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For the first time in five years, there isn’t a quarterback battle at Alabama. Nothing that happened on A-Day was ever going to unseat Heisman finalist Tua Tagovailoa from his starting role. Despite some early struggles this spring, Mac Jones was never likely to lose his No. 2 status to either of Alabama’s two freshmen quarterbacks — even before his standout display Saturday.
However, even without the drama, the annual scrimmage left us with plenty to digest at the quarterback position. Here’s a look at how each of Alabama’s four passers performed over the weekend and their outlook moving forward.
Tua Tagovailoa
A-Day stats: 19 of 37 for 265 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception.
A-Day outlook: Tagovailoa wasn’t himself during the A-Day scrimmage. The junior quarterback wasn’t necessarily bad, but he committed a few of the careless errors that cost him during the national championship loss to Clemson. There were a few under-thrown passes early in the game, and a couple later that sailed far past their intended targets. Then came his final mistake, a floated pass that was picked off by Trevon Diggs in the fourth quarter.
“There was a lot of miscommunication with the receivers, and you got to get everybody set up with the O-line as well,” Tagovailoa said. “Sometimes you’re going to have miscommunications. But I am glad we’re having it now than in the season.”
Moving forward: Some questioned whether or not Tagovailoa was hesitant to step into some of his throws following knee and ankle injuries that plagued him last season. While those could explain some of the errant throws, head coach Nick Saban was quick to come to the defense of his starting quarterback, stating there was nothing to worry about moving forward.
“You keep trying to make something out of nothing,” Saban shot back. “He can run fast, he can do everything. He went through the offseason program. So, I thought he threw the ball with great velocity just like he did before and I don’t see any difference.”
Following the scrimmage, Tagovailoa was asked whether he experienced any residual effects from his ankle injury sustained during the SEC Championship Game. The quarterback shook off the question, stating “No, it was OK.”
While fans would have preferred to see the quarterback who tore up Alabama’s record books last season, it’s a bit premature to worry about what should be a big junior year from Tagovailoa. In the words of Nick Saban, “these spring games, don’t read too much into it.”
