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ATLANTA – Forty-four days before the kickoff, Nick Saban would not incur Jalen Hurts to be on the roster for the opening match against Louisville
"I n & # 39; I have no idea, "said Saban Wednesday. Days. He quickly added, "I'm waiting for it to be there."
This is without commitment. It's also about the best news that Alabama could get with regard to the # 1 off season story of this sport. Why? Because 44 days ago before the coup de send.
If Hurts – the supposed loser of the starting yard position at the sophomore Tua Tagovailoa – was going to transfer, he would have already done so. Most players transfer after the season or after spring practice
This is somehow the reason why I asked the question about the immediate future of Hurts during the summer. Saban's appearance at the University Football Hall of Fame. The answer to the sport's No. 1 story continues to remain in the air like a punch.
"I think the first thing you will want to talk about is the quarterback controversy you would like to create, which you have already created, that you will continue to create," Saban told the media. "I will tell you that the same thing exists there, it remains to be determined who will play quarterback for Alabama."
Aside from hostility, it's time to read between the lines. In fact, was a certain clarity Wednesday. To recap, Tua Tagovailoa vs. Jalen Hurts became a thing shortly after Tua – as a true rookie – lofted this winning pass against Georgia in the National College Football Playoff Championship. Saban has done little to resolve the situation since – at least publicly.
Now the problem becomes a mere convergence of time and space. Time is running out, and Saban needs to fill this space on his list.
The newly adopted redshirt rule is the best thing ever to have happened to this quarterback controversy. The NCAA now allows players to participate in up to four games without losing a year of eligibility.
It's not hard to imagine Saban launching to Hurts (and his family): Stay, get your degree, have fun and there are still two years of eligibility after this season. (Hurts is on track to graduate in December.)
"There are probably occasions when this can be a benefit to a veteran," Saban told me later. "I have not forgotten that, I have often been asked today, I have tried to avoid this because I really do not want that anybody. one thinks it would have something to do with how we would deal with any circumstance. player we have other than playing the best guy. "
Nobody says that Saban will not play the best guy. Hey, if Hurts beats Tua, it's good for him.
The fact is that Saban needs the best guys. If Hurts is up and Tagovailoa is injured, the best option is Mac Jones, the newcomer to Redshirt with zero field experience.
You'd better believe that Saban also thought about that. Can you hear a dynasty cracking off? In April Saban suggested that he could play two quarters .
"Sometimes I have the impression that both guys can contribute," Saban said. "Maybe there's room for that."
It is time to conclude that Hurts remains in Alabama in some sort of role. It has almost all been decided.
Except that this is really not the main problem. The presence of Hurts on the list is what is most important. If we all assume that Tagovailoa is the starter, Saban would walk on a tightrope without Hurts as a backup.
No one said that it was not complicated. Tua missed the practice of spring with a hand injury. This allowed Hurts to have more rehearsals. How to demote a 26-2 child as a starter with a national title?
For one, because it is Alabama, the most competitive Fortune 500 company in the country. Or something like that.
Tua is better athletic than Hurts. This last sequence in the CFP title game showed you everything you need to know. Tua was fired for a 16-yard loss. Inexcusable. In second and second place, he launched this perfect, epic and winning pass for Devonta Smith.
Hurts would probably have dropped to the ground instead of being ransacked. Clever. But Hurts would probably not have cast that perfect pass either.
So we are witnessing why Saban is even in this situation in the first place. We can argue over who convinced Saban to go until the end of the offensive. (Ahem, your movement, Lane.) We can not deny that this movement allowed him to stay on top by recruiting (more) elite offensive players.
"We are going to create a role for one or the other of these guys in our team, and they will all have to make a decision based on what their future will be, you know, at the 39, Alabama, "Saban said.
After Wednesday, I think we know what their future is in Alabama. Give or take a place on the depth map.
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