The battle between Alabama quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa's to earn the top spot on the depth chart has been paused ever since Tagovailoa injured his hand during the Crimson Tide's first practice of the spring.
When it picks back up, there will be a lot at stake.
Bleacher Report spoke to Hurts' father, Averion, in his hometown of Channelview, Texas. The elder Hurts suggested that, if Tagovailoa tops his son in the battle, Hurts will look for a new place to play.
"Coach Saban's job is to do what's best for his team. I have no problem with that," Averion Hurts said. "My job is to do what's best for Jalen -- and make no mistake, Jalen is a quarterback, and he wants to play quarterback. He loves Alabama, loves Coach Saban and everything about that place. But he wants to play, and he will play."
The elder Hurts seems to think highly of his son's impact in the transfer market.
"Well, he'd be the biggest free agent in college football history," he said, according to the report.
Something has got to give in Tuscaloosa, and Hurts seems to be holding all of the cards.
Hurts -- a rising junior -- took over the starting quarterback job in his second game as a true freshman in 2016 and led the Crimson Tide to the SEC title, College Football Playoff and within one second of the CFP National Championship. In his second season at the helm, he lost one game as a starter and led the Crimson Tide to the national title.
In that game, things took a turn.
Largely a runner who has been unable to develop as a passer, Hurts was benched at halftime after a sputtering offense put the Tide in a 13-0 hole. Tagovailoa, a true freshman with very few meaningful snaps under his belt, threw three touchdowns after halftime, including the 41-yard walk-off winner to DeVonta Smith to beat Georgia 26-23.
Despite his inability to develop as a passer, Hurts' work over his first two years in college would make him a hot commodity in the transfer market. If he transfers to an FBS program, he would have to sit out a season since he hasn't received his degree from Alabama. He could play at the FCS level immediately.
Hurts and Tuavailoa are the only two quarterbacks on the Alabama roster who have attempted passes in college football. Redshirt freshman Mac Jones is behind the two players on the Crimson Tide depth chart, and the program missed out on former ECU quarterback Gardner Minshew when the graduate transfer chose Washington State over Alabama.
Alabama will play its annual A-Day game at Bryant Denny Stadium on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET in Tuscaloosa.
