The Alabama 2018 quarterback battle is less than 12 hours old, but the transfer conversations did not take long to ignite.

Sophomore Jalen Hurts handled himself with the utmost class after true freshman Tua Tagovailoa became an overnight hero in the state of Alabama. But will this be Hurts’ last game with Alabama?

Prepare for an offseason of transfer speculation, and one former Alabama quarterback already has a destination in mind.

“He is from Texas, and the Longhorns are in the quarterback market,” said Greg McElroy on The Dan Patrick Show.

"He's from Texas. And the Texas Longhorns are in the quarterback market." - Greg McElroy on Jalen Hurts @dpshow — Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) January 9, 2018

McElroy started 27 games for the Crimson Tide, including the 2010 BCS National Championship Game against the Longhorns.

But is Texas really in the market for another quarterback?

The Longhorns have a pair of experienced quarterbacks on the roster already in junior Shane Buechele and sophomore Sam Ehlinger. Coach Tom Herman signed two four-star quarterbacks in December — Cameron Rising (0.9199 247Sports Composite rating) and Casey Thompson (0.9031) — and holds a verbal commitment from 2019 four-star Roschon Johnson (0.9480).



Meanwhile, Hurts would have to sit out this season due to NCAA transfer regulations, but has a redshirt available should he decide to explore transfer options this offseason. Hurts threw for 4,926 yards, 40 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in the first two years of his college career. He ran for another 1,809 and 21 touchdowns on the ground with a 26-2 record as Alabama's starter.