Gary Danielson ‘surprised’ by the way Alabama used Jalen Hurts in Week 1
By Adam Spencer
Published:
When the Alabama Crimson Tide offense took the field for its debut on Saturday night against Louisville, QB Tua Tagovailoa got the start, like most people expected.
However, former starter Jalen Hurts also saw some action — a move that came as a surprise to many, including CBS analyst Gary Danielson.
On “The Opening Kickoff” on 105.5, Danielson said he was surprised by Hurts coming into a game that was already well in hand (via AL.com):
“Clearly, Jalen decided after coach Saban came out of his press conference that’s he’s all in as a teammate this year, and he’s going to play.
“Count me as surprised. I thought they would figure out a way to utilize Jalen as a backup in an emergency of if Tua got hurt. But, apparently, that plan has gone by the wayside.”
Danielson thinks that if Hurts plays in Week 2, the message will be clear — he’s sacrificing a year of eligibility for this year’s team:
“Jalen seems willing to play and sacrifice an extra year of eligibility,” the analyst said. “Once you play in these two early games, you only have two left. For teams like Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson – the top-level teams that have to plan their season to play in the SEC Championship and the playoff – they aren’t dealing with four games in a 12-game schedule. They’re dealing with four games in a 13-, 14-, 15-game schedule.”
Will that be the case? We’ll have to see if Hurts gets action against Arkansas State on Saturday. That’ll show a lot about what Hurts and Nick Saban are thinking.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
