An epic halftime comeback to win a championship is every kids dream growing up. At Alabama, dreams come true for their football players. Trailing 13-0 at halftime against the Georgia Bulldogs, Nick Saban decided a quarterback change was needed. Enter Tua Tagovailoa, the freshman quarterback who had played sparingly throughout the regular season. 30 minutes of football later, and Tagovailoa became a legend. After forcing overtime by tying the game 23-23, Tagovailoa threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to win the National Championship. With a championship already on his resume, what can we expect in year two from Alabama’s new star quarterback? Alabama has been able to win championships in the past by riding their defense to the promise land, but now that they have their best quarterback since AJ McCarron, it looks like there is no end to the dynasty Saban has created. Jalen Hurts was the teams starting quarterback all last season, but due to his inability to consistently carry out his duties as a passer, there will be an open competition to be the team’s starter. Tagovailoa will have the inside track for the job after he impressed the entire college football world. Tagovailoa was a number one recruit out of Hawaii when he became the teams back up quarterback as a true freshman. Even with limited playing time, Tagovailoa was able to throw for a total of 11 touchdowns, compared to only two interceptions. As a freshman, that comparison shows that he already has strong decision making skills. With the natural quarterback ability that Hurts lacks, Tagovailoa should have an easy time winning the starting job this offseason. It is worth noting that, like Hurts, Tagovailoa is also a very athletic quarterback. His athleticism will be key as young quarterbacks can use their natural talent to escape bad plays, and make great ones. In today’s college football, dual threat quarterbacks can dominate opposing defenses with their ability to run and pass. Just ask the teams that had to play against Vince Young or Cam Newton. Both won national championships while becoming the face of college football along the way. What is really going to help Tagovailoa is a full offseason to prepare as if he was the starter. Getting first team reps will go a long way to ensure Alabama’s young quarterback’s development, and increase their chances at repeating. Tagovailoa is a more naturally gifted passer than Hurts, and after his performance in the title game, Tagovailoa should have no problem outshining is predecessor. Saban is fully aware what having a true passer at quarterback can do for his team. Saban builds his team around a strong defense and a power running game, and that has resulted in him winning six national titles already, even with some subpar quarterback play. Assuming Tagovailoa wins the job, he wont be asked to do too much early on. Expect the early season to utilize a lot of play-action passes and bootlegs until Tagovailoa has a full command of the offense. Recently, Saban spoke about the possibility of playing both quarterbacks during the season. Saban is too smart for that. This is most likely a ploy in order to get the best competition between Tagovailoa and Hurts possible. Alternating between two quarterbacks is never smart, especially when one of them is clearly better than the other. By doing this, Saban ensures both of his young players stay motivated, humble, and keep their emotions in check. This will allow them to approach the competition with less pressure on them. Remember, these are still just student-athletes. Wide receivers aren’t the only position with egos, and this way will allow each quarterback to push the other, while keeping things loose. Hurts does have a shot at keeping his job however, as the quarterback has only lost two games as a starter. Unless he is able to dramatically increase his passing ability, it’s Tagovailoa’s job to lose. Tagovailoa displayed everything coaches hope to see from their starting quarterbacks in just one half of football. He showed poise, football IQ, and most importantly, he was clutch. When coaches look at quarterbacks they want to know if they got a guy who can deliver when the pressure is on, and Tagovailoa did just that. Look no further than the final series of the game. Tagovailoa took a bad sack in overtime that took his team out of field goal range. Many young quarterbacks would become rattled after that and just hope to get their team back into striking distance for their kicker. Instead, Tagovailoa delivered a 41-yard dime on the very next play to win the game. What we have brewing in Alabama is a legend in the making. Nick Saban has already created a dynasty at Alabama with no end in sight and now he may already have the future face of college football. Tagovailoa has the chance to have a very special career at Alabama. Having the national exposure that Alabama brings wont hurt either as his legend grows. There is nowhere to go but up for this kid, and when the spring games roll around, we will see that Saban already knows this.