TUSCALOOSA — “Seattle” began in the spring.
Earlier than that, actually. The final play of Alabama’s season — when Tua Tagovailoa stared off a Georgia safety and launched the game-winning touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith down the sideline inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium — was a full year in the making.
Coaches entrusted Tagovailoa, just a freshman, with this grand stage after 12 months of invaluable maturation and adjustment.
Classmates Alex Leatherwood, Jerry Jeudy and Najee Harris, too. All were on the field for the Crimson Tide’s national championship-winning play — four of 16 early enrollees in Alabama’s 2017 recruiting class.