The Alabama Crimson Tide are off this week, and the open date is well-timed, as star QB Tua Tagovailoa is recovering from an ankle injury and surgery.

With a game against No. 1 LSU coming up next Saturday, it’s important for the Tide to have their quarterback at full strength.

During Saturday morning’s “SEC Nation,” Paul Finebaum said he’s heard nothing but positive news out of Tuscaloosa about Tagovailoa this week (via 247Sports):

“The No. 1 question I’ve been asked all week is will Tua play next week in Tuscaloosa and the answer is yes,” Finebaum said. “I’m told by people in Tuscaloosa he is progressing very, very well. This is a much different injury than it was a year ago when he struggled to get ready for the national semifinals.

“They are extremely upbeat that he will play. 100 percent is debatable, but he is very close to that.”

Tagovailoa will be critical to the Tide’s success against LSU, so we’ll see how strong he is this week.

Coach Nick Saban is sure to be asked a lot more about his quarterback’s health over the next 7 days.