re: Class of 2018 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: So Long Old Friend Edition

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Tomorrow when I'm sober I'll post my outfit change at halftime.

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No joke, I actually switched beers. I was drinking Guinness and switched to this:





I can't take all the credit though. Me getting drunk on "Liquid Aloha" played only a small part in this team victory.

Got to think Bama might have wrapped Ross or Waddle last night.

Pete Golding is an ace recruiter. Will pay huge dividends in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Yep. He’s official today.

Im waiting for the recruit responses on the game last night

Dilly Dilly! You da man, Saint!

AJC jumped the gun, slightly

Tua Tagovailoa brings out the best in Alabama and Nick Saban — and the best is yet to come

Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa couldn't contain himself any longer.


The freshman quarterback threw an incomprehensible 41-yard touchdown that clinched a thrilling 26-23 overtime victory for the Crimson Tide against Georgia in the College Football Playoff championship Monday night. That gave Alabama (13-1) a fifth national title under coach Nick Saban, and offered a glimpse of what's to come for the next two to three years in Tuscaloosa.


Tagovailoa's Tuscaloosa, that is. The five-star phenom from Honolulu talked about being homesick like any other freshman, even though his parents were in the stands. He tugged at the black-and-white beads on his Alabama-themed lei, adjusted his backward cap and let the emotion flow into the mic. He just happened to find it with arguably the most memorable walk-off sequence in college football history.

"I don't know how Coach Saban found me all the way from Hawaii in Alabama," Tagovailoa said. "Thank God he found me, and we're here right now."

Saban couldn't contain himself any longer either. The next phase of "The Process" unfolded after Georgia (13-2) jumped out to a 13-0 halftime lead behind a spectacular performance from freshman Jake Fromm. Saban looked for what he called a "spark" and turned to Tagovailoa over Jalen Hurts — the sophomore quarterback who was one drive away from leading the Crimson Tide to the national title last year. When Butkus Award winner Roquan Smith drilled Tagovailoa for a sack three plays later, his plan could have unhinged.But Saban stuck with Tagovailoa, and it paid off."I just didn't feel we could run the ball well enough," Saban said. "I thought Tua would give us a better chance and a spark, which he certainly did."

On the next drive, Tagovailoa marched Alabama downfield for a touchdown in seven plays in less than two minutes. A dart to Henry Ruggs III on a slant confirmed what spell-check was starting to figure out. Alabama has an up-tempo offense with a down-field passing attack.

Game on.

Of course, freshman mistakes happen. Tagovailoa threw an interception on the next possession, but that's a clue for how you know the future is near — and going to be fun. Nick and Tua. College football's odd new couple will be more entertaining than the previous sitcom featuring Nick and Lane Kiffin. Tagovailoa put his arm around Saban and assured the perfectionist coach everything would be OK. They joked about it later.

"Well, the issue was we missed a signal," Saban said, looking at Tagovailoa, who tried to hide a smile. "Everybody was running a running play, but he was running a passing play."

Saban then asked a rhetorical question.

"But we learn from those things, right?" Saban asked.
"Yes sir," Tagovailoa replied.

"He was just reassuring me he would learn from it," Saban said to the rest of the room.

That exchange speaks to the confidence Saban had in Tagovailoa, especially in the fourth quarter.

The freshman quarterback led a game-tying drive with a go-for-broke fourth-and-4 that ended with a 7-yard touchdown to Calvin Ridley with 3:49 remaining. He nearly led the game-winning drive in regulation, but a missed field goal set up overtime.

Georgia took a 23-20 lead on a 51-yard field goal by Rodrigo Blankenship in overtime, and the final blur unfolded in just two plays. Jonathan Ledbetter and Davin Bellamy sacked Tagovailoa for a loss of 16 yards, to which Saban had a less pleasant reaction.

"Tua probably couldn't have thrown that pass if I could have got a hold of him after he took that sack," Saban said. "But I couldn't get out there that fast."

Instead, Tagovailoa read the four verticals shooting up through Georgia's two-trap coverage. He looked off the safety and let it go.

"I looked back out, and he was wide open," Tagovailoa said. "Smitty was wide open, and here we are now."

"Smitty" — DeVonta Smith — hauled in the game-winning touchdown. Tagovailoa's coming-out party featured a pink-and-white confetti explosion, helmets flying through the air and an impromptu wedding proposal from fifth-year senior Bradley Bozeman to his girlfriend.

The story ends with another national championship for Alabama, but the partnership between Saban and Tagovailoa immediately becomes the front-page storyline for 2018.

Only in Alabama, right?

But what does it mean for Hurts? A transfer? Position change?

Will Tagovailoa be the quarterback who elevates the greatest dynasty in college football history to another, unforeseen level? Or was this Saban's plan all along — the ultimate gamble that one-upped Georgia and former assistant coach Kirby Smart in Atlanta?

We know who Saban is. The no-nonsense, methodical, process-driven perfectionist who has run the rest of college football into the ground since 2007. Now he gets Tagovailoa, who talked about his faith, confidence and teammates — including Hurts.

It's a dynamic Saban will have to massage heading into spring ball, even if everybody knows the answer.
"We would not be here in this championship game if not for some of the very good plays Jalen Hurts made throughout the season," Saban said. "We have two guys that we have really good confidence in, and they have a tremendous amount of respect for each other. They help each other. That's something unique to our team."
Saban will be almost forced to unleash Tagovailoa — a Heisman Trophy contender with a bright NFL future —heading into the 2018 season.

If the second half of the championship game didn't leave you wanting more, then listen to his news conference: He already sounds like former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, who captivated college football for three years after a cameo in a BCS championship game as a freshman.
"I would say my poise comes from my faith and just being able to come to the sideline every time after I go in for a drive," Tagovailoa said. "I pray for peace, I just pray, asking God, let your will be done in me, and the rest will follow."

Pray for everybody else while you're at it, Tua.

They're going to need it.

LINK

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Tagovailoa has already impressed this season, completing 35 of 53 passes for 470 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception. That’s a 66 percent completion percentage and 186.6 quarterback rating, both of which are better regular-season marks than Hurts'.

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