Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa underwent successful surgery on his hip in Houston on Monday, and the junior’s “prognosis is excellent” and is expected to make a full recovery.

Forty-eight hours after the surgery, head coach Nick Saban said Tagovailoa remains positive.

“I talk to him every day,” Saban said on Wednesday’s SEC teleconference. “I talked to him Saturday night, Sunday night. I talked to him yesterday. He’s in good spirits, and he’s doing well. I think all the indications from the surgery have been really positive from a medical standpoint. I think he realizes the recovery program that he’s going to have and the difficulty that he’ll have, and I think he’s got a really good understanding of what he’s looking at.

“He’s always been a great guy to overcome adversity, and he’s got a really positive attitude about it. So, we’re encouraged by his positive energy. As I said before, I call him to cheer him up, and he usually cheers me up. That’s just kind of who he is.”

Tagovailoa was a game-time decision entering the Mississippi State game after he dealt with soreness in his right ankle following last week’s LSU game. The Ewa Beach, Hawaii, native, played all 60 minutes against the Tigers only 20 days removed from a tightrope surgery to repair a high ankle sprain he suffered in the Tennessee game back on Oct. 19.

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa

But the former 5-star recruit suffered a dislocated hip -- and a bloody nose -- in the second quarter of Saturday’s game at Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss., and was taken to Birmingham to undergo further tests for what Saban called “a freak thing that you seldom see.”

After surgery to repair his right hip, the Crimson Tide starter will miss the rest of the season.

“We lost a great leader, a great player on our team and we’re all hurting because of it,” Saban said Monday. “Just like any time you lose somebody in your family, for whatever reasons, everybody in the family is hurting. And this is all about people and this is all about the person. We’re pleased that the surgery went successfully today and they expect him to have a full recovery.

“I’ve talked to Tua. I feel bad. I’m hurting. So, I called him on Saturday night to cheer him up and he cheered me up. I called him last night because I’d been sitting in that room for 10 hours yesterday watching film. I called him to cheer him up and he cheers me up. This is a guy that has great spirit. He’s very positive about just about everything he does and the effect that he has on other people.

“I think he’s been a great ambassador for college football in terms of the class that he shows and the way he goes about what he does and how he affects other people. I don’t think there’s any way that any of us can say we won’t miss that spirit that he has. The first thing he says to me last night (Sunday) when I tell him, ‘Good luck with your surgery.’ He said, ‘Well, I just can’t wait to get back and see the game on Saturday.’”

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).