Nick Saban praises Jalen Hurts’ response to being benched for Tua Tagovailoa: ‘It made him better’
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Things weren’t going so well for Alabama entering halftime of the 2018 College Football Playoff national championship game against No. 3 Georgia.
The Bulldogs led 13-0 and were absolutely dominating the Crimson Tide defensively. Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts was struggling — the Crimson Tide’s star was 3-of-8 for 21 yards and, as the line indicates, couldn’t get anything going through the air. If Alabama wanted any chance of coming back to beat the ferocious Bulldogs, they needed a shot of energy.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban‘s answer was true freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa, who came in and stunned Georgia in the second half. Tagovailoa threw for 166 yards and 3 touchdowns, including a 41-yard connection with DeVonta Smith to win the game in overtime, 26-23.
Eight years later, with College GameDay on-location for Week 6’s matchup between the pair of SEC titans, Saban recalled the tough decision to bench Hurts. As Saban points out, Hurts didn’t run from adversity following the decision to bench him. Hurts returned to Alabama the following year and won the Crimson Tide the SEC Championship game in place of an injured Tagovailoa.
According to Saban, Hurts’ response to being benched was consistent with the character he emulates, which is why he went on to be successful in the NFL and win a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles.
“This guy’s character in this situation has been understated. I think people should recognize how much character he really has, and that’s what has propelled him to be a great player in the NFL and winning a Super Bowl,” Saban said. “I’m as proud of the way he handled that… it made him better. It actually made him better. “
Hear Saban’s full comments below. This is worth the watch:
As of 2026, Jalen Hurts owns the NFL record for the most rushing touchdowns by a QB across a single season. As stated several times above, Hurts won a Super Bowl ring in 2025 by leading his Eagles past Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Hurts is a 3-time pro bowler won the Super Bowl MVP for his outing against the Chiefs.
Alabama and Georgia are set to add another chapter to a storied rivalry on Saturday as the No. 2 Bulldogs face the No. 6 Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
