Alabama HC Nick Saban's fiery 'quit asking' response to Jalen-Tua QB debate once had Maria Taylor speechless
Alabama coach Nick Saban has never been shy with his words. Back in 2018, as the Crimson Tide had Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa in the quarterback room, many wondered who would start certain games.
After Alabama demolished Louisville, reporter Maria Taylor asked Saban about his quarterbacks and ended up shutting down the question.
"Well, I still like both guys. I think both guys are good players," Saban told Taylor. "I think both guys can help our team, all right? So why do you continually try to get me to say something that doesn't respect one of them? I'm not going to. So quit asking."
Nick Saban responded critically to a question about his QBs after Alabama's win. pic.twitter.com/sZCvIox2Dq
Many fans immediately took to social media to scold Nick Saban for how he reacted to Maria Taylor's question.
According to reports, after the game, Saban called Taylor and apologized for his answer and for being rude during the interview.
Alabama's Jalen and Tua ended up being NFL quarterbacks
Ultimately, it was a valid question, as Jalen Hurts transferred to Oklahoma to be a starting quarterback for his draft year. That left Tua Tagovailoa as the starter for Alabama.
Hurts had a very up-and-down career at the Crimson Tide and admitted that time did help him as it made him work harder to be successful. Asked about it before Super Bowl LVII, Hurts said:
“I feel like I was going through a really tough time in college. Going through things that no one else was really going through. I knew that I was going through it for a reason, I really believe that.
"So that's what I doubled down on. And I believe that faith without work is dead. I never stopped believing in myself and believing in what could be. I had limitless possibilities."
Eventually, in the NFL, Jalen Hurts was drafted in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles and became their starting quarterback in 2021. He led Philadelphia to the Super Bowl this past season but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tua Tagovailoa did deal with some injuries at Alabama but was drafted in the first round by the Miami Dolphins. After an injury-filled year last year, Tua looks to lead a Dolphins team back to the playoffs again this year.