TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- After Alabama’s second scrimmage of the spring Saturday, head coach Nick Saban said third-year quarterback Jalen Hurts had had a “really good” spring and has done much better when it comes to making his way through his progressions.

Three days removed from the scrimmage, Hurts’ Crimson Tide teammates backed that up.

“Yeah, absolutely,” tight end Hale Hentges said. “He’s making great reads, he’s making great throws. Overall, he’s making less poor decisions in the backfield, and I really feel like this spring we haven’t really had a whole lot of turnovers in practice. That’s something that, especially going against our defense, we’ve had a little bit in the past. I think we’ve cut down on that quite bit.

“And just managing the game. He’s getting people in the right position and, overall, just lining guys up right and saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to run this play,’ or ‘There’s two periods left in practice, come on guys, let’s finish.’ He’s really just grabbing our team by the reins and helping us all out.”

Hurts entered the spring in a competition with Tua Tagovailoa for Alabama’s starting job behind center. The former started the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Georgia but was pulled in favor of the latter in the title game’s second half.

Tagovailoa led the Tide to a come-from-behind victory in overtime, claiming the program’s fifth championship in nine seasons, and many believed he would secure the starting spot this spring. An injury to his throwing hand on the first day of spring, however, has put that on hold as the rising sophomore has been limited and was seen with a heavily-wrapped left hand Monday.

With Tagovailoa unable to participate in Saturday’s second scrimmage, Hurts and Mac Jones handled the quarterback duties, and according to a defensive teammate, played well.

“They all did pretty well,” safety Deionte Thompson said of the signal callers. “They’ve been progressing since the first scrimmage and they’ve been doing a good job. (Hurts) has made progressions this whole spring with the practices that we’ve had.

“He’s done a very good job.”

Starting all 14 games in his second season in Tuscaloosa, Hurts ranked third in the SEC in total offensive yards (2,936) and ninth in total offense per game at 209.7 as a sophomore in 2017. 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 with eight touchdowns.

“I think Jalen just keeps getting better and better,” Hentges said. “I think everyone probably says that, but it’s true. I remember when he first started as a freshman, and he’d always surprise people with how cool and calm and collected he was. But that’s only gotten better since he’s been here, and that’s a testament to what kind of person he is, the hard work that he has and overall the faith that everyone puts in him to do a good job.

“And really, I just think he’s done a phenomenal job for us, and we hope to see him continue to get better. Overall, he’s just a phenomenal leader for us.”

Comments like this and what Saban said immediately following the scrimmage suggest Hurts has shown signs of improvement and development as a passer. That’s encouraging since he was scrutinized for most of last season for his inconsistency in the pocket.

Alabama QB Jalen Hurts

As one of the most-criticized players in the SEC, his teammates hear what is said about one of their quarterbacks. Some chose to share their thoughts when they read negative comments.

“I think a lot of times people doing really know what exactly’s going on,” Hentges said. “They just see the end product, they don’t see what all goes into it. And that’s sometimes the bad thing about this profession. You see some guy’s just lights out in practice or something. He does everything he’s supposed to, he works so hard. And then he throws one interception in a game and all of a sudden people are very upset.

“But that’s just not the case, because of what kind of person he is, his work ethic, his character. He’s so much more than just one interception or whatever it is. He’s a phenomenal leader, and I really feel like he’s done everything he could for us and we owe him a lot. He’s a great leader for us, a great quarterback, a great character.”

While others kept their emotions close to the vest.

“Me and Jalen have had plenty of conversations, and really it doesn’t matter what the critics say, obviously,” offensive guard Lester Cotton said. “It’s football. You have good days, and you have bad days. And that’s the end of that.”

Tuesday’s 13th spring practice should shed light on Tagovailoa’s availability for the weekend and the annual A-Day Game, and if he’s not able to play, Hurts could be set to take most, if not all, of the snaps with the first-team offense inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

For those disappointed in possibly not being able to see Tagovailoa attempt to carry over his heroics from the national championship game, his Alabama teammates want you to know they have two more-than-capable signal callers on the roster this offseason.

“You have two good quarterbacks competing for the job,” Cotton said. “Both quarterbacks are good, so I really couldn’t say what’s going to be. You have Jalen who led us through the entire season, and you’ve got Tua who came in and won the national championship. He couldn’t compete in the scrimmage, but we’ve got all fall camp to see where we go forward from that.”

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