Taulia Tagovailoa Announces Transfer Destination

As we wait to hear how the college football season could potentially play out due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been a lot of conjecture and guessing as to how things may unfold. There have been conflicting reports as to how things may pan out depending on which commissioner you’re talking to, which coach is giving a sound bite and which network you may be tuned into at any given point. That makes the most reliable information that comes out is centered around coaching changes or transfers by players looking for a fresh start somewhere else, regardless of whether they have to miss a year.

On Friday, one of those stories came down when Taulia Tagovailoa, the younger brother of Tua Tagovailoa, announced that he was transferring to Maryland. He had announced last Thursday that he had entered the transfer portal and would be leaving Alabama to continue his college career. Tagovailoa was a true freshman last season in
Tuscaloosa and played sparingly in five games behind Tua Tagovalioa and Mac Jones. Tua was drafted with the fifth overall pick in the NFL Draft by Miami while Jones is in place as the starting quarterback for coach Nick Saban again this season. He was nine of 12 for 100 yards and a score in limited action.

Making the move to Maryland is likely a sound move for Tagovailoa as he attempts to further his career at the collegiate level in an effort to make it to the NFL. He has familiarity with Terrapins coach Mike Locksley, who was the offensive coordinator at Alabama in Tua’s first two seasons at Alabama before taking the job in College Park. During that period of time, Alabama was recruiting Taulia to come to Tuscaloosa to play for the Crimson Tide. That gives a good rapport between coach and player, which can be critical with a young guy. Locksley had plenty of praise to heap on the younger Tagovailoa in a statement released Friday.

"Taulia has outstanding field vision and excellent pocket awareness. He's a twitchy passer that has the ability to make and extend plays in and outside of the pocket because of his above-average athleticism. Taulia has terrific touch and trajectory on his throws and delivers the ball with above-average accuracy. He's a highly competitive player that will bring great competition to a good quarterback room."

It's a smart move for the Terrapins, who need to get a solid signal caller to run the offense and get the team to some sort of offensive relevance. Tagovailoa, who has three years of eligibility left, would need a waiver from the NCAA in order to take the field this season or else he’d be unable to take the field until the 2021 campaign. With three quarterbacks from last year’s roster gone, adding Tagovailoa was a big addition as he’ll be in the mix along with Division III transfer Evan Lewandowski. Josh Jackson is back for his senior year at quarterback but he has to be better than he was last season. He completed only 98 of 207 passes for 1,274 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. As a team, the Terrapins completed just 50.3 percent of their throws while averaging 174 yards per game through the air. The team was only 95th in the FBS in scoring offense with an average of 25.2 points per game.

We’ll have to wait and see whether Tagovailoa is eligible to take the field this season or not. One thing that we know is that he’ll likely have a chance to see the field and make an impact in the Big Ten once he becomes eligible. Will he be able to help bring the Terrapins back to some semblance of relevance? That’s anyone’s guess as it stands.

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Chris King

Chris King has been immersed in the world of professional and collegiate sports for more than three decades. Whether it's playing pickup games or being involved in organized sports to being a fan, he's checked all the boxes. From the NFL to arena football, the NHL to the KHL, the NBA to the WNBA to college hoops, and even MLB to the KBO. If it's out there, he's covered it and bet on it as well, as Chris has been an expert bettor in his career. Before joining Winners and Whiners back in 2015, his work appeared around the internet and in print. He's written books for Ruckus Books about college basketball, the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, golf, and the World Cup. If you're looking for the inside track on hitting a winner, do yourself a favor and read what Chris has to say.