Alabama head coach Nick Saban is making the rounds at ESPN for several interviews before the Crimson Tide players report back to campus and start preseason practice next week. And the 12th-year head coach was asked about the quarterbacks during his first stop.

Appearing on First Take before noon, Saban was asked what he needs to see out of Jalen Hurts or Tua Tagovailoa over the next few weeks in camp in order to say, “That’s my guy, he’s the starter.”

“I’ve said this many times -- somebody’s got to win the team,” Saban said Tuesday morning. “And both of these guys have done things in the program to create value for our team. That’s going to be the challenge. And if both guys can play a role and help us win, why wouldn’t we utilize both guys’ talents?”

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.

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.

Asked what he is looking for out of the quarterbacks during his time on The Stephen A. Smith Show, Saban echoed what he said earlier in the day during his car wash at ESPN.

Alabama QBs Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts

“I think that those guys, the message that I’ve said to them is if you’re going to win the job you’ve got to win the team,” Saban said. “You’ve got to be the best leader, you’ve got to be the guy that distributes the ball correctly and executes and develops confidence with your peers on offense and with the team. So, if both those guys do that and one guy clearly doesn’t do that better than the other, then I think maybe there could be a role for both guys on the team.

“But I think all this has to be determined in fall camp, especially with the fact that Tua didn’t really participate much in spring practice because of his hand injury and Jalen has made improvement. Both guys have some credibility in our organization for what they’ve done and what they’ve accomplished, so this is not something that you don’t have to treat both guys with the respect and make sure that you give them a fair opportunity.”

Saban dove deeper into the quarterback discussion by detailing what he wants to see out of Hurts and Tagovailoa when Alabama’s players report back to campus last next week.

“The quarterback’s the distribution center of the ball, aight, so I like having a guy that’s going to execute because that’s how team chemistry and confidence gets developed on offense,” Saban said. “I know if I’m playing receiver and I’m running this route and they’re playing this coverage and I’m the first option, I’m supposed to get the ball. And if that ball doesn’t come to me, then why didn’t it?

“So, to have team chemistry, people have to be able to execute. They have to have knowledge and experience and they have to execute. And when you play quarterback, it’s not about you making all the plays, it’s about you helping other people make plays by distributing the ball the right place at the right time accurately and efficiently. So, that’s probably No. 1.

“No. 2 would be leadership and how you affect other people, what kind of teammate you are and I think knowledge and experience in being able to execute in the critical time in the game, when thet game’s on the line, when your best is needed. I think those three things would probably be right up there at the top, to me.”

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Tagovailoa injured his throwing hand on Day 1 of spring practice, keeping him out of the A-Day Game and halting the quarterback battle, if only on the field. Now healthy, Tagovailoa and Hurts again headline one of the top position duels in the nation entering camp.

The quarterback battle will dominate the discussion when the Crimson Tide opens preseason camp Friday, Aug. 3, but Saban didn’t rule out one of the signal callers winning the job prior to the season-opening game against Louisville on Saturday, Sept. 1, in Orlando.

“This is something that has yet to be determined and is probably going to get decided at some point in time in fall camp,” Saban said.

*** This post will be updated throughout Saban's day at ESPN.

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