It looks like Alabama fans and coaches can release a concurrent sigh of relief as quarterback Tua Tagovailioa is confirmed to return to practice today. Before this week, it was to be the best-case scenario that Tagovailoa would return for practice Wednesday but it seems as if he has done everything he needs to up to this point.
“His rehad is progressing well,” Nick Saban said on his weekly teleconference. “He’ll be on the practice field today for the first time. And he’ll be a game-time decision based on his progress.”
Saban’s comments have been consistent about Tagovailoa’s game time status not wanting to risk the health of the Maxwell Award semi-finalist.
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“I do not have a crystal ball. I don’t know how he is going to perform on Wednesday,” Saban said during an event in Birmingham on Monday. “If he can perform to the best of his ability, and we are not going to put him in a situation where he can’t perform… and if he can perform, he will play. If he can’t perform, then he won’t play.”
Tagovailoa suffered a high ankle sprain in the second quarter of Alabama’s game against Tennessee. Similar to the ankle injury he had on his left ankle the new injury to his opposite foot required a tight rope procedure which is the exact same surgery he had following the SEC Championship against Georgia.
In his absence redshirt sophomore Mac Jones stepped into the starting role last Saturday against Arkansas and exceeded most’s expectations. Jones completed 18/22 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns in the Crimson Tide’s 48-7 win over the Razorbacks.
Jones was still seen taking first-team reps during Tuesday’s practice and the door is still left open for him to start when the team’s matchup with LSU rolls around on Nov. 9. But Tigers coach Ed Orgeron believes all of the speculations around what will happen with Tagovailoa are just smoke and mirrors.
When asked during his teleconference Orgeron said he has “no doubt”, that Tagovailoa will play in next week’s game.
“We’re preparing for him to play.
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
