šŸˆ The time is right for Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts to change positions

Further confirmation that Saban brought in Enos to go back to pro-style QB.


Herrington also believes that Alabama’s offense suits White’s abilities after talking with new quarterbacks coach Dan Enos.
ā€œTalking to the coaches at Alabama, I think they want a quarterback who is going to go through his progressions — 1, 2, 3, 4 — and not a guy who is going to look at his first option and if he’s not open take off and run,ā€ Herrington said. ā€œA lot of college quarterbacks do that nowadays. I think Alabama is the perfect offense for Brevin’s skill set.

Brevin White - Top target
 
I will always appreciate what JH brought to the table at Alabama. His dedication and application of the talent he possesses is remarkable. Still, there does seem to be a slight flaw in all of that talent. One that the opposing teams attacked and exposed. The primary benefit that JH enjoyed was that he was surrounded by top-notch players that could easily carry the burden of not having to depend on the 'Long Ball' to win games. In those games where Bama was forced to utilize the "Long Ball", they would struggle to make the connection. If JH can connect with that aspect of his position, Bama would be unstoppable. As it was, opposing teams did not respect JH's ability to possibly hurt them with a pass/es as what TT deployed in the NCG. I'm not saying that JH could never do that, it's just that I saw too many passes that failed to be where the receiver was going to be. Still, I hope JH stays with Bama, he is still way too valuable to this team and can provide a winning performance and attitude whenever he will be called upon to lead the team.

Roll Tide!
 
Our QB recruiting strategy and staff hires tell you our O is changing, which means Hurts is NOT QB1 and is not a lock as QB2. Don't sleep on Jones.
Ah...

I've climbed on this horse once but didn't ride it far.

Jump back to the year 2003. Auburn finishes the season at 8-5 with Jason Campbell at QB. His TD to INT ratio was around 1.5 to 1. It was the most simplistic passing game you can see, a dink here and there. Auburn hires Al Borges and the following season what happened?

We've got a staff where we saw Daboll, Weinke, and Werner work the with guys last season. Now we're looking at Locksley, Enos, and we'll see how the blanks fill in soon. Between those two groups there's no way to say how Jalen will respond. It could be as simple as a communication thing.

It also could be a trait that's just misdiagnosed. People have talked about his stoic nature in football. Perhaps what they're are seeing is a line in the game of football that he's unable to cross. Then maybe he's that unshakable and we're looking at development.

Let's not forget we saw some pretty stupid mistakes from the QB position in the second half of the title game. Those decisions could have put the game out of reach if it weren't for it being a team game.

Who's to say Enos and Jalen don't just click and we see a lot of development over the off-season? It's happened before at other schools we underestimated.
 
Btw, Weinke is still on staff.

Tua made mistakes in a half that Jalen got a whole 28.5 games to make and improve on.

Jalen got all the snaps with the 1's until after the Auburn game. Tua took majority of the snaps with the 1's during the 15 practices before the playoffs.

Here's something I keep seeing about Tua being more careless with the ball. Let me address this...


Freshman Year Comparison

2016 - Jalen
408 snaps
9 Int's
11 fumbles
5 lost

2017 - Tua
104 snaps
2 Int's
0 fumbles
0 lost

So, Jalen 4 times the snaps and 10 times the TO's possible (9 int's +11 fumbles) or 7 times the TO's lost (9+5).

Another way to look at it ... Tua with 408 snaps would be on pace for 8 Int's and 0 fumbles
 
Btw, Weinke is still on staff.
This morning was the first time I'd thought about him in a couple of weeks. I knew he was still on staff. I know he's been looking at other opportunities as well. I wouldn't be surprised to see him move on with staff's at other schools still being put in place.

In all seriousness. It wouldn't shock me to see his return to FSU. There are very few caucassions on the FSU staff and Taggart needs "face men."
Here's something I keep seeing about Tua being more careless with the ball. Let me address this...
So, Jalen 4 times the snaps and 10 times the TO's possible (9 int's +11 fumbles) or 7 times the TO's lost (9+5).

Another way to look at it ... Tua with 408 snaps would be on pace for 8 Int's and 0 fumbles
I mentioned ball security somewhere. He carries it one-handed in that "loaf of bread" style when he's in open space. To his credit I did see him tuck. Jalen had the same issues as a frosh and we didn't see them last season. The nine INT's you mentioned earlier show improvement in his game as well when compared to '17.

