Alabama true freshman Tua Tagovailoa became an instant sensation after leading the Crimson Tide to victory in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Monday night in Atlanta.
Tagovailoa started the second half after Nick Saban rolled the dice with starting quarterback Jalen Hurts struggling.
He did not disappoint.
Tagovailoa proved to be the spark that Alabama needed as they rallied to victory thanks to a 41-yard touchdown pass in overtime.
Because of Tagovailoa’s success, however, there is a quarterback controversy brewing in Tuscaloosa. Will Hurts return as the starting quarterback in 2018 or will Tagovailoa officially take over as the signal-caller of the future?
Regardless of what happens, Tagovailoa has nothing but respect for Hurts, who he urged fans to appreciate with a post on social media.
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 pic.twitter.com/ExjHAB7yHh
— Tua. T 🇦🇸 (@Tua) January 11, 2018
It’s all class from the true freshman.
It’s hard to believe Saban can go back to Hurts after the success that Tagovailoa had on the big stage, so we will have to see whether the quarterback who led the Crimson Tide to two straight national championships will return or transfer next season.