Tua Tagovailoa – Noteworthy
Tua Tagovailoa dropped back on Alabama’s third play of the game, threw in between two receivers and had the ball intercepted and returned for a touchdown. It proved to be that kind of night for the Crimson Tide’s uber-talented quarterback, who didn’t fare nearly as well as a starter in the College Football Playoff championship game as he did a year ago in relief. Tagovailoa threw two interceptions, was stopped on a pair of fourth-down runs and struggled mightily in the final three quarters of a 44-16 loss to Clemson on Monday night, the most lopsided loss of coach Nick Saban’s storied career at Alabama.
“It was a poor decision on my part,” Tagovailoa said about the early interception. “I just think we came out, and we were killing ourselves. We shot ourselves in the foot by me throwing that interception for a touchdown, and then not finishing drives the way we wanted to. Just didn’t go the way we wanted to.” Tagovailoa announced his arrival as a star on this stage a year ago when he came off the bench to throw three TD passes, including the game-winner in overtime to beat Georgia 26-23 for the championship in Atlanta. He followed that up with a Heisman Trophy runner-up campaign, throwing 41 TD passes and only four interceptions for the top-ranked Crimson Tide (14-1) to lead them back to the playoff as a sophomore. – AP College Football
Jalen Hurts – Noteworthy
Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts has taken an important step toward transferring. Hurts entered his name into the NCAA transfer database portal on Wednesday, two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the NCAA list is not publicly accessible. Putting his name on the list allows other schools to contact Hurts, who has already graduated and is eligible to play his final season as a graduate transfer. It’s not a binding decision to transfer. Hurts, a dual threat as a runner and passer, will likely be a hot commodity. He was a two-year starter who led Alabama to a pair of national championship games and was Southeastern Conference offensive player of the year as a freshman. Alabama lost to Clemson in the national championship game Monday night.
Hurts is likely to join other high-profile quarterbacks in moving to other schools. Georgia freshman Justin Fields , who had been one of the nation’s top recruits, has enrolled at Ohio State and former Clemson starter Kelly Bryant picked Missouri. Hurts has not publicly discussed his plans beyond this season. Before the Tide’s semifinal game against Oklahoma he would only offer “my story’s still unfolding. Just wait to see what’s next.” Asked ahead of the title game, Hurts had nothing to say. He turned and walked away. He became even more popular with Alabama fans for staying put and contributing to the offense throughout the season. If Hurts had played in four games or fewer, he could have preserved a second year of eligibility. “I think a lot of people recognize the fact that he put the team first,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said before the playoffs. – AP College Football
*Irv Smith Jr. – Noteworthy
Four Alabama players are skipping their final seasons to enter the NFL draft, including All-America left tackle Jonah Williams and Outland Trophy-winning defensive lineman Quinnen Williams. Those projected first-rounders announced their intentions on Friday, along with versatile tailback Josh Jacobs and tight end Irv Smith Jr. Jonah Williams and Quinnen Williams are unanimous All-Americans rated as potential Top 10 picks. Smith emerged as a weapon this season. He caught 44 passes for 710 yards and seven touchdowns. His father, Irv Smith Sr., is a former NFL tight end who was a first-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in 1993. – AP College Football
*Jonah Williams – Noteworthy
Four Alabama players are skipping their final seasons to enter the NFL draft, including All-America left tackle Jonah Williams and Outland Trophy-winning defensive lineman Quinnen Williams. Those projected first-rounders announced their intentions on Friday, along with versatile tailback Josh Jacobs and tight end Irv Smith Jr. Jonah Williams and Quinnen Williams are unanimous All-Americans rated as potential Top 10 picks. They helped lead the Crimson Tide to a Southeastern Conference title before losing 44-16 to Clemson in the national championship game. The exodus of underclassmen has become an annual rite for the talent-rich Tide.
