Jalen Hurts Enters Fifth Game of 2018, Forgoes Potential Redshirt
Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts will not redshirt in 2018, entering his fifth game of the season in the first quarter against Louisiana on Saturday.
The junior started for the Crimson Tide in 2016 and 2017, but was replaced by Tua Tagovailoa in the second half of the National Championship Game against Georgia last season. Tagovailoa led the Crimson Tide to a comeback win for head coach Nick Saban's fifth national title at Alabama, and subsequently earned the starting role for the 2018 campaign.
With Tagovailoa nabbing the top spot on the depth chart, speculation began that Hurts would redshirt 2018, enacting a new NCAA rule that allowed players to keep a year of eligibility if they played in four games or fewer.
But that speculation ended on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. Hurts relieved Tagovailoa with the Crimson Tide up 28-0 on the Ragin' Cajuns, promptly throwing a 54-yard touchdown pass to Henry Ruggs III on his first drive of the afternoon.
The 2016 SEC Offensive Player of the Year entered Saturday's contest completing 22 of 31 passing attempts, throwing for 276 yards and four touchdowns. Hurts and the Crimson Tide lead Louisiana 35-0 early in the second quarter.
