We have seen national media pundits and Nick Saban weigh in on the Jalen Hurts allegiance debate between the University of Alabama and the University of Oklahoma.
Now, a player close to Hurts chimes in the conversation.
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Tua Tagovailoa played with Hurts for the Crimson Tide in 2017 and 2018. Tagovailoa was Hurts’ backup in 2017 as a freshman before replacing the native Texan in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Georgia. Tagovailoa earned the starting job over Hurts in the 2018 season, leading the Tide to the Southeastern Conference title game. An injury forced Tagovailoa to the sideline versus Georgia, and Hurts emerged off the bench to rescue Alabama to a 35-28 victory.
In an interview with Kevin Ringer, a senior football writer for The Ringer, Tagovailoa said Hurts is to whoever he wants to claim.
Slow News Day with Tua Tagovailoa. Parent corner, Nick Saban getting pissed at the offense for torching the defense in practice, how Mike McDaniel helped him and much more. Fun episode, good dude. pic.twitter.com/y87XXxXAvV
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) February 10, 2023
*Tagovailoa talks about Jalen Hurts at the 2:12 mark
“I think he is whatever he claims,” Tagovailoa said. “If he wants to claim Alabama, he sure can. He brought them to the national championship his freshman year. If he wants to claim Oklahoma, he sure can. He went through the whole playoff with them.”
Tagovailoa said Alabama’s quarterback room endured a lot, but he applauds Hurts.
“It was a lot of work that we had to put in to get to where we are,” he said. “The criticism he’s [Hurts] dealt with in the NFL, he’s very deserving of the opportunity he’s getting right now.”
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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.