With Tua it's still decisions that I watch. The two in the NC game (sack and INT with rcvrs blocking) have to be taken note of.
 
My greatest fear for Tua is the frightening thought that we start coaching out of him his spontaneity on the field. To our credit and my surprise, in the Tennessee game, he threw the same careless pass that I saw in the natty and making it worse, it turned into a pick-six. What I marveled at, and go back and look at the tape, cause Gary Danielson suggested they would reel Tua in immediately with the gameplan on the next possession, but it didn't happen. Our coaching staff didn't flinch, the next series and still up on the scoreboard comfortably, Tua came out winging and executing for 4 more TDs and that type tolerance for a freshman did surprise me, a lot.

I hope the coaching staff gets this kid's special throwing skills and it's really the quick reads, the way he throws his receivers open, the way he can manipulate a pocket to buy time and move himself around to create throwing angles. It's instinct, Tua's on automatic pilot. To have this kid thinking about not making mistakes every time he goes back to pass is the greatest fear I have for him and us. I call it the Greg McElroy effect.
 
I hope the coaching staff gets this kid's special throwing skills and it's really the quick reads, the way he throws his receivers open, the way he can manipulate a pocket to buy time and move himself around to create throwing angles. It's instinct, Tua's on automatic pilot. To have this kid thinking about not making mistakes every time he goes back to pass is the greatest fear I have for him and us. I call it the Greg McElroy effect.


Tua will improve in all those areas as he gets the reps with the starters.

You know Saban has confidence in him or he wouldn't have made the change and then stuck with him after the INT on the run play.

Folks give Jalen a pass and want to kill Tua on 1 INT against a Top 5 D in the nation. Blows my mind.

(Not talking about you TusKstuff, Bama fans in general.)

Tua had 53 total snaps on the year ... 53!

He had 51 in the NC game. Think about that.

Biggest stage. Most intense hostile pressure he'll ever face in college with a Natty on the line and he performed and won the game.

Tua made the greatest throw in Bama football history in OT to win a Natty. A walk off!
 
Tua will improve in all those areas as he gets the reps with the starters.

You know Saban has confidence in him or he wouldn't have made the change and then stuck with him after the INT on the run play.

Folks give Jalen a pass and want to kill Tua on 1 INT against a Top 5 D in the nation. Blows my mind.

(Not talking about you TusKstuff, Bama fans in general.)

Tua had 53 total snaps on the year ... 53!

He had 51 in the NC game. Think about that.

Biggest stage. Most intense hostile pressure he'll ever face in college with a Natty on the line and he performed and won the game.

Tua made the greatest throw in Bama football history in OT to win a Natty. A walk off!


I'm a believer. I expect him to throw interceptions next season. Misreads, tipped passes, wrong routes, I can already see it. But so what, the ball is going to be in the air a lot more. That is just the way you have to measure risk/reward. It's a different measuring stick than Jalen's offensive approach or G-Mac.

Defenses are also going to be on their heels for 4 quarters, our running game is going to be seeing some serious open space, our RPO stuff is going to be off the chart with that quick release. I don't want to read about turnovers because they're turnovers as much as what the scoreboard said at the end of the day.
 
I'm a believer. I expect him to throw interceptions next season. Misreads, tipped passes, wrong routes, I can already see it. But so what, the ball is going to be in the air a lot more. That is just the way you have to measure risk/reward. It's a different measuring stick than Jalen's offensive approach or G-Mac.

Defenses are also going to be on their heels for 4 quarters, our running game is going to be seeing some serious open space, our RPO stuff is going to be off the chart with that quick release. I don't want to read about turnovers because they're turnovers as much as what the scoreboard said at the end of the day.


Amen brother Tusk!
 
Ah...

I've climbed on this horse once but didn't ride it far.

Jump back to the year 2003. Auburn finishes the season at 8-5 with Jason Campbell at QB. His TD to INT ratio was around 1.5 to 1. It was the most simplistic passing game you can see, a dink here and there. Auburn hires Al Borges and the following season what happened?

We've got a staff where we saw Daboll, Weinke, and Werner work the with guys last season. Now we're looking at Locksley, Enos, and we'll see how the blanks fill in soon. Between those two groups there's no way to say how Jalen will respond. It could be as simple as a communication thing.

