Of all the legendary moments from former Alabama head coach Nick Saban’s long and illustrious career, perhaps none stand out more than his decision to bench Jalen Hurts at halftime of the 2017 CFP National Championship Game against Georgia in favor of true freshman Tua Tagovailoa.
The Tide entered the locker room down 13-0 against the Dawgs after Kirby Smart and his staff had completely shut down the Tide passing game under Hurts. Saban gambled that Tua would provide the team with the spark it needed, and the rest is history.
Now, fans are getting a never-before-seen look at the former Crimson Tide head coach informing both Hurts and Tagovailoa of the decision at halftime of the national title game thanks to the brand-new Nick Saban docuseries on ESPN.
Wow. Never-before-seen locker room footage of Nick Saban telling Jalen Hurts he was turning to Tua Tagovailoa in the 2017 National Championship Game. (via "Saban" on ESPN App) pic.twitter.com/ljttHhfBFr
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 9, 2026The clip shows Saban recounting the decision and a discussion he had with then-offensive coordinator Brian Daboll about who would be the one to tell both quarterbacks about the decision. It then shows newly-released footage from inside the locker room of Saban going up to each player and telling them about the switch.
As everybody now knows, Tagovailoa provided the spark that Saban had hoped he would, capping off that national title game with one of the most famous plays in college football history.
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New footage shows Nick Saban informing Tua Tagovailoa of QB change during 2017 title game Saturday Down South.
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