Quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts, both former Alabama teammates, are now starting in the NFL for two of the league’s top teams. This Sunday, they will meet as opponents, but they’re approaching the matchup like any other game. Tagovailoa emphasized their mutual goal of helping their teams secure victory.
“We’ll probably see each other before the game to wish each other luck,” Tua said. “But at the end of the day, we’re both trying to help our teams win. And I know that he’s doing all that he can to help his offense be successful against our defense, and I’m doing the exact same, trying to work hard to do the exact same to their defense.”
Hurts began playing for Alabama in 2016, with Tagovailoa joining in 2017. Tua expressed deep respect for Hurts and foresaw a competitive battle between two Super Bowl contenders on Sunday, but he refrains from viewing it as a championship preview.
“I got a lot of respect for Jalen. He’s been a great competitor since I got there to Alabama,” Tagovailoa said. “He’s been a special player since I’ve been there, and he’s been a special player throughout his entire college career. So I know it’ll be a good game, and I don’t think of it as a Super Bowl preview or anything like that. I just think that this is another team that we’re preparing for, and in order for us to get to where we want to go, we’ve got to play this game.”
Both players, particularly Miami’s Tagovailoa, are clear that this is simply another game they’re aiming to win.
“It’s one of those things where I know where he’s at with his play; he knows where I’m at with my play,” Tagovailoa said.
Reflecting on their college experiences, Tagovailoa acknowledged the different paths they took to reach their current NFL positions, highlighting the respect he holds for Hurts as both a person and a player.
“Yeah, I mean, there’s different ways to skin the cat, right?” Tagovailoa said. “He went down a different road than I did to get to where I’m at. And he had to go down a different road to get to where he’s at. But like I said, I got a lot of respect for him, who he is as a person, who he is as a player, and I wish him the best of luck as we play him.”
