The Alabama Crimson Tide may have not had quite the 2016-17 college football season they hoped for, but the success true freshman Jalen Hurts was one of their major bright spots.
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Generally, when a freshman quarterback like Hurts has the kind of season he did last year, the idea of a QB controversy seems highly unlikely, but behind him on the depth chart is a five-star dual threat quarterback in Tua Taovailoa and the hype train is only gaining more steam.
This time, from former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin.
Via CBS Sports:
"He's different," Kiffin said of Tagovailoa, via Alabama's SEC Country podcast. "Where we talked about Jalen coming in a little more raw, Tua's been doing this forever. I call him 'the human jugs machine' because he can throw a ball all day long and never gets tired.
"[Tagovailoa is] a lot more trained and [will have] less transition from his high school system. He's going to be a phenomenal player, best comparison I think would probably be Steve Young. Smooth release like that, not fast but really quick feet and smooth release."
Hurts may not need to worry about Tagovailoa right now, but now the latter is being compared to NFL legends — like Steve Young — which should only get more and more fans to want to see what this highly touted kid can do with the football in his hands.
Alabama has been adamant that there is no quarterback controversy, but Tagovailoa has had a great spring, and when Hurts struggles at times this fall, it should be interesting to see how all parties handle it.