Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a broken finger on his throwing hand on Tuesday, news his father Galu confirmed with Honolulu's KHON-TV station on Friday.
"I asked how his hand was, and he said God is good and that the Holy Spirit is healing his hand," Galu told KHON-TV.
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While losing the hero of last year's College Football Playoff championship game — for any amount of time — isn't good news, Alabama coach Nick Saban can take Galu's words to heart here. This should — as it often does — turn out to be a blessing as Saban continues "The Process" for the Crimson Tide's latest national championship run.
Given Saban's track record, that's exactly what's going to happen.
The best news is it appears Tagovailoa didn't suffer a severe injury that would spill over into fall camp. And while injuries never come at a good time, at least this didn't happen in August. This allows Saban to take it slow in the rehab process. Tagovailoa has already returned to practice, but it remains to be seen if he'll return to take snaps ahead of the Tide's spring game on April 21.
That also will allow a little bit of the hype around Tagovailoa to subside, although that's going to be difficult to manage no matter what. Tagovailoa was magnificent in the second half of a 26-23 comeback win against Georgia in the championship game, and the picture of his 41-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith occupies a lot of walls in Tuscaloosa. The Hawaiian's personality creates an odd-couple dynamic with Saban that's going to draw more attention the longer he stays.
Tagovailoa has superstar qualities, and we're waiting to see the next episode. If he starts next season, he immediately has legitimate Heisman Trophy legitimacy. That's not hyperbole: That's life with the defending national champions.
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Of course, there's the competition with Jalen Hurts, the junior quarterback who is 26-2 as a starter and who has led the Tide to two runs to the College Football Playoff title game. Saban now doesn't necessarily have to address that directly in the spring.
He offered pointed words on the first pass.
"Both of those guys have been great," he said. "I know every time I stand up here you guys are going to make something out of it that it isn't. It's two good players. Both can contribute to our team, and we're going to give them an opportunity to do that. They've been great with each other, they've been great for each other. They've both shown leadership for our team. They're both important to our team.
"I don't really have anything to say. I know y'all want us to make something out that really isn't there so you can make a big deal out of this. It's competition just like every other position."
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Now, Hurts gets a chance to play in the spring, and that should dissuade the junior quarterback from any thoughts of transferring. Hurts hasn't given any indication that would happen, and it's a chance for him to get ready for the competition that will come in the fall. That's good news for Alabama, considering ECU grad transfer Gardner Minshew backed out of his commitment to Alabama in favor of Washington State.
That means the No. 1 storyline in college football spills over into fall camp, and that gives Saban and offensive coordinator Mike Locksley more time to come up with a plan for the regular season. The question about whether Tagovailoa or Hurts should start will continue, but this injury showed one more time why it's important to have two capable quarterbacks who are ready at any time.
Tagovailoa proved that in last year's national championship game. Hurts is proving that one more time as spring football kicks in.
This might just be a blessing heading into fall camp. That makes it just another part of "The Process."