It also could be a trait that's just misdiagnosed. People have talked about his stoic nature in football. Perhaps what they're are seeing is a line in the game of football that he's unable to cross. Then maybe he's that unshakable and we're looking at development.

Let's not forget we saw some pretty stupid mistakes from the QB position in the second half of the title game. Those decisions could have put the game out of reach if it weren't for it being a team game.

Who's to say Enos and Jalen don't just click and we see a lot of development over the off-season? It's happened before at other schools we underestimated.

Those stupid mistakes must be taken into context of a player who was basically used as a desperation move by a staff that had a completely different game plan... with 2 backup OL's.

Looking forward to objectively seeing how development after a handful of games where he's allowed to prepare knowing he's going to play.
 
Who's to say Enos and Jalen don't just click and we see a lot of development over the off-season? It's happened before at other schools we underestimated.

JMO but it's doesn't matter who Nick brings in as QB coach to #2. He is what he is. He would get better physically but nobody is going to correct his confidence issue for it is his nature. This just didn't start at Bama. I would say coaches on his high school team (other than his father) could add some info. Paul Johnson at GT would MoonWalk butt naked to TitleTown if #2 would take his act to the Jackets in Atlanta. Coach Bryant might have had a jack and water himself to have an athlete like #2 running the bone after Steadman hung up his cleats. If so then Bama would have gotten that 3 peat in 80.
 
Who's to say Enos and Jalen don't just click and we see a lot of development over the off-season? It's happened before at other schools we underestimated.

JMO but it's doesn't matter who Nick brings in as QB coach to #2. He is what he is. He would get better physically but nobody is going to correct his confidence issue for it is his nature. This just didn't start at Bama. I would say coaches on his high school team (other than his father) could add some info. Paul Johnson at GT would MoonWalk butt naked to TitleTown if #2 would take his act to the Jackets in Atlanta. Coach Bryant might have had a jack and water himself to have an athlete like #2 running the bone after Steadman hung up his cleats. If so then Bama would have gotten that 3 peat in 80.


Which made Daboll's play calling highly suspect in the first half of the natty.
 
I think Jalen needs to be an H-back. Size wise he fits the bill. I agree he might could be a WR, but I don't think he is big enough to play TE. (Even if Cochran bulked him up). To revert back to a pro-style O, Jalen could fill the role that Huber played. I think he would fit really well.

As far as the processing and throwing......I liken back to the Tebow reference. In 2008 Tebow annihilated us in the SECCG. I don't think I ever saw him have a better game passing, than that one. If Tebow in all his rah rah/leadership and flashes of being able to throw couldn't make it in the NFL.......then I don't think Jalen will either. I know that is a blanket statement, but rumor was that Tebow was told he would still be on an NFL roster had he been willing to change positions. I think the same bodes for Jalen.

I agree with TP about the fact that Saban will give Jalen every opportunity to earn the starting role in the spring and that he will most likely be our back up this year. But if I'm Jalen, I'm open to moving spots and trying to get on the field elsewhere in order to have a chance in the NFL.
 
Listen to Chris Landry on Jalen Hurts & Tua this season

Chris Landry has spent a lifetime in football, having served as Coach, Scout and Administrator at the College Football and NFL levels.
Currently, Chris operates his own Coaching and Scouting Consulting business serving both NFL organizations and College Football programs in the areas of pro and college personnel, recruiting, advance scouting as well as coaching assessment, development and searches.

Prior to venturing out on his own, he served as both a Pro and College Scout for the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans while also serving as the Coordinator of their Scouting department.

Landry was selected to serve as the Coordinator of the NFL Scouting Combine in 1993 where he oversaw the selection and operation process of the top draft prospects.

Chris began his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns working on the coaching staff as well as in both pro personnel and college scouting.
Landry began his coaching career as a student assistant at LSU in the mid 1980’s, working his way up to a full time position before being hired by Bill Belichick and the Browns in 1992.

While working as a young coach at LSU, Landry also maintained a part time scouting position with one of the NFL’s scouting arms, BLESTO.


 
While it’s possible Alabama doesn’t sign a quarterback, the team would like to add one.

There are only three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster and people on the staff know that either Jalen Hurts or Tua Tagovailoa will likely transfer if the other wins the starting quarterback job. Maybe even before the season.

