ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 31: Jalen Hurts #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide passes the ball against the Washington Huskies during the 2016 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome on December 31, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)Alabama QB Jalen Hurts’ role has decreased dramatically since Tua Tagovailoa was named the starter. He’s still playing in every game, but has been relegated mostly to mop-up duty during blowout wins.
However, after Hurts suffered an injury against Tennessee two weeks ago, there was concern as to what the team would do if anything happened to Tagovailoa. Hurts is a reliable backup with plenty of experience, so not being able to turn to him would hurt.
Fortunately, it looks like Hurts will be back soon.
In a Monday press conference, Alabama head coach Nick Saban revealed that Hurts is on the verge of throwing the ball again and testing his abilities in the pocket.
“It’s going to be day-to-day,” Saban said. “Today he’s going to start throwing again to see how he moves around in the pocket. He’s making good progress. These things typically take a week to 10 days before players start feeling really comfortable, so we just have to see how he responds each day’s workload as we increase it through the course of the week and sort of go from there.
“I can’t really answer that question right now. I just know what he’s going to be able to do today.”
Hurts is recovering from a procedure on an injured ankle.
A two-year starter for the Crimson Tide, Hurts was benched in the second half of the College Football Playoff National Championship game in favor of Tagovailoa. The freshman QB then led the team to victory.
Ultimately, Tagovailoa won the starting job this offseason and has not looked back as the team has started the season 8-0.
