In the raucous aftermath of the SEC championship game, Nick Saban’s voice wavered as the hardened Alabama coach turned emotional.

“I’m so proud of this guy for what he’s done this year, I can’t even tell you,” he said to CBS reporter Jamie Erdahl as he patted the No. 2 on Jalen Hurts’ uniform.

Hurts had just spearheaded a stirring comeback in the final 11 minutes of regulation, replacing injured starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa before erasing a seven-point deficit and then scoring the winning touchdown in a 35-28 victory over Georgia.

Hurts’ cameo in the fourth quarter Saturday was a dramatic episode Hollywood couldn’t have scripted, and it could have a measurable impact in the years to come. By staging a heroic effort, the 20-year-old backup did Saban the ultimate favor — providing the coach with a textbook example of an athlete saddled with a reduced role who persevered in spite of a managerial decision that didn’t go his way.

Over the years, Saban has dealt with disgruntled players who have whined about their position on the depth chart and in some cases transferred because of their diminished status. It’s one of the side effects of building a roster populated with five- and four-star talents and then creating a culture of competition within the program, where spots are up for grabs and even incumbent starters are at risk of being demoted in favor of someone better.

Hurts learned that the hard way this offseason after he was benched in the national championship game last January despite compiling a 26-2 record as Alabama’s No. 1 quarterback the previous two seasons.

In the months that ensued, he battled for his job with Tagovailoa after the Samoan southpaw replaced Hurts and led a comeback of the ages against Georgia during that memorable winter night 11 months ago. Persistent speculation bubbled that Hurts would transfer, that he follow the same path as many of his predecessors — most notably Blake Barnett, Alec Morris and Cooper Bateman.

But Hurts took the road less traveled, which in this case was no road at all.

Even after he was officially relegated to a backup role, he decided to stay put, stick it out and remain in Tuscaloosa long enough to have an opportunity to rewrite his narrative and resurface as a cult hero.

“Everybody tips his hat to him,” said kicker Joseph Bulovas. “The guy works as hard as anybody I have ever seen. He deserves all of the success.”

In a vote cast by his teammates, Hurts was chosen as Alabama’s most inspiring player. To Saban, he represents much more because of the lasting effect he could have on a program that will again face the prospect of losing an impatient underclassman angling for a bigger role or a veteran embittered by a demotion.

In public forums, Saban has routinely lamented the ongoing challenge he faces to retain players who complain about their standing at Alabama.

Two days before Hurts created his storybook moment, Saban addressed that very topic on his weekly radio show.

Recounting conversations he’s had with the disgruntled, Saban said he asks them three simple questions to clarify his own stance.

“Do you think I don’t play the best player?” he said. “How does that benefit me? How does that benefit any coach?”

An annoyed expression formed on Saban’s face as he recalled those unpleasant interactions.

“I think it is a maturity thing on the player’s part that they have to be honest and understand reality when it comes to their position,” he said.

But it is also a matter of whether Saban’s argument for sticking with Alabama can resonate with someone who has been marginalized, that the coach can convince that individual there could be major payoff in the end, that situations can change and create opportunities.

In an abstract sense that isn’t always easy to grasp for a young man with little life experience.

Yet now it is because Hurts provided a living, breathing example of what could happen when someone chooses fight over flight.

It’s why Saban paid Hurts the ultimate compliment when he said, “I’ve probably never been more proud of a player.”

After all, No. 2 showed why good things still can happen to someone who isn’t No. 1.

And because of that Saban will be indebted to Hurts for the remainder of his coaching career as he aims to keep the Crimson Tide on top with a roster stocked full of star athletes.

Rainer Sabin is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @RainerSabin