What is the latest news on Tua Tagovailoa’s ankle? Will Tagovailoa play against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl? Find out the latest updates on Tagovailoa’s injury.<\/b>
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Tua Tagovailoa is recovering from a high ankle sprain.
Tua Tagovailoa\u2019s appearance in a walking boot at the College Football Awards is sure to worry many Alabama fans about Tagovailoa\u2019s high ankle sprain injury. After accepting the Maxwell Award, Tagovailoa noted he was \u201chopeful\u201d he could play against Oklahoma.
ESPN\u2019s Chris Fowler brought the award down from the stage to Tagovailoa who was walking with a noticeable limp.
During the College Football Playoff\u2019s opening press conference, Alabama head coach Nick Saban noted Tagovailoa was \u201con schedule.\u201d
\u201cI think Tua\u2019s right on schedule,\u201d Saban explained to 247 Sports . \u201cThe procedure they did usually takes two weeks for a guy to be able to have any explosive movement, and then they go from there. So, we\u2019ll see how he progresses from there. But we\u2019re pleased with the progress he\u2019s made to this point.\u201d
According to CBS Sports, Tagovailoa underwent minor surgery on his ankle to help repair the injury. Dr. Troy Watson of Desert Orthopedic in Las Vegas spoke with AL.com about the typical recovery timeline for a high ankle sprain.
Dr. Watson said the use of surgery has been somewhat controversial in the medical community. It\u2019s absolutely necessary in the high-grade sprains when there is instability but there\u2019s a gray area, he said, in the middle tier of injuries.
\u201cIt\u2019s not clear cut,\u201d he said. \u201cWe really struggle to figure out the players that need surgery versus those who don\u2019t. When it\u2019s the gray zone or the Grade 2 injuries, those are the ones that can be really difficult to make that decision and pull the trigger with surgery or put the kid in a cast.\u201d\u2026
\u201cBut if it\u2019s me and I\u2019m going to be playing in the national championship game,\u201d Dr. Watson said, \u201cI\u2019m probably going to take the risk. If it fails and I can\u2019t go and reinjure myself, I have the whole offseason to get it better.\u201d
It sounds like the team is expecting the quarterback to try to play against Oklahoma, but Tagovailoa declined to put a timeline on his recovery.
\u201cI couldn\u2019t put a timetable on this,\u201d Tagovailoa explained per 247 Sports . \u201cI\u2019m just looking at trying to get better every day, and hopefully, it feels a lot better leading up to the game.\u201d
Saban noted that Tagovailoa\u2019s injury was similar to the one Jalen Hurts dealt with earlier this season.
\u201cWe did an MRI on his ankle,\u201d Saban said per 247 Sports . \u201cHe had a high ankle sprain. We\u2019ve got a great medical staff here, and they scope those things to get him to come back together a little bit quicker. It\u2019s usually about a two-week deal. We\u2019ll re-evaluate him in two weeks and see where he is. Very similar injury to what Jalen had, which took him a couple weeks to come back, as well. That\u2019s as much as we can say about it right now, but we\u2019re hopeful that by the time we get started in practice, he\u2019ll be ready to go.\u201d
Tagovailoa sustained the injury during the SEC title game after one of the Alabama offensive linemen stepped on his ankle. Hurts would get the start at quarterback if Tagovailoa is unable to play.<\/p>\n