Nick Saban praises Jalen Hurts' development as a passer this spring

Sophomore QB Tua Tagovailoa was unable to participate in Saturday’s scrimmage, giving junior Jalen Hurts more chances to stake his claim to Alabama’s starting job.

After leading the Tide to back-to-back National Championship Games, Hurts was relieved by Tagovailoa at halftime against Georgia and watched as the then-freshman led an incredible comeback.

That has motivated Hurts this offseason, and following the scrimmage, coach Nick Saban said he has been impressed with Hurts’s improvement as a passer this spring:

Saban on QB @JalenHurts: "Jalen has had a really good spring from the standpoint that we really tried to focus on him developing in the passing game, & he's shown signs of doing that. He has done a really good job. … I think he's done much better at that this spring."

— Alex Byington (@abyingtonTD) April 14, 2018

Passing has always been the knock on Hurts, as he’s a very talented runner. However, the Alabama offense took flight under Tagovailoa, so now the incumbent starter needs to prove his worth.

It’s unclear if Tagovailoa will be able to participate in next weekend’s spring game, but Hurts will get plenty of work and will have a chance to leave the coaching staff with a good impression heading into the summer.