Tua Tagovailoa – Noteworthy
Tua Tagovailoa is optimistic that he will be fully recovered from ankle surgery and ready to play in the Orange Bowl. The Alabama quarterback and Heisman Trophy runner-up said his left ankle will be just fine for the College Football Playoff semifinal game with Oklahoma on Dec. 29. “I’ll probably be at 100 percent by the time the game comes,” Tagovailoa said Wednesday. “That’s my prediction. Definitely.” He has been practicing on a limited basis since the top-ranked Crimson Tide began playoff preparations last Friday. Coach Nick Saban has said his star quarterback “is probably ahead of schedule.”
Tagovaila suffered a high ankle sprain on the opening series of the Southeastern Conference championship game Dec. 1 against Georgia. He had surgery the next day. Saban says other Tide players have returned in about two weeks from that procedure. Tagovailoa said he has been able to do footwork drills and other work but still hasn’t been able to make cuts. “Other than that, there’s nothing that’s hindering me too much,” he said. “It’s just the surgery that hurts. My ankle’s fine and everything’s fine. Just the scar.” – AP College Football