Roll Tua Roll—we wish you all the best in the NFL
Reading time: 3 minutes
The anticipation’s been building in advance of today’s big press conference with Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban and Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Will he stay or will he go (cue The Clash)? That’s the question that’s been on everyone’s mind and now we know the answer. Read on to learn more about the man everybody’s talking about—Tua Tagovailoa—and his big decision.
1. What’s this press conference of which you speak?
The eyes of Alabama Football fans everywhere scoured Twitter and fan pages to find out what direction Tua’s future take. Would he stay on to play at Alabama, where he’s become a living legend, despite injuries that would have sidelined many a lesser player. Or would he sign on to the NFL?
Sadly for all the Crimson Tide fans in the house, he’s decided to enter the NFL draft. And, he did it with all the class in the world.
2. Who is Tua Tagovailoa?
So if you have to ask this question, you’ve: a) been living under a rock, b) live in another country where no one cares about American football, or c) completely unplugged from the 21st century.
That said, here are a few fun facts about the man on everybody’s mind:
- His football resume is impressive, with a list of awards and honors that’s longer than most people’s full resumes.
- My kids couldn’t stop talking about him after he replaced QB Jalen Hurts in the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship and led the Crimson Tide to a 26-23 win over Georgia and a national title. It was quite the entrance onto the national college football scene, for the former high school star quarterback from Hawaii.
- People who know him say they’ve never actually heard a bad thing about him. They say he’s the kind of guy that makes everyone around him better—just the kind of person you want as a quarterback. Or a friend, or family member, coworker or teammate, for that matter.
- He’s had to deal with his share of injuries, but from the video below, it looks like he knows how to have a good time, even in the hospital.
- He’s a man of faith, and many fans speculated that that might figure into his decision.
- “Tua’s probably had as much impact on our football program as anyone we’ve ever had. You probably don’t fully understand the significance of the contributions he’s made off the field with his teammates and the people he’s around every day.” —Coach Nick Saban
3. Tua’s brother Taulia also plays for the Crimson Tide
Quarterbacking runs in the family, and little brother Taulia plays for the Crimson Tide as well. He played for Thompson High School in Alabaster before heading down to T-Town. So we’ve still got time, here in Alabama, to learn how to say Tagovailoa.
Check out the full press conference for some glowing words of praise from Coach Nick Saban for Tua and the positive impact he’s made at Alabama.
What do you think of Tua’s big decision? Tag us on social @bhamnow and let us know.
