Highlights: A dejected Jalen Hurts walked into an Alabama assistant coach’s office without knowing where to turn.

The Sunday before the start of the 2018 college football season, Hurts had just lost the starting quarterback job to Tua Tagovailoa after an offseason battle. He’d been through the wringer, getting benched in the national championship game the year before despite going 26-2 as a starter and watching as Tagovailoa led the Crimson Tide to a title.

Hurts went to then-Alabama offensive coordinator Mike Locksley with a complicated question presented in a simple package.

“What do I do now?”

“That was the first time I ever saw him emotional,” Locksley said. “He was in tears, he walked into my office and said, ‘What do I do now? I’m 26-2 as a starter and I just lost my job. What do I do?’ I didn’t have a great answer for him other than, ‘I don’t know why this happened now, but I guarantee you that this will benefit you down the road in life, whether it’s in football or in life in general. … Utilize this opportunity.’ And there’s no doubt he did.”

Hurts and Tagovailoa will meet for the first time as NFL quarterbacks on Sunday when the Miami Dolphins travel to Lincoln Financial Field to face the Eagles.

Hurts’ decision to stay at Alabama for the 2018 season as Tagovailoa’s backup proved instrumental. Saban’s pitch to Hurts for staying rather than transferring was getting a chance to focus on taking the necessary strides as a passer and a processor to go with the dynamic ability that has helped make him a self-proclaimed “triple threat” who can beat teams with his arm, his legs, and his mind.