Alabama Rumors: Tua Tagovailoa 'Clear Favorite' to Win Starting QB Job

While Alabama has one of the country's most exciting quarterback battles heading into the 2018 season, Matt Zenitz of AL.com believes Tua Tagovailoa is the "clear favorite to win the job" over Jalen Hurts.

However, he also noted Tagovailoa "hasn't won the job yet."

Tagovailoa took over for Hurts in the national championship game against Georgia, throwing three touchdown passes on the way to a title.

The sophomore finished with 11 touchdown passes and two interceptions in his first year, although most of his playing time came at the end of blowout wins.

Conversely, Hurts has been successful as the team's starter for the past two seasons. Not only did he throw 17 touchdown passes and only one interception last year, he is also a dynamic runner who has 1,809 career rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground.

Although Hurts might be more athletic and have a stronger arm, the difference in this battle could come from the passing-game contributions.

"While most QBs need a receiver to be open in order to complete a pass, the truly special ones throwing-wise have an ability to read a defense at a very high level, anticipate what's going to happen and can throw a receiver open even if they're well-covered," Zenitz explained. "Tagovailoa has all that."

Hurts arrived at Alabama as a 4-star recruit, but Tagovailoa was a can't-miss prospect. According to 247Sports, the 5-star recruit was the top dual-threat quarterback in the 2017 class and the No. 32 player overall.

The Hawaii native seems to be forcing his way onto the field regardless of how well Hurts has played in his career.