At SEC Media Days last week, Nick Saban didn’t have an answer when asked if Alabama junior quarterback Jalen Hurts would be on the Crimson Tide’s roster for its 2018 season opener.

But when the head coach of the defending champs was at ESPN’s campus Tuesday for his turn through the car wash, he provided an answer that Hurts told him after the event in Atlanta.

“Jalen actually came to me and said, ‘When you were asked the question am I going to be here for the Louisville game, I’m going to be here,’” Saban said on SportsCenter. “‘I mean I’m going to be here. I came here to get an education. I graduate in December, and I’m going to be here,’ aight.”

RELATED: Nick Saban says 'Why wouldn't we utilize both QBs' talents?'

In Atlanta, Saban said he had no idea if Hurts would be with the team, but he did indicate that the Houston native can graduate after this semester, making him eligible to transfer wherever he would like for the 2019-20 season should he not win the quarterback competition.

“I expect him to be there,” Saban said. “I think it’s our job to give both players a very fair opportunity to have a chance to win the team at their position. I think that both are capable. We’ll create a role for one or both of those guys on our team, and they’ll all have to make a decision based on what that outcome is as to what their future is at Alabama.

“We certainly would love for every player on our team to stay at the University of Alabama and graduate. Jalen has a great opportunity to do that in December, so we are hopeful that he will stay there and be a graduate, regardless of his circumstances as a player. But that’s not to minimize his chances of making a starter or making a great contribution to our team in some way, even if he isn't the starter.”

Alabama QB Jalen Hurts at the Manning Passing Academy

Hurts started all 14 games in his second season with the Crimson Tide and ranked third in the SEC in total offensive yards (2,936) and ninth in total offense per game at 209.7. He completed 60.4 percent of his passes (154-of-255) for 2,081 yards and 17 touchdowns with only one interception and rushed a team-high 154 times for 855 yards and eight touchdowns.

Tua Tagovailoa replaced Hurts behind center in the second half of the national championship game and was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player of title content. He completed 63.6 percent of his passes (49-of-77) with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions while totaling 636 yards through the air and added 27 rushes for 133 yards and two touchdowns to his season totals.

Repeatedly this offseason, Saban said Hurts and Tagovailoa are going to have to win the team in order to win the starting job. But the coach shed more light on what he wants to see from them.

“We’re excited about the future of both players,” Saban said on College Football Live. “They’re great competitors and great people, so I know our team is going to have a tremendous amount of respect for both guys. … I only think it’s a problem if we make it a problem and if the players that are involved make it a problem by creating controversy on the team, bringing attention to themselves. But if all players contribute to the team and put the team first, I think the other guys on the team are going to respect that, and I think our guys are going to play for whoever’s in the game.

“But I do think that that confidence that the players are going to have in the quarterback is going to come from how these quarterbacks distribute the ball and execute, so that’ll be interesting to see how that develops. Jalen’s a great athlete, he can make lots of plays with his feet. We’ve worked on him trying to improve as a passer. I think Tua can make plays with his feet, but he’s a little more instinctive in the passing game, and we’ve got some good skill players, so we want to utilize all their talents.”

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