Advertisement

Nick Saban thinks Tua Tagovailoa needs to 'challenge himself' next season

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban speaks with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban wants his quarterback to “challenge himself” in 2019.

Speaking with reporters at the SEC spring meetings, Saban said he wanted Tua Tagovailoa to work even harder this season, according to AL.com.

Relevant comments begin at the 8:17 mark:

Saban said:

“Well, I think Tua’s got to challenge himself to get back to ... I think being hurt was an issue for him at the end of the season. And I think that he needs to challenge himself to get back into great shape and overcome some of the things that happened toward the end of the year. And I think that he should take the perception that he has a lot to prove relative to how we ended the season. I think our whole team fits into that category.”

Throughout the 2018 season, the 21-year-old Tagovailoa dealt with a couple injuries. He battled through both a sprained knee and an injured ankle.

Despite that, Tagovailoa threw for 43 touchdowns and six interceptions. He finished second in the Heisman voting behind Kyler Murray. Alabama lost to Clemson in the national championship.

While Saban’s comments sound harsh — especially considering his quarterback was pretty great last season — they should be viewed more as a motivational tactic by Saban.

Alabama managed to get to the national championship with Tagovailoa in 2018, but they didn’t win. The more Saban reminds his quarterback of that, the harder Tagovailoa — and the rest of the team — will work to win it all in 2019. That’s the thought, at least.

Alabama shouldn’t need a ton of motivation to get the job done. The team will enter the season no lower than No. 2 on most top-25 rankings. If Tagovailoa can stay healthy for the entire season, the Crimson Tide could easily walk away with another national championship.

———

Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

More from Yahoo Sports: