Taulia Tagovailoa, brother of Tua, transferring to Maryland

By Adam Zielonka - The Washington Times - Friday, May 15, 2020

Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, the younger brother of former Alabama star and Miami Dolphins draft pick Tua Tagovailoa, announced Friday he is transferring to the University of Maryland.

As a four-star recruit and the fifth-rated pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2019 according to 247 Sports, Tagovailoa followed his older brother from their home state of Hawaii to Alabama. He got into five games in garbage time as a freshman and threw one touchdown pass.

With Mac Jones ahead of him on the depth chart in 2020, and with his brother departing for the NFL, Tagovailoa announced last week he was entering the NCAA transfer portal.

Maryland Coach Mike Locksley knew the Tagovailoa family through the recruiting trail, and Locksley was Alabama’s offensive coordinator and coached Tua Tagovailoa for one year.

“I’m so excited to start the next chapter of my career at the University of Maryland,” Tagovailoa said in a statement. “I’m incredibly grateful to all of the amazing people at Alabama, but am also thrilled to join the Terrapin Football Family. I have a great relationship with Coach Locksley and am excited to see what he’s building. I can’t wait to be part of it and I plan on working incredibly hard both on and off the field to make my family, teammates, coaches and fans proud.”

“Taulia has outstanding field vision and excellent pocket awareness,” Locksley said in a statement. “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.”

Tagovailoa likely will have to sit out the 2020 season after transferring, but the NCAA Division I Council is considering a measure that would allow football players and athletes from other sports to be granted a one-time transfer waiver that would allow them to be immediately eligible at their new schools. Furthermore, it’s unclear what the 2020 season will actually look like due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Maryland has a dire need at the position. Its only scholarship quarterbacks on the 2020 roster are Josh Jackson, a former Virginia Tech transfer entering his final year of eligibility; redshirt freshman Lance LeGendre; and Evan Lewandowski, a Division III transfer.

The younger Tagovailoa is the highest-rated quarterback the program has welcomed in years. The “brand name” and association with his older brother won’t hurt the program’s exposure, either.