Nick Saban is considered one of the greatest coaches in sports history, but his best moment likely came during the National Championship Game in January of 2018.
While facing a 13-0 deficit to Georgia at halftime, Saban made the tough decision to bench experienced starting quarterback Jalen Hurts for freshman Tua Tagovailoa.
What followed was Alabama outscoring Georgia 20-7 in the second half to send the game to overtime.
Then, Tagovailoa found DeVonta Smith for a long touchdown to secure the victory in overtime.
That final play is one of the great plays in college football history, but it wouldn’t have happened if Saban didn’t put Tagovailoa in the game for Hurts.
Almost a decade later, with Hurts and Tagovailoa as established NFL quarterbacks, that decision is even more prominent.
ESPN is now releasing a six-part docuseries about Saban, which delved into the former coach’s decision in the moment. The network, which broadcast the game, even had behind-the-scenes footage of the moment Saban told both quarterbacks of the move.
MORE: Inside ESPN’s Nick Saban docuseries
Nick Saban describes benching Jalen Hurts for Tua Tagovailoa
In ESPN’s new docuseries “Saban,” Nick Saban goes into detail about his decision to bench Jalen Hurts for Tua Tagovailoa at halftime of the 2018 National Championship Game. First, he told the coaches about his idea.
“I say to them, ‘We need to change the quarterback,’ and everybody looks to me like, ‘You crazy,'” Saban said. “I said, ‘No, we need to throw the ball to win the game, and I think Tua would give us a better chance to do that based on what I see happening out on the field.'”
Saban detailed that offensive coordinator Brian Daboll wanted Saban to tell the team, showing how monumental a decision this was in real time. ESPN then shows the moment that Saban informed the quarterbacks of his decision.
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) https://t.co/ljttHhfBFr
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 9, 2026
ESPN interviewed both Tagovailoa and Hurts for the series, and their reactions to the news were also noteworthy.
“I think I had a feeling that I could potentially go in, but it was sort of surreal that it was in that moment that my number got called to go into the game,” Tagovailoa said.
Hurts, meanwhile, was clearly still upset he was benched for that game.
“I can’t say I was surprised, I can’t say that I was surprised,” he said.
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Saban knew Hurts was gonna be mad sitting the second half of the most important game of the year, but he stresses this decision was months in the making.
“Do I think he liked it? Hell no,” he said, “He’s a competitor, he wants to play, he wants to do well. No different than anyone else that ever played a sport. No one wants to be insignificant.”
Saban maintains that this wasn’t an emotional decision, but instead based on information he took in over the course of the season.
Fortunately for Alabama, Saban’s decision paid off.
