HOOVER — Nick Saban fielded several questions about health at SEC Media Days at the Hyatt Regency Wynfrey Hotel on Wednesday morning — Tua Tagovailoa’s and his own.
The Alabama coach, who enters his 13th season in Tuscaloosa, underwent hip replacement surgery in April. Less than 48 hours afterward he was back at work. He told the media Wednesday he’s doing just fine.
“I don’t want to admit to being 100 percent because that would affect how many shots I get over the next three or four days, which is the end of golf season,” he said. “I have to produce a doctor’s excuse to not hit out of the sand trap with the guys I play against. I don’t want to say I’m 100 percent, but I really am.”
Saban also touched on the progression of Tagovailoa, the Alabama quarterback who had surgery in December and has spent the spring and summer undergoing rehab. Saban is happy with how the rehab has progressed, but he wants Tagovailoa’s game to get better as well.
“Tua is a great competitor, so he’s going to try to make a great play every play,” Saban said. “And sometimes those things have worked out extremely well. And other times they’ve led to some disasters. So having a little better judgment about when to say when can be an asset from an health standpoint as well as eliminate negative play standpoint, even though sometimes he’s done that, and it’s worked out great.”
