College football 2018: Ranking the 20 best quarterbacks

The second Alabama quarterback on our list is going to be their starter, as it appears Tua Tagovailoa has beaten out Jalen Hurts. Hurts had a phenomenal run as the Crimson Tide’s quarterback, but he faltered in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, clearing the way for Tua to step in and lead Alabama to a come-from-behind victory against Georgia.

The starting spot has yet to be announced by head coach Nick Saban, but you can read through the tea leaves that it is Tua’s at this point. In Tua, Alabama has a better passer than they did with Hurts under center, but it will be interesting to see what he can do with a full slate of starts this season.

In total, Tua appeared in eight games last season, completing 63.6 percent of his passes, and throwing 11 touchdowns against only two interceptions. Those are pretty solid statistics for a guy right out of college, and it gives Coach Saban the comfort of knowing that if they do have to throw the ball, he has a guy who can get it done.

Obviously, Tagovailoa made his statement in that national title game when he threw the game-winning touchdown in overtime against the Georgia Bulldogs to Devonta Smith. That capped a second half that saw him turn around a very inept Alabama offense, and help the program avoid a second straight loss in the national championship game.

In 2018, with Tua under center, I expect the Crimson Tide to throw the ball more than they did with Hurts. Again, nothing is in concrete at the time this is being written, but you have to believe he gained Saban’s trust last season, and when it comes to Tagovailoa, he could be in for a monster season in year two.