
The former four-star from Jacksonville, Fla., has made a lot of improvements and per Saban at SEC Media Days on last week, he said the redshirt sophomore has “matured” at the position.
He did not receive a fair share of reps in the last two years, aside from spring practice, but sources did confirm with Touchdown Alabama Magazine on the work Jones has put in all summer to become ready to play. During this year’s A-Day Game, he outplayed the Heisman finalist in Tua and guided the second-team offense to a 31-17 win.
Prior to Alabama, Jones led his high school team – The Bolles School – to a Class 4A State Championship Game as a senior in 2016 and looks to prove his critics wrong.
As much as fans want to see the elder Tagovailoa healthy for a full season, Saban wants to have everyone ready to go at the position.
“You want him to get as much experience as possible, so that when he gets an opportunity and he is in a must-play situation, he can actually go out there and perform with confidence because he’s had enough experience to do that,” Saban said on Alabama preparing its backup quarterback.
Saban and the Tide will have its first practice of fall camp on Friday, Aug. 2.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
