Alabama Football: Breaking down the quarterback battle entering 2018

The case for Tua Tagovailoa

Tua Tagovailoa was the beneficiary of Jalen Hurts’ struggles in last year’s national championship game. He may just turn his second half performance against Georgia into being the number one guy under center.

Behind Hurts, Tagovailoa had limited opportunities during his freshman year. It was mostly mop up duty but he made the best of it, throwing for 636 yards and 11 touchdowns. He only threw two interceptions and also showed he has an ability to run, going for 133 yards on 27 attempts and two rushing touchdowns.

Against Georgia, he did make some typical freshman mistakes but still turned in a solid performance in leading Alabama to a come from behind victory. He finished 14 of 24 with 166 yards, three scores and an interception. His game-winning throw in overtime was a thing of beauty.

As mentioned Tagovailoa made some freshman mistakes against Georgia but he was a freshman inserted at halftime of the biggest game of the year. There is no reason to think those mistakes cannot be ironed out with practice as he becomes a more polished quarterback. He is immensely talented with a very high ceiling.