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Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com
College GameDay analyst spoke in Mobile on Monday
The hottest on-field topic in college football just might be the quarterback battle at Alabama, and ESPN's Desmond Howard is the latest to weigh in.
Howard, the Michigan Heisman Trophy winner and current College GameDay analyst, was in the state Monday night to speak to the C Spire 1st & 10 Club at the Mobile Marriott. He said that he believes Nick Saban ultimately will -- and should -- choose Tua Tagovailoa over Jalen Hurts to start at quarterback for the Crimson Tide based on Tagovailoa's performance in the second half of last season's College Football Playoff National Championship Game victory over Georgia.
"I personally think that the offense opens up better when Tua is up under center," Howard said. "I know we have a small sample size, but it's a pretty significant sample against one of the top defenses in the country. I think I would probably lean toward starting Tua because of his skill set."
Howard wasn't completely dismissive of Hurts' abilities, however.
"Can you win a national championship with Jalen?," Howard said. "I can't say that you can't."
Despite growing up in Ohio, Howard signed with Michigan in 1988 after a standout career at Cleveland's St. Joseph High School. Aside from Michigan and Ohio State, among the other schools that recruited him was Michigan State.
Saban was an assistant coach with the Spartans through Howard's junior year of high school, and recruited the talented running back/defensive back before departing for the NFL. Howard -- who went on to be an outstanding wide receiver and kick returner both at Michigan and in the NFL, where he was named MVP of Super Bowl 41 with the Green Bay Packers -- said he had a chance to revisit his recruitment years later when Saban was a guest on the GameDay set.
"I was a tailback in high school, but I also led the state with 10 interceptions," Howard said. "I asked him one day, he was on GameDay. This was not in front of the cameras. I said 'you guys were recruiting me, you were a defensive coach, had I signed at Michigan State, at what position would you have played me? Would I have played defensive back?' He said 'no, all of our special athletes played on offense. You would have been on offense.' But I would have played DB if he had wanted me to."
Howard also addressed several other college football topics:
On Auburn's chances to contend for a playoff spot this year:
"Week 1, Washington, we'll know. They're returning (double-digit) starters, Jarrett Stidham is a guy that some people say could be a first-round pick in the NFL draft; I'm not necessarily sure about that. He has NFL talent. Week 1's going to be big for them. We're going to know a lot about Auburn right out the gate, which is a good thing to me."
On the ongoing controversy at Ohio State, where head coach Urban Meyer is currently on administrative leave:
"I can't tell you what the right move is, but I just think that he will coach (in 2018). When the news first came out, everybody said he was done, he was fired. There's no way he could survive. I was like 'just watch it play out. He will coach.'"
On Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, and whether or not his job is in jeopardy after a subpar 2017 season:
"I don't think so. I don't think he's on thin ice. I just don't."
On whether or not Georgia has closed the gap on Alabama in the SEC:
"The national championship (game) is an indication of how close they are, but we'll see. To me, it's like 'what are you using to gauge that?' Nick Saban has a dynasty down there. Is Georgia a dynasty? No. They went to one national championship game. How close are they? I don't know how to measure that. They have a long way to go to reach that level."
Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com
Desmond Howard on Tua vs. Jalen, Jarrett Stidham & Urban Meyer's future
The hottest on-field topic in college football just might be the quarterback battle at Alabama, and ESPN's Desmond Howard is the latest to weigh in.
Howard, the Michigan Heisman Trophy winner and current College GameDay analyst, was in the state Monday night to speak to the C Spire 1st & 10 Club at the Mobile Marriott. He said that he believes Nick Saban ultimately will -- and should -- choose Tua Tagovailoa over Jalen Hurts to start at quarterback for the Crimson Tide based on Tagovailoa's performance in the second half of last season's College Football Playoff National Championship Game victory over Georgia.
"I personally think that the offense opens up better when Tua is up under center," Howard said. "I know we have a small sample size, but it's a pretty significant sample against one of the top defenses in the country. I think I would probably lean toward starting Tua because of his skill set."
Howard wasn't completely dismissive of Hurts' abilities, however.
"Can you win a national championship with Jalen?," Howard said. "I can't say that you can't."
Despite growing up in Ohio, Howard signed with Michigan in 1988 after a standout career at Cleveland's St. Joseph High School. Aside from Michigan and Ohio State, among the other schools that recruited him was Michigan State.
Saban was an assistant coach with the Spartans through Howard's junior year of high school, and recruited the talented running back/defensive back before departing for the NFL. Howard -- who went on to be an outstanding wide receiver and kick returner both at Michigan and in the NFL, where he was named MVP of Super Bowl 41 with the Green Bay Packers -- said he had a chance to revisit his recruitment years later when Saban was a guest on the GameDay set.
"I was a tailback in high school, but I also led the state with 10 interceptions," Howard said. "I asked him one day, he was on GameDay. This was not in front of the cameras. I said 'you guys were recruiting me, you were a defensive coach, had I signed at Michigan State, at what position would you have played me? Would I have played defensive back?' He said 'no, all of our special athletes played on offense. You would have been on offense.' But I would have played DB if he had wanted me to."
Howard also addressed several other college football topics:
On Auburn's chances to contend for a playoff spot this year:
"Week 1, Washington, we'll know. They're returning (double-digit) starters, Jarrett Stidham is a guy that some people say could be a first-round pick in the NFL draft; I'm not necessarily sure about that. He has NFL talent. Week 1's going to be big for them. We're going to know a lot about Auburn right out the gate, which is a good thing to me."
On the ongoing controversy at Ohio State, where head coach Urban Meyer is currently on administrative leave:
"I can't tell you what the right move is, but I just think that he will coach (in 2018). When the news first came out, everybody said he was done, he was fired. There's no way he could survive. I was like 'just watch it play out. He will coach.'"
On Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, and whether or not his job is in jeopardy after a subpar 2017 season:
"I don't think so. I don't think he's on thin ice. I just don't."
On whether or not Georgia has closed the gap on Alabama in the SEC:
"The national championship (game) is an indication of how close they are, but we'll see. To me, it's like 'what are you using to gauge that?' Nick Saban has a dynasty down there. Is Georgia a dynasty? No. They went to one national championship game. How close are they? I don't know how to measure that. They have a long way to go to reach that level."
Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com
Desmond Howard on Tua vs. Jalen, Jarrett Stidham & Urban Meyer's future