There are three options for this year’s class — four-star California native Brevin White, four-star Montgomery product James Foster and three-star Arizona native Brock Purdy.

It seems like White, who has been committed to Princeton since July, is the one the Alabama staff covets most.

White took an official visit to Tuscaloosa last weekend and is expected to decide soon whether he’s sticking with Princeton or flipping to Alabama.

His high school coach told AL.com Wednesday, ā€œI think it's now pretty 50-50.ā€

It looks like there’s a good chance the Tide lands two of the nation’s top uncommitted wide receivers — four-star Texas native Jaylen Waddle and four-star Phenix City product Justyn Ross.

It appears the top two schools for Waddle are Bama and Texas A&M. Ross is down to Alabama, Clemson and Auburn.

Both of them are ranked among the top seven wide receivers and top 45 overall prospects in this year’s recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Ross took an official visit to Alabama January 19.

Another possibility at wide receiver is four-star Florida native Jacob Copeland, who took an official visit to Tuscaloosa last weekend.

Michael Parker, a three-star Huntsville native who has been committed to the Tide since December, is likely going to blueshirt.

Another tight end, three-star Louisiana product Glenn Beal, recently took an official visit to Alabama. But it’s probably unlikely that he ends up signing with the Tide.

Alabama remains in the mix for the nation’s top-ranked offensive tackle, five-star Florida product Nicholas Petit-Frere.

Petit-Frere took an official visit to Alabama January 19, then visited Florida last weekend and will take an official visit to Ohio State this weekend.

Notre Dame and Michigan are other potential options for him. He took official visits to both schools last year.

ā€œHe’s not sure what direction he’s leaning,ā€ Petit-Frere’s high school coach, Dominick Ciao, told SEC Country. ā€œHe keeps it close to the vest. Very few guys I’ve coached made it through all five visits. He will do that. And when it’s time to decide, he’ll have all the information he needs. He’s about as thorough as they come.ā€

Alabama is also still a possible landing spot for four-star Utah offensive guard Penei Sewell. However, the Tide may not sign another offensive lineman if it gets Petit-Frere and could just use that spot for another position if Petit-Frere signs elsewhere.

The three names to know: Bobby Brown, Malik Langham and Moro Ojomo.

Brown, a four-star ex-Texas A&M commit, has been committed to Alabama since December. Langham, a four-star Huntsville product, visited Bama January 19 and will pick between the Tide, Auburn and Florida. Ojomo looks like a backup option if Alabama loses Brown and/or misses on Langham.

The three-star Texas native received a scholarship offer from the Tide earlier this week. Probably the youngest member of this year’s recruiting class, he’s only 16 and doesn’t turn 17 until August.


Both of the linebackers currently committed to Alabama could end up signing elsewhere.

In particular, it would be a surprise at this point if four-star Georgia product Quay Walker sticks with his commitment to the Tide. Tennessee is looking like the favorite to land him. Georgia is also in the mix.

The other linebacker commit, four-star Texas native Vernon Jackson, visited Alabama January 19 but visited TCU last weekend and is visiting Texas A&M this weekend.

A name to keep an eye on, though, is JJ Peterson.

The four-star Georgia native has a strong relationship with Jeremy Pruitt and committed to Tennessee in early January. However, he took an official visit to Alabama January 19. And it seems like there’s still a chance he could sign with the Tide.

Peterson is the No. 3 outside linebacker and No. 48 overall prospect in this year’s class, according to the 247 Composite.

One other possibility here is three-star South Carolina product Jaylen Moody, though he’s likely just a fallback option if Alabama loses Walker and Jackson and misses on Peterson.

The Tide offered Moody a scholarship earlier this week. He’s set to visit Alabama this weekend.


Defensive back

This is where Alabama could make a huge splash.

The Tide has already signed three highly-ranked defensive backs and could sign two or three more.

Alabama remains in the mix for five-star Florida cornerbacks Patrick Surtain and Tyson Campbell. Bama also looks to be in good shape with four-star California cornerback Isaac Taylor-Stuart as well as three-star Louisiana cornerback Eddie Smith.

All four visited Alabama in January. So did five-star California cornerback Olaijah Griffin. But many in the recruiting world think it’s unlikely Griffin chooses Alabama. USC looks like the favorite to get him.

One other name to know: Leon O’Neal. It looks like the four-star Texas safety is set to visit Tuscaloosa this weekend.
 
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