Hours after former Clemson starting quarterback Kelly Bryant announced he was transferring, Alabama coach Nick Saban expressed his appreciation for Jalen Hurts sticking around.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney elected after Saturday’s 49-21 win at Georgia Tech to make the switch from Bryant, a senior with a 16-2 record as the starter, to five-star freshman Trevor Lawrence. Two days before Alabama played Louisville in the season opener, Saban informed Hurts he was being supplanted as the starter by Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa has guided the top-ranked Crimson Tide to a 4-0 start and leads the nation in efficiency, while Hurts didn’t play in last Saturday’s 45-23 win over Texas A&M until the score was 45-16 late in the third quarter. Hurts was 26-2 as the starter the past two seasons, leading Alabama to the national championship game both years.
“I think Jalen has been very, very professional about the way he’s sort of handled the situation he’s in,” Saban said in a news conference Wednesday night after a two-hour practice. “I’ve said it’s a unique situation and that nobody’s ever been in this situation before. He won 26 games here, and now suddenly somebody else is playing.
“What he’s done is worked every day to get better. He’s focusing on improving and the value he can get from this season.”