Saban Explains Hurts Decision in Alabama Championship Win

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban explained Saturday on ESPN’s College GameDay why he replaced Jalen Hurts with Tua Tagovailoa during the 2017 College Football Playoff national championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, saying the halftime decision came after evaluating the offense’s struggles.

According to Saban, Alabama was looking for more production through the air with a group that included several future first-round draft picks at receiver. The Crimson Tide eventually defeated Georgia 26-23 in overtime after Tagovailoa threw the winning 41-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith.

Saban said the decision was difficult because Hurts had a 26-2 record as Alabama’s starter before being replaced. He also highlighted how Hurts responded after losing his role.

"This was one of the most difficult decisions that I ever had to make as a coach because of the respect, love and admiration that I had for Jalen Hurts, who was 26-2 as a starter," said Saban, former Alabama coach.

Saban added that Alabama needed a different offensive approach against Georgia and believed Tagovailoa could improve the passing attack.

"We were struggling a little bit on offense, had really really good receivers, like four or five first-round draft picks on the team, and I thought Tua could do a better job of getting them the ball," said Saban.

The six-part ESPN documentary Saban included previously unseen footage from the locker room and showed the conversation surrounding the quarterback change. Saban said the move was based on more than the first half alone.

"I knew walking off the field at halftime, that was the time," said Saban.

Tagovailoa finished the game with 166 passing yards and three touchdowns on 14 of 24 attempts, while Hurts did not return after halftime. Hurts later became a Super Bowl-winning quarterback with the Philadelphia Eagles.

"I think I had a feeling that I could potentially go in, but it was sort of surreal that it was in that moment that my number got called," said Tagovailoa.

Hurts reflected on the decision in the documentary and described his reaction to being removed from the game. Saban said the quarterback’s response showed his character and commitment.

"I can’t say I was surprised, but yeah," said Hurts.

Saban said Hurts stayed at Alabama, improved his passing skills and later helped the program win the SEC Championship Game the following season. He called Hurts’ handling of the situation a major part of his development.

"The thing that’s understated about all of this is how Jalen Hurts managed and handled the difficult circumstance he was put in," said Saban.