I alluded to two audio clips I listened to, one of those ended up being discussed more than I wanted. In the other, Dilfer did have a lot of very nice things to say about Tua. I'm willing to be an optimist and look at the bright side, though we've seen hype get out of control with guys like Phillip Sims, Blake Barnett, and even Jacob Coker (there was a period of time where the debate wasn't if he would start but if he would leave early). I'm willing to concede that he's the best passer Alabama has right now, but that's one reason I don't see an advantage in burning his redshirt. As good as he may be, in terms of talent and potential, being physically and mentally ready to take over the starting job is almost certainly beyond his reach. And if it is, I'd like him to preserve a year of eligibility... That reminds me, Dilfer said something about Hurts that really stuck with me. Toughness, and I think that applies to both mental and physical. The Ole Miss game is a great example of that, he took a devastating hit, and not only did he get back up, he got back up and did something the last couple QBs couldn't do, which was lead a comeback against Ole Miss. Tua might be special, but so is Hurts of course. I really like the idea of both of them playing as many games as possible in Alabama uniforms.
That's the thing though, I don't think win now mode would include the possibility of suddenly thrusting a true freshman into a starting role because of injury. To me, the safest possible situation is to have a graduate transfer. If that also saves eligibility for Tua and Jones? Alright then, that helps now and later. I think people might overestimate the advantage of getting a few snaps here or there. It uses up a year of eligibility, but how much does it really mean? Star Jackson got the backup snaps and by the time the championship game rolled around he was overtaken by someone that hadn't taken any. Cooper Bateman got the snaps last year and was passed up by two different guy that didn't get any. So, I just can't think of an meaningful advantage burning either redshirt provides, but I can think of an advantage that bringing in a more experienced QB provides.
I'd also add that if one of those guys loses a year of eligibility, they'll hear that clock ticking even more and think about transferring more, not less. But, to get back to an earlier point I made, I don't know what kind of situation Saban is actually in. He might have to fulfill a promise, he might not have the numbers to bring in a graduate transfer, and he might not have any viable options. So, I'm just speaking of what I'd prefer, but I can't imagine Saban's ideal scenario includes a combined one season of experience at the position. I said last year I felt 4 scholarship QBs was bare minimum and look how things played out. Hurts obviously burned his redshirt, Cornwell was apparently hurt, Barnett transferred mid-season, and there was talk that Bateman's transfer might leave him out of the championship game. We even spent some time discussing Stewart at QB. Remember, Ohio State lost two starting QBs on a championship run. So, I'd be a lot comfortable with a fourth scholarship QB, that's for sure.