Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was riding high after leading the Crimson Tide to a comeback in the national championship game, but the young player clearly hasn't forgotten about how Alabama got to that game.
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In a passionate Twitter post, Tagovailoa stood by his teammate Jalen Hurts, saying "for all the fans that are against Jalen, you against me too."
"Tired of people not appreciating the fact that if this man led us to the National Championship. And for all the fans that are against Jalen, you against me too. You either WITH US or AGAINST US. Love you 2 #BigBroLittleBro @JalenHurts"
Tagovailoa was dramatically inserted into the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs after Hurts had been ineffective in the first half. Tagovailoa, a true freshman seeing his first major action of the season, led an Alabama comeback from down 13-0, as the Crimson Tide were able to capture their fifth national title under head coach Nick Saban with a 26-23 overtime victory.
Hurts, who had been the starter for the whole season, was an effective quarterback for most of the season — 17 touchdowns and only one interception — but Hurts was completely stifled in the first half against Georgia in the championship game. Hurts was only 3-for-8 passing with 26 yards before being replaced at halftime.
UPDATE: After Hurts was benched, speculation had run rampant that Hurts would transfer out of Alabama. He stayed, and ultimately had his redemption by replacing Tagovailoa to lead his own comeback against (guess who) Georgia in the SEC Championship game. As a graduate transfer, Hurts joined the Oklahoma Sooners for his final season of college football.
While it's unclear what Hurts' transfer will mean for Oklahoma, it's clear that Tagovailoa will have his back the whole way.
This post was originally published on January 11, 2018.
