CFB notebook: Both Alabama QBs will complete for starting job

Alabama coach Nick Saban told ESPN on Friday that Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa will compete for the starting quarterback job during the spring, and he did not rule out the possibility of both playing next season. "The most important thing is to play the best guy, and if both guys can play winning football, it's not out of the question that we'll find a role for both guys in fairness to both guys," Saban told ESPN's Chris Low on Friday, two weeks before the start of spring practice. It has been assumed that Tagovailoa, a true freshman, would be the starting quarterback next season based on his performance in the national championship game. Tagovailoa, a true freshman, came off the bench to help Alabama overcome a 13-0 halftime deficit and defeat Georgia 26-23 in overtime to win the Crimson Tide's fifth national championship in the last nine years. Hurts, a sophomore, has started 29 games in two seasons and was 26-2 as Alabama's starter before the national title game. He started that game but completed only 3 of 8 passes for 21 yards in the first half before being replaced. This week, East Carolina graduate transfer Gardner Minshew committed to Alabama and plans to use his final year of eligibility in the 2018 season. --Former Stanford quarterback Keller Chryst will try his luck at Tennessee as a graduate transfer. Chryst announced his decision with a picture of the Tennessee logo on Twitter, accompanied by the words "Home Sweet Home." Chryst posted a 6-0 mark as the Cardinal starter in 2016 and began the 2017 season as the top quarterback before losing the job to redshirt freshman K.J. Costello. --John Stiegelmeier, the winningest football coach in South Dakota State history, has apologized for his DUI arrest late in January. The 61-year-old Stiegelmeier was arrested in Brookings, S.D., at about 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 27, according to the Brookings Register, and has a court appearance scheduled for next Tuesday. Stiegelmeier admitted he had been driving under the influence, and a court document said the responding officer found Stiegelmeier's car stuck in a ditch. --New Arizona State head coach Herm Edwards got a commitment from the second graduate transfer when USC backup Roy Hemsley announced this week on Twitter that he is headed to Arizona State. Hemsley can play both guard and tackle and will have two years of eligibility at Arizona State. Several weeks ago, Arizona State got a commitment from another Pac-12 offensive line graduate transfer, Casey Tucker, who is leaving Stanford to play for the Sun Devils and also has two years of eligibility. --North Carolina added former Rutgers cornerbacks coach Henry Baker to its staff, the school announced. The Tar Heels, however, did not specify Baker's responsibilities in the release. Baker coached cornerbacks at Rutgers last season after spending six seasons in the same position at Delaware.