There’s more good news for fans of Tua Tagovailoa as his brother, Taulia Tagovailoa, has committed to Alabama for 2019. Rivals rated Taulia as a four-star recruit, and the No. 6 ranked dual-threat quarterback in the country. Taulia is also the No. 6 ranked quarterback in the class of 2019 by 247 Sports. Taulia chose to join his brother at Alabama over a number of other top programs including LSU, Florida, Oregon and Michigan.
The Tagovailoa family already moved from Hawaii to Alabama to be with Tua, so it will be a smooth transition for Taulia. Given Tua is just a sophomore, the brothers are guaranteed to play at least a season together before Tua can even think of heading to the NFL. Prior to his commitment, Taulia spoke with SEC Country about what it would be like to play with his brother at Alabama.
“It would be a dream come true,” Taulia told SEC Country. “I think I’d spend my brother’s last year at Alabama if he was to go to the draft, and we’d play on the same team. I could learn a lot from him. I think I’d have that advantage to step in and come after him.”
Learn more about the Tagovailoa brothers’ connection.
For Tua & Taulia, It Is Family Over Everything
Taulia does not look at the accomplishments of his brother as pressure. Tua is one of the most highly anticipated quarterbacks to come out of high school in recent memory. He was one of the standout players at the famed Elite 11 camp where the top quarterbacks in the country are invited to showcase their skills and improve their games. After sitting for most of his freshman season, Tua entered the second half of the national championship game, and led Alabama to a comeback victory. Taulia sees all his brother has done as motivation to be great.
“This is forcing me to be good,” Taulia explained to Bleacher Report. “It’s pretty much mandatory now. To me, it wouldn’t make sense for Tua to be this good and his brother to be so-so. Now that I’m in it, I love it. I feel like I could be as good as him or maybe even better.”
June Jones, a Hawaii legend who has coached college football all over the country, sees the NFL potential in Taulia.
“I’m putting some pressure on him, but I really believe he can be a No. 1 draft pick by the time he gets done,” Jones noted to Bleacher Report. “Even though he’s probably only going to be 6’1″ or 6’2″, he’s going to be a special player…And he’s going to keep getting better.”
Taulia is entering his senior season at Thompson High School in Alabama. Last season, Taulia threw for 3,820 yards, 36 touchdowns and just 8 interceptions while completing 66 percent of his passes. Taulia also rushed for 155 yards and 5 touchdowns. Taulia admitted that he thought about creating his own path away from Alabama, but his family’s presence was the deciding factor.
“It was challenging for me,” Taulia told Bleacher Report. “I want to make a name for myself, and I don’t always want to be in Tua’s shadow. But it came down to family. My parents won’t have to travel far to see my games, and Tua and I are also really close.”