Jumbo Package: Spurrier likes what he sees in Tagovailoa

Happy Monday, everyone. It’s Spring Break on campus, which means that all is quiet on the football front. Great weekend for spring sports though, as the Gym Tide won and scored above 197 for the first time all season, softball swept Missouri and baseball swept NKU. The Birmingham Iron hosted and lost to the Orlando Apollos, who are coached by one Steve Spurrier. The Ol’ Ball Coach had some nice things to say about Tua Tagovailoa.

“He’s a good player. That’s why their pass offense is above most people, is because Tua throws a nice catchable ball,” Spurrier said.

Tagovailoa and the Crimson Tide began spring drills on Friday before taking the next week off for spring break. Tagovailoa, a junior, threw for 3,966 yards with 43 touchdowns and six interceptions last season.

“He’s definitely the favorite for the Heisman this year,” Spurrier said. “He’s an excellent player and a wonderful young man.”

He is certainly a fine representative for the University. Let’s hope he has a monster season.

Ben Jones wrote about the QBs.

Alabama has needed to use its backup quarterback to win big games in both 2017 and 2018, so don’t discount the importance of that position. Mac Jones has seemed capable in his limited opportunities, but this is his first chance to move into the top two positions on the depth chart. Even if he doesn’t have to save the day in a close game, there’s a good chance he’ll see time in a handful of blowouts this fall.

It may be a reach to say that Mac has seemed capable in game action considering he’s only 5-for-13, but he has plenty of potential as a passer.

A couple of offensive coordinator notes:

“It wasn’t really much of anything,” Long said this week. “Coach Saban contacted me and wanted to visit about what we do offensively, he liked a lot of things we did, especially (when Alabama was) prepping for Clemson. And I liked a lot of things they did offensively. Just an opportunity to talk ball for a couple of hours and then I hit the road and went to see my family.

“It really wasn’t much more than that. He knew my commitment to Notre Dame and it was a good opportunity to sit there and talk some ball after the rough two weeks we had and move forward from there.”

“We had a whole list of people that we went through to hire,” Saban said, referring to the seven different assistants he hired this offseason. “And I feel like we were really, really fortunate to get a guy who was offered the Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator job to come to Alabama.”

Like it or not, that’s how Saban feels about the man, folks. He considers Sarkisian a home run hire just as he did the first time, when he didn’t want to see him leave. You can decide whether to believe Chip Long’s story that Saban just wanted to talk ball at the same time he happened to be seeking new coordinators.

Baton Rouge made a list of “cities people are moving away from.”

Baton Rouge is known for its festivals, fantastic Cajun food and culture, and its family-friendly parks and green spaces. But sadly, the city also has a homicide rate that’s said to rival Chicago’s.

And if the relentless, year-round humidity and swarms of ravenous mosquitos and fire ants don’t drive you out, then the empty and competitive job market just might.

I think they are talking about real homicides and not those committed by Crimson clad football players against their hometown team, but young football prospects are certainly defecting like everyone else. Mostly to Tuscaloosa.

Last, people are still encouraging Harvey Updyke to speak.

“They hung the Scam Newton jersey on the Bear Bryant statue,” Updyke said. “That’s when I went crazy.”

“Yes, I think it was wrong,” Updyke told Rocca. “Those trees weren’t hurting me. That was the only way I felt like I could get back at them. I wasn’t going to hurt anybody. At the time, we had just found out my ex-wife had cancer. … I guess I was depressed.

“I think everybody has done things they regret. Probably not at the magnitude I did.”

Lots of people deal with cancer, Harv. Only you poison trees.

That’s about it for today.

Have a great week.

Roll Tide.