In Birmingham, in Muscle Shoals and most especially in Tuscaloosa, they speak in awed tones about the coaching masterstroke Alabama’s Nick Saban executed in last season’s College Football Playoff championship game.
With his Crimson Tide trailing by 13-0 at halftime, Saban swapped out his two-year starting quarterback, Jalen Hurts, for a virtually untested freshman, Tua Tagovailoa. It was a bold move in a big moment, and Tagovailoa led the Crimson Tide to 20 second-half points and an indelible overtime touchdown. The victory secured Saban’s sixth national championship, and the 17th for Alabama.
If Tagovailoa provided a classic postseason moment in January, though, this summer he produced a standard preseason narrative: the quarterback controversy.