Alabama Football: Tua Tagovailoa will be remembered as Crimson Tide legend
On Monday, Alabama football quarterback Tua Tagovailoa announced his decision to forgo his senior year with the Tide for the 2020 NFL Draft.
The end of the 2019 college football season means the start of the 2020 NFL Draft. Many of the top prospects are declaring early to potential hear their name in the first round when the 2020 Draft begins on April 23.
On Monday, Tua Tagovailoa declared his intention to forgo his senior season at Alabama for the 2020 NFL Draft.
While it’s tough for the Crimson Tide, they know that this decision by Tagovailoa was strictly business. He will go down as one of the most dominant, respected and beloved playmaker in program history.
Tagovailoa was a wild card prospect since the major hip injury in the 38-7 win over Mississippi State on Nov. 16. Before that, Tagovailoa was projected to be the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to the Cincinnati Bengals. Since then, he was ranked as low as of a late first-round selection then back to a top-five selection. CBS Sports has him ranked as the fourth overall prospect and the second quarterback behind LSU’s Joe Burrow. Bleacher Report’s NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller has him ranked as the seventh-best prospect in the draft.
This decision, like other prospects, was made based on their availability of getting a high salary. For Tagovailoa, if he were to come back to Alabama and get injured again, his NFL draft stock would be so low that he would be nearly unselectable.
In terms of production on the field, there was nothing that NFL coaches and scouts needed to see. When they evaluated a healthy Tagovailoa, they see his dynamic and explosive passing as well as his elite athleticism. In a full season in 2018, he passed for 3,966 yards, 43 touchdowns, and only six interceptions on 245 completions (out of 355 attempts). This season, he passed for 2,844 yards, 33 touchdowns, and only three interceptions on 180 completions (out of 252 attempts). His intensity on the field matches the intensity he brings to the locker room every day. He is one of the most distinctive players in this draft.
The loss of Tagovailoa will sting for the Crimson Tide Nation and the football team. It stings worse knowing that his collegiate career ends on an avoidable injury. Overall, Tagovailoa turned the Crimson Tide offense into one of the explosive offenses in the nation.
Tagovailoa finishes his career with Alabama with 7,442 passing yards, third-most in program history. He also accounted for 87 passing touchdowns, the most in program history, in three years. His 3,966 passing yards season in 2018 is a single-season record for the program. His single-season touchdown performances of 43 and 33 are the top two single-season performances in program history. The 2018 season was the season where he finished second place in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Ultimately, Tagovailoa will be remembered as one of the most electrifying passers the program has ever seen. He came in as a five-star recruit and the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the recruiting class of 2017. Tide Nation knew that he would be impact player immediately along with starting quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Tua’s official start to his great career was when he came into the 2017 National Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs for the struggling Hurts. In the game, Tagovailoa passed for 166 yards and three touchdowns on 14 completions (out of attempts). It was his 41-yard touchdown pass on second-and-26 to Devonta Smith to win the National Championship game in overtime that made him a legend.
Although the Tide couldn’t get another national title with Tua as the full-time starter, they still continued in the chase as a powerhouse.
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In the end, he made the best decision for himself to continue his dream and potential to play in the NFL. He will be focusing on the rehab process as the first step for his 2020 NFL Draft journey. Despite being injured, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has him ranked as the third-ranked prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft. He might be limited leading up to his Alabama Pro Day but the tape ultimately speaks for itself.