Even with Tua Tagovailoa off to the NFL early, it was thought there would be a quarterbacking Tagovailoa in Tuscaloosa this season. Apparently, that won’t be the case. Maybe.
In a surprise move, Matt Zenitz of al.com was the first to report that Taulia Tagovailoa (pictured, right), the younger brother of Tua Tagovailoa (pictured, left), has entered the NCAA transfer database, Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports subsequently confirmed the report.
Now, for what’s seemingly becoming a daily disclaimer when it comes to transfers.
As we’ve stated myriad times in the past, a player can remove his name from the portal and remain at the same school. At this point, though, other programs are permitted to contact a player without receiving permission from his current football program.
NCAA bylaws also permit schools to pull a portal entrant’s scholarship at the end of the semester in which he entered it.
A four-star member of the Crimson Tide’s 2019 recruiting class, the younger Tagovailoa was rated as the No. 5 pro-style quarterback in the country and the No. 8 player at any position in the state of Alabama (he and his family moved to Tuscaloosa when his brother joined the Tide in 2017).
The plan had been for Tagovailoa to take a redshirt his true freshman season. Instead, his brother’s season-ending injury forced Tagovailoa to serve as Mac Jones’ primary backup. In five games with the Crimson Tide, Tagovailoa completed nine of his 12 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown.
With his brother drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, there’s a very good chance that Taulia Tagovailoa transfers to an FBS school in South Florida. Those options would include Miami, USF, FIU and FAU. Given that FIU is now the Sunshine State QBU, don’t sleep on the Panthers.