Alabama backup QB Jalen Hurts is 'making good progress' from ankle injury
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Jalen Hurts will be evaluated this week as he looks to recover from a high-ankle sprain he suffered against Tennessee. During his Monday news conference, Alabama head coach Nick Saban called his backup quarterback “day-to-day,” stating Hurts will return to practice after missing last week.
“Today he’s going to start throwing again. We’ll see how he moves around in the pocket. He’s making good progress. These things typically take a week to 10 days before a player starts feeling really comfortable. So we’ll just have to see how he responds each day with the workload as we increase it throughout the week and sort of go from there.
Last week, Saban said Hurts had a “minor procedure on his ankle” after injuring it during a 21-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against Tennessee. The junior quarterback was absent from all three of Alabama’s media viewing periods of practice last week. Saban had previously said that other Alabama players have been in similar situations and were able to recover “fairly quickly.”
Through eight games, Hurts has completed 73.6 percent of his passes for 589 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions. He has also carried the ball 28 times for 136 yards and a touchdown.
Saban did not provide an update on injured receiver DeVonta Smith, who missed the Tennessee game after suffering a hamstring injury against Missouri on Oct. 13. Through seven games, Smith has tallied 21 receptions for 409 yards and three touchdowns. Freshman receiver Jaylen Waddle stepped up during Smith’s absence against Tennessee, leading the team with four receptions for 117 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown reception from starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
