There have been loads of predictions and expectations about how Alabama Tua Tagovailoa will progress in the next 10 days leading into the LSU game as he recovers from a right ankle injury and surgery. But coach Nick Saban offered a detailed account of what he expects, knowing that Tagovailoa had the same injury on his left ankle last season.

“These things are hard to predict but we want him to be three or four days non-weight bearing,” Saban said during an appearance on “Golic and Wingo,” according to Bama OnLine. “He can sort of go as tolerated relative to his rehab. He was back on the field in 12 days before the last one. This one doesn’t seem to be quite as serious as the last one and it’s not his plant foot to throw. Hopefully in a couple of weeks, we’ll be able to have him back on the field. How capable he’ll be and how close to 100 percent he can get remains to be seen.”

Mac Jones will start Saturday against Arkansas with Taulia Tagovailoa as the backup.

“It’s important for us as coaches to ask him to do the things that he can do best,” Saban said. “And it’s important for the other players on the team to embrace and help him accept the challenge by playing well around him.”

Saban bristled earlier in the week when asked if new backup QB Tagovailoa would get in the game, and declared that the Crimson Tide didn’t expect it to be an easy game.

Alabama is a 31.5 point favorite in the game in Tuscaloosa.