Tagovailoa arrived in 2017 as the top-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the country and part of the nation's No. And it led to a pair of newcomers joining the Tide - Tagovailoa and Mac Jones. The transferring of Blake Barnett, David Cornwell and Cooper Bateman, and the graduation of Palet, created a void at the quarterback position. "And by the end of that 2016 season, they all did, and he was standing atop as the first freshman SEC player of the year since Herschel Walker. "And I'm looking at him like, 'That's a bold statement for a true freshman.' "I can just remember Jalen after spring ball, a private conversation we had where he basically said, 'I'm going to make all transfer,'" Locksley said. Hurts was acting like the starting quarterback well before that call was made, and it rubbed some other quarterbacks on the team the wrong way, according to former Alabama QB Josh Palet. There's nothing that will trump that."ĪLABAMA HAD JUST finished its spring football session in 2016, and Hurts had a talk with Locksley that reflected a surprising level of confidence for a 17-year-old freshman. "You saw nothing but tears of happiness and joy from Jalen to Tua and the rest of us. "Seeing them hug afterwards, then hug us, you really only see that in movies," former Alabama receiver Swade Hutchinson said. "After Tua threw the touchdown, Jalen was one of the first guys to run up to him," Smith said. The winning score came on a 41-yard strike to DeVonta Smith, who is a teammate of Hurts in Philadelphia. ![]() Tagovailoa awakened the Alabama attack when he entered the 2018 CFP title game, tossing three touchdowns in the 26-23 comeback overtime win. He's been a great competitor since I got to Alabama." "We'll probably see each other before the game to wish each other luck, but at the end of the day, we're both trying to help our teams win," Tagovailoa said Wednesday. Those paths will cross for the first time Sunday night when Hurts and the 5-1 Philadelphia Eagles host Tagovailoa and the 5-1 Miami Dolphins (8:20 p.m. ![]() It ultimately set Tagovailoa and Hurts on divergent paths to stardom, in college and the NFL. The decision sparked a chain reaction that reverberated well beyond that championship game. Word that Tagovailoa would start the second half didn't reach some of their teammates until the offense took the field, and the switch surprised many of the players and coaches. "The consensus was, 'Hey, let's give the other kid a shot,'" said Mike Locksley, former Alabama offensive coordinator and current head coach at Maryland. After conferring with his staff, Saban sought out the quarterbacks to announce his decision. Waiting in the wings was freshman phenom Tua Tagovailoa, whose precision passing stirred excitement throughout the season. Quarterback Jalen Hurts, the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Year, had been a force since arriving on campus, guiding the Tide to a 26-2 record and back-to-back title game appearances as the starter.īut Alabama had been shut out in the first half against Georgia and trailed 13-0. "What do we need to get going on offense?" ![]() ![]() NFL, College Football, Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, Alabama Crimson Tide, Oklahoma SoonersĪLABAMA'S NICK SABAN huddled his staff inside the visiting coaches locker room at Mercedes-Benz Stadium during halftime of the 2018 College Football Playoff championship game and dropped a loaded question in tight quarters. Inside the complicated rivalry of Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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