Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was a Heisman Trophy favorite for much of the 2018 college football season, but injuries slowed the Crimson Tide star, who was eventually surpassed by Oklahoma standout Kyler Murray.
Tagovailoa is one of the top preseason Heisman favorites in 2019, and coach Nick Saban believes that Tagovailoa has room for improvement. During an appearance on ESPN, Saban said that the disappointing end to Alabama’s season should be a learning experience for his talented QB.
“I think Tua played outstanding football for us all year last year, but probably not quite as good in the end as in the beginning. He didn’t have any interceptions for the first seven or eight games, and then six or seven at the end of the season – so I really think patience, decision-making, taking what the defense gives…. I think sometimes when you have success, you want to have more success, so maybe you start forcing plays. Trying to make plays down the field, trying to make explosive plays, when maybe they’re not there.
And I think that might have happened a little bit to us last year, because we were so explosive on offense due to Tua. But now that should be a learning experience for him to stay disciplined and focused on the reads that you have and taking what the defense gives on a consistent basis, and I think we can eliminate some of those turnovers.”
