Top 10 Quarterbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft: No. 2 Tua Tagovailoa

History

Coming into the 2019 regular season, it was generally accepted as common knowledge that Tua would be the first quarterback selected in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Alabama Crimson Tide junior was a generational talent in the college ranks and was expected to translate well into the NFL.

His presence in this year’s draft coined such memorable catchphrases as “Tank For Tua” for the underperforming teams in the NFL last season. A rallying cry for downtrodden NFL fans, inspiring hope that better days were ahead.

A five-star recruit coming out of Hawaii, Tua played for the Saint Louis High School in Honolulu. At a young age, it appeared Tua was born to play football. While this may sound hyperbolic, I assure you it is only technically so, as his father started to teach him how to play football at the age of two, according to a now-controversial interview Tua gave with College Gameday, that included his parents.

I will spare the reader the more unsettling details of the clip. During the interview, Tua recalled how his father taught him to throw with his left hand, even though he is right-handed by nature. Talk about commitment. Imagine starting that early, focusing solely on thriving in one field, acclimating yourself with a football, ingraining it into your subconscious.

Tua went to the same high school in Hawaii as Marcus Mariota, who acted as a mentor for the young Tua. 247 Sports declared Tua to be the number one dual-threat quarterback in the 2017 recruiting class.

During his two seasons on the varsity team, Tua threw for 57 touchdowns, averaging 275 yards a game and a 65 percent completion rate. According to MaxPreps.com, Tua also rushed over a thousand yards for 11 touchdowns, cementing himself as the number one recruit out of Hawaii in 2017.

Recruited by Alabama in 2017, it did not take long for Tua to see the field. Serving as the backup for Jalen Hurts, Tua saw action in several games during the regular season, stepping in when Hurts had already run the score up. Tua looked promising during this time and it appeared to be only a matter of time before he would be the starter for the Crimson Tide.

That time did not take long, as Tua was asked to step in during the 2018 College Football National Championship after Hurts had failed to produce during the first half. Tua led the team on a comeback for the ages, throwing a game-winning 41- yard touchdown in overtime.

Heading into the 2018 season, Tua started in the first game of the regular season. Afterward, he was declared the starting quarterback by Nick Saban. It was this season where Tua cemented himself as a serious quarterback in the NCAA, as week after week, Tua showed poise, leadership and exceptional quarterbacking abilities.

He led the Crimson Tide back to the National Championship and while the team ultimately lost to Clemson, Tua had put enough on film to make NFL teams salivate at the thought of selecting him in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The 2019 season was going to be an important season for Tua Tagovailoa, as NFL scouts and general managers watched closely to see if Tua could produce for a second season starting. Tua rose to the occasion, leading the team on another fantastic run. In the middle of the season, Tua had to sit out after a high ankle sprain but was expected to return after two weeks. After an in-season surgery, Tua returned to play against LSU, in a game that was billed at the time as the biggest game of the season.

While the Crimson Tide eventually lost to LSU 46-41, Tua still looked good in the game, considering he had just returned from surgery. LSU took a commanding lead early in the game, finishing the first half 33-13. Tua was able to start another classic comeback but ultimately fell short.

Afterward, Tua still looked like the number one prospect heading into the 2020 NFL Draft. While recent phenom Joe Burrow was leading LSU on a historic run, Tua had played at a high level for much longer and looked poised to stay on top.

Tua was coming off two back-to-back championship appearances, including the Offensive MVP from the 2017-2018 National Championship. Entering the ninth game of the 2019 season, he had thrown for 33 touchdowns and had an improved completion percentage from previous seasons.

Then disaster struck. While still recovering from an ankle surgery earlier in the season, Tua landed awkwardly while being sacked in a game against Mississippi State and left the game early with a concussion, dislocated hip, a posterior wall fracture, along with a broken nose.

The posterior wall fracture is what seriously put Tua’s NFL future in jeopardy, as it was originally reported that this could effectively kill Tua’s football career. “Tank for Tua” enthusiasts mourned the loss of the 2020 NFL Draft savior they had clamored for all season.

After successful surgeries, the general prognosis is that Tua could potentially be ready in time to start the 2020 NFL season. The bigger issue at hand here is what he will look like as a quarterback after suffering such a grisly injury.

Until we see Tua play, there is no point in speculating how well he will play in the future. The injury is fairly uncommon in football players and there aren’t enough anecdotes of success or failure after such an injury to suggest how his abilities will be impacted by such an injury.

Football fans can only hope that this young man can return to health and be the great football talent we all saw the last three seasons