Alabama Football: 5 takeaways from 2019 A-Day Game
1. Mac Jones is the No. 2 QB, but Taulia Tagovailoa is pushing
It’s clear that redshirt sophomore Mac Jones has the inside track as the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart. Shaking off an early interception, Jones was impressive throughout the day. He completed 19-of-23 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns.
Jones looked confident and seemed to have a firm grasp of the playbook. He commanded an impressive two-minute drill late in the first half, culminating in a touchdown pass to Xavier Williams that gave the White team a touchdown advantage heading into the locker room.
At halftime, it seemed clear that the gap between Jones and the two freshmen challengers was great, but Taulia Tagovailoa put together a strong second half to show that he’s going to have something to say about the backup job throughout the summer and fall.
The younger Tagovailoa also had to shake off an early interception after he ignored a safety in the middle of the field, but he finished 6-of-9 for 93 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown pass was arguably the highlight of the A-Day game, with Taulia emulating his older brother by scrambling out of the pocket and firing a dart to Waddle for a 29-yard touchdown.
Paul Tyson struggled to grasp the coverages, but he had the detriment of facing off against the first team defense while Jones and Taulia faced the second unit. Regardless, Tyson is clearly the No. 4 at this point and will almost certainly redshirt barring a doomsday scenario.
Jones will be the No. 2 heading into the season, but don’t be surprised as the year goes on if Taulia pushes and ultimately overtakes Jones for the No. 2 spot. It’s not a foregone conclusion that he redshirts, with Saban potentially valuing the potential to get him some playing experience in case of an injury to Tua at some point in the season.
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Alabama doesn’t have a Jalen Hurts on the roster to grab the torch if Tua goes down, but Jones and Taulia showed on A-Day that either could be a quality backup option.