Nick Saban recalls his message to Jalen Hurts after Tua Tagovailoa won Alabama's QB competition

Jalen Hurts was the guy for Alabama over two seasons. He became the starter as a true freshman and eventually, led the Crimson Tide to two SEC titles and two national championship games. The first resulted in a defeat while the 2018 edition saw Hurts taken out at halftime.

There, a star was born with Tua Tagovailoa. His pass to Devonta Smith saw his name writ in Crimson Flame forever, defeating Georgia and winning national championship No. 17. Tagovailoa’s success then carried over into the next season, beating Hurts in a quarterback competition.

Of course, Nick Saban was the one to deliver the news to Hurts about serving the 2018 season as the backup quarterback. During Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference, Saban recalled what his message to Hurts was, laying out how there was still plenty of opportunity to develop into an NFL-caliber quarterback while playing behind Tagovailoa.

“I had a meeting with him and said ‘If you want to play in the NFL someday, you have a great opportunity every day in practice to improve as a passer. To improve your reading — reading the coverages, reading the defense, better anticipation.’

“All those things,” Saban said. “‘If you do that, it’s going to help your development tremendously. So, don’t be frustrated that you may not be starting the games but when you get the opportunities, you’re going to be a much better player because you made an improvement in all those areas.’

“He took all that and did a great job with it and I think he made a significant amount of progress. I’ve said before that he probably improved more the year he didn’t play than the years he did, as a passer.”

Looking from a number’s standpoint, Hurts did improve as a passer. Sure, the sample size is a lot smaller and the offense was a bit more dynamic. But Hurts saw his completion percentage go up by 10% from his previous career high. His YPA was nearly 11 yards too, foreshadowing what was to come at Oklahoma.

Hurts went on to make the CFP with Oklahoma and was drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft to Philadelphia. And then recently, he was rewarded for making the Eagles a top contender with a five-year, $255 million contract.

Working with Lincoln Riley surely had to help Hurts as well, especially with the now-USC head coach’s track record with quarterbacks. But Saban truly believes taking a step back and working on his game behind Tagovailoa turned Hurts into the passer he is today.