Alabama is hoping that Tua Tagovailoa’s latest “TightRope” experience will have the quarterback available for its Nov. 9 SEC West showdown with Louisiana State.
Tagovailoa’s right ankle was injured in the first half of Saturday’s 35-13 victory over Tennessee and he underwent the minimally invasive “TightRope” procedure Sunday.
At his Tuscaloosa press conference, Monday, Alabama coach Nick Saban said, “The expectation is (Tagovailoa) will be non-weight bearing for several days and then he’ll be able to come back as his rehab allows him. We’re hopeful that in a 10-day period, he’ll be back being able to do active-type rehab, and we’ll see how it goes from there. But these things are pretty unpredictable at this point.”
Saban said, “There is no real timeline for his return.”
The “TightRope” procedure, technically known as the “Knotless Syndesmosis TightRope Implant System,” uses a high strength suture instead of traditional metal screws.
It was the same surgery the Saint Louis School graduate had in December on his left ankle and after being injured against Georgia on Dec. 4. He was able to return for the Dec. 29 College Football Playoff game against Oklahoma.
Darryl Kan, an orthopedic surgeon who was a quarterback for the Chargers and 49ers and serves as a consultant for University of Hawaii athletics, did not work on Tagovailoa but is familiar with the procedure. “It (the TightRope) is less invasive than having to put in a screw,” Kan said. “Basically it is a synthetic suture that acts as an internal brace. It works similar to a Chinese finger trap in that there is a suture inside a suture and when you pull on it, it holds the ligaments taut.”
As a result of not being able to finish Saturday’s game, Tagovailoa dropped to third in the Heisman Trophy odds this week behind LSU’s Joe Burrow and Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts, oddsmakers said.
BetOnline.ag had Tagovailoa at 3/1 after being 4/7 last week. Burrow is 5/4 and Hurts 2/1 this week.
Mac Jones, who replaced Tagovailoa against Tennessee, will start Saturday. Tua’s younger brother, Taulia, a freshman, will be Jones’ backup.
“I think he (Taulia) has a lot of talent,” Saban said. “We’ve tried to get him some reps throughout the course of the year in case this happened. It is going to be important that we do a good job of progressing him this week as well.”
