Jalen Hurts Reportedly to Redshirt This Season If Tua Tagovailoa Healthy

After losing out on the starting job, Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts is reportedly planning on redshirting this season, according to Aaron Suttles of the Athletic (via Pat Smith of the The Paul Finebaum Show).

He will reportedly only avoid a redshirt if Tua Tagovailoa is injured this year.

While head coach Nick Saban had been secretive about the quarterback battle throughout the summer, Tagovailoa started for the Crimson Tide in Week 1 against Louisville and has been announced as the Week 2 starter, via Alex Scarborough of ESPN.

"Everybody knows that Tua's gonna start and we're gonna use Jalen's skill set in the future," Saban said this week.

Hurts finished 5-of-9 for 70 passing yards plus nine rushing yards on three carries against Louisville.

While it's clear the coaching staff would want him active all season, redshirting could allow him to play a bigger role in the future.

Thanks to recent rule changes by the NCAA, players are allowed to appear in up to four games during the regular season without burning a redshirt. This could allow the junior to play three more games while still maintaining a year of eligibility.

The quarterback had been Alabama's starter for the past two seasons before being benched for Tagovailoa in last season's national championship game.

Fans still continue to support the now-backup quarterback, however, displaying positive signs before Saturday's game against Arkansas State:

There was speculation before the season that Hurts would transfer if he lost the starting job, something he vehemently denied.

Unfortunately, Tagovailoa is only a sophomore, so he could be around for the duration of Hurts' college career even with a redshirt season.