“This is probably going to sound like a Grammy acceptance speech but I just have a lot of thank yous because this place really, it’s an incredible program that coach (Nick) Saban’s built but it runs because of all the people that work in the coaching and support staff roles,” said Jonah Williams, before naming staffers in a number of different departments. Jonah Williams won the Southeastern Conference’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy. He started every game of his Tide career, the first at right tackle and the past two on the left side. “These guys have always been exemplary in all the things they’ve done to help themselves, in terms of their work ethic, their character, the choices and decisions they’ve made, which is what has created the opportunity for them,” Saban said. – AP College Football
*Josh Jacobs – Noteworthy
Four Alabama players are skipping their final seasons to enter the NFL draft, including All-America left tackle Jonah Williams and Outland Trophy-winning defensive lineman Quinnen Williams. Those projected first-rounders announced their intentions on Friday, along with versatile tailback Josh Jacobs and tight end Irv Smith Jr. Jonah Williams and Quinnen Williams are unanimous All-Americans rated as potential Top 10 picks. Jacobs and Smith are also listed as potential late first-rounders in at least one mock draft. Jacobs was a diverse threat for the Tide on offense and special teams. He ran for 640 yards and a team-high 11 touchdowns while catching 20 passes for 247 yards and three scores. Once a lightly recruited player who was a late addition to his Alabama recruiting class, he averaged 30.6 yards on 14 kick returns with a TD. “This decision has definitely been tough for me,” he said. “Even on the ride here, I still didn’t know exactly what choice I wanted to make.” – AP College Football
*Quinnen Williams – Noteworthy
Four Alabama players are skipping their final seasons to enter the NFL draft, including All-America left tackle Jonah Williams and Outland Trophy-winning defensive lineman Quinnen Williams. Those projected first-rounders announced their intentions on Friday, along with versatile tailback Josh Jacobs and tight end Irv Smith Jr. Jonah Williams and Quinnen Williams are unanimous All-Americans rated as potential Top 10 picks.
Quinnen Williams is a third-year sophomore who won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s top interior lineman on either side of the ball. The 6-foot-4, 295-pounder had a breakout season in his first season as starter, leading the team with 17 tackles for loss and ranking third with 66 tackles. “I dreamed of this day almost every day when I was a little kid when I was playing little league football in Birmingham,” he said. “Just to see I made it become a reality, like I get a chance to enter the draft. Most people don’t get a chance from where I’m from. “Most people have the athletic ability or the ability to do it, but can’t get past different distractions and stuff. To see I defeated all the odds and the negativity and just everything in general, I defeated it all. It made me emotional kind of to see that I’ve came from a long way, seen a lot of stuff when I was young.” Quinnen Williams said he spent considerable time talking on the phone about the decision to Saban, who he called “like the Godfather of early leaving. – AP College Football
*Deionte Thompson – Noteworthy
All-America safety Deionte Thompson has joined a growing crowd of Alabama players leaving early for the NFL draft. Thompson announced his decision Sunday on Twitter. He’s the sixth Crimson Tide underclassman to announce his decision to leave early. Thompson was a consensus All-American in his first season as the starter. He made 79 tackles and had two interceptions and four forced fumbles. Thompson, who has already graduated, says his experience at Alabama was “undeniably life-changing and an experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world.” He’s widely projected as a potential first-round pick. Cornerback Saivion Smith announced Saturday that he’s turning pro. A day earlier, left tackle Jonah Williams, defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, tailback Josh Jacobs and tight end Irv Smith Jr. all declared for the draft. AL.com’s Mark Zenitz has also reported a source has released that Linebacker Mack Wilson is another potential Tide player to enter the NFL Draft. – AP College Football
*Saivion Smith – Noteworthy
Alabama cornerback Saivion Smith is entering the NFL draft. Smith announced his decision Saturday on Twitter, becoming the fifth Crimson Tide underclassmen to turn pro this week. The junior college transfer played in all 15 games during his lone season at Alabama, starting 12. He had 60 tackles, three interceptions and eight tackles for loss. Smith was a five-star recruit who played one season at LSU before transferring to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He joins defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, left tackle Jonah Williams, running back Josh Jacobs and tight end Irv Smith Jr. in declaring for the draft. The decisions for the other four were announced Friday at a news conference. Safety Deionte Thompson and linebackers Anfernee Jennings and Mack Wilson are among other Tide juniors who haven’t announced their intentions yet. – AP College Football
Mack Wilson – Noteworthy
Alabama middle linebacker Mack Wilson is entering the NFL draft. Wilson becomes the seventh Crimson Tide player and fourth defender to declare for the draft since losing to Clemson in the national title game. The junior announced his intentions on Twitter Sunday evening. Wilson made 71 tackles with five for a loss and had two interceptions last season. The Montgomery, Alabama product played in 42 games over the past two seasons and had 119 career tackles. – AP College Football