In a race for the most talked-about offseason storyline in college football, it appears the Alabama quarterback saga has picked up some steam.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Tua Tagovailoa called his dad at some point as a freshman asking if his offer to USC was still on the table.
"I wanted to leave," Tagovailoa said.
Former Alabama quarterback and AL.com contributor John Parker Wilson joined "The Roundtable" on WJOX 94.5FM on Friday to give Tide fans some perspective.
"Look, we can't be too upset at quarterbacks when they transfer because we just had a quarterback in Jacob Coker who transferred from Florida State and ended up winning a national championship," Wilson said. "So, as an Alabama fan, we've got to be open to it."
Earlier this week, the UCF self-proclaimed national title story had fuel added to its fire when SiriusXM analyst Danny Kannel called out Alabama Nick Saban for comments about the Knights and their claim.
Now, the spotlight is back on the Alabama quarterback battle.
"I think this is just the state of the game, right? It is what it is," Wilson said. "Definitely things have changed. If guys are going to pick up and leave, it's their prerogative. ...
"The Tua story, to me, I don't think was shocking. It definitely came out last year as we heard some things from his camp about leaving. It's just the way the college football game is right now, and it's going to be like that until we either change the rules or we'll just have to continue to accept it."
Back in April, Jalen Hurts' father said his son could transfer if he loses the job to Tagovailoa.
Wilson cited examples of this happening in multiple places - past and present.
"I think Georgia is in a very similar situation with their quarterbacks. They're getting the No. 1 quarterback in the country every year, it seems like. There's going to be unhappy people on the depth chart. I go back and look at a guy like (former New England Patriots quarterback) Matt Cassel who never started a game for USC and sat behind an All-American in Carson Palmer, and I'm pretty sure after 12 year or how many years it's been Matt Cassel is still in the (NFL).
"When I was backing up Brodie (Croyle), I was wanting to get out there also," Wilson said. "But, for me, there was a guy out there ahead of me and I had to go out there and beat him out, right? I think he was two years ahead of me, and I just had to go out there and win a job.
"Look, maybe Tua has still got a chance to win the job. It's open competition, and I think anywhere in the SEC they're trying to put the best guy on the field. It's all about winning ballgames."
Check out the full interview below.
Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.
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