By now, you probably know that Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa had what is called “tightrope” surgery to repair an ankle injury.

He’ll be out for this week’s game against Arkansas, but his status beyond that is unknown. He had the same procedure done last year before the College Football Playoff.

This week, ESPN’s Chris Fowler spoke with Marty Jaramillo, a 25-year orthopedist, to discuss the surgery and timetable for Tagovailoa’s return:

“This is deja vu. We did this back for the national championship,” Jaramillo said. “We were shocked then and I think we’re going to be shocked again. The tightrope procedure is the orthopedic zip tie. It’s a game-changer. The high ankle sprain has troubled the sports medicine community for ever. Oftentimes, the only way back is a procedure involving a lot of hardware and screws. And because of the demand of sports, they break. And guess what? Another surgery.”

Can Tua return (and be effective) for a Nov. 9 showdown against LSU? We’ll find out starting next week, as Alabama is off.