TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Let’s get this out of the way before we start — there is no quarterback competition at Alabama.
Head coach Nick Saban made that pretty clear during his first news conference of spring camp last week when he referred to sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts as the Crimson Tide’s returning starter at the position. To be fair, Saban’s declaration only further put to rest the little doubt the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Year would win the job.
Still, despite the head coach’s reassurance, there is plenty of buzz surrounding the position. That’s to be expected with two highly-touted early enrollees joining the team this year. Four-star quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones, while competing for the backup job, have generated plenty of questions — the simplest being, “Do all the quarterbacks throw the same in practice?”
“Do they throw the same,” Alabama receiver Calvin Ridley questioned back sarcastically. “No. I think two of them are right-handed and one is left-handed. It's a different spin.”
The exception is Tagovailoa, who comes to the Tide as the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback and No. 53 player overall in the 2017 class. At first, it seems trivial that Tagovailoa is left-handed. However, if the Honolulu native were to start for any reason this year, he’d be the first left-handed Alabama quarterback to do so since Mike Shula in 1986.
But does it even make a difference?
“Kind of. It kind of comes out weird,” Ridley said. “But it's all the same and you have to catch it."
Alabama running back Damien Harris didn’t seem to think so either.
“Hmmm. I don’t know. They just throw from different hands,” Harris said. “But as far as anything else, I don’t really know.”
Tagovailoa was even quizzed on the topic himself during National Signing Day when he was jokingly asked if he could join the fraternity of elite left-handed quarterbacks that includes Steve Young, Michael Vick and former Alabama great Kenny Stabler.
“I would hope so,” he said somewhat confused.
Growing up Tagovailoa says Vick was one of his favorite players to watch. Then there’s the right-handed quarterback he’s inevitably compared with.
Attending the same St. Louis High School in Honolulu as former Heisman winner Marcus Mariota, Tagovailoa oftentimes finds himself drawing similar reviews to the Tennessee Titans quarterback. Tagovailoa said he’s known Mariota since the fourth grade and that the two still remain good friends.
“As far as being compared to him, it's an honor,” Tagovailoa said. “It's a privilege to be compared someone at such a prestigious level when I haven't done anything really. So that's for everyone else to say.”
Right now, Tagovailoa cares about expectations and comparisons about as much as his teammates care which arm he throws with. For that matter, he really isn’t interested in talking about a quarterback battle either.
“I'm not trying to worry about any of that. I'm just going to try and do what I do and let the other guys do what they've got to do. We're just trying to move as one, move as a team, and I'm not trying to dog on anyone on my team or my teammates. This is my new team, this is my new family. Like I said, I'm still trying to find myself in school, and I'm just going to focus on that.”
So far the true freshman has gotten off on the right foot, even if he's using his left hand.
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