Former Kapolei offensive coordinator June Jones said Thursday that record-setting Hurricanes quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa will move to Alabama soon and not return for his junior season.
Jones spoke to Christian Shimabuku of Hawaii Prep World and the Star-Advertiser on Thursday during a journalism class discussion at the University of Hawaii campus. Tagovailoa, a second-team all-state selection, has a scholarship offer from Alabama. His older brother, first-team QB and Star-Advertiser offensive player of the year Tua Tagovailoa, is presently enrolled at the Tuscaloosa campus after graduating early from Saint Louis.
“I think he’s going to Alabama with his whole family to watch Tua. That’s what I’ve been told,” Jones said. “He’ll do great. It’ll be a great experience for him. A totally different culture, obviously. He’s going to Birmingham. I haven’t talked to Galu and Diane, but they’re going up this year for sure.”
Galu Tagovailoa, Taulia’s father, could not be reached for comment.
Jones mentioned Thompson High School, which is located in Alabaster, Ala., roughly an hour away from Tuscaloosa, as the school Taulia would transfer to.
Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez responded via text to the Star-Advertiser’s Dave Reardon, saying, “I understand the families choice to move to be together with Tua. Taulia is a great kid and he comes from a super family. He has a very bright future ahead of him. I love that kid, he is going to do some amazing things.”
Taulia Tagovailoa led the Hurricanes to their best season in school history in 2016. Kapolei went 10-3 and advanced the Open Division state semifinals, notching its first win ever in the state tournament.
Tagovailoa threw for 3,919 yards and 42 touchdowns falling 66 yards short of the single-season passing record held by Saint Louis’ Timmy Chang. Tagovailoa is already seventh on the state’s all-time career passing list with 6,703 yards and 64 touchdowns and was on pace to obliterate the all-time record, held by his brother.
After the season ended, Jones left Kapolei to take a job at Saint Louis. Soon after, former Campbell coach Amosa Amosa was hired to replace Jones as offensive coordinator under Hernandez.
Tua Tagovailoa, who led the Crusaders to the Open Division state title in ’16, enrolled early at Alabama and began attending classes in January.
Gotta wonder if Tua got homesick, and then the family moved over there to help him out. Oahu and Tuscaloosa, Alabama are complete opposites. You would have a hard time finding any Polynesians in Alabama. Just haoles and popolos. No beaches there. No local grinds. Not just that, but Tua is looking at spending 3 years as a backup to Jalen Hurts. You just cannot choose to play for a program because they are #1 in the country. You gotta find a place where you feel comfortable too.
Really? How do you know why they’re moving to Alabama or why Tua chose to go there? Unless you’re a personal friend of the family with access to this information, these are just your personal guesses with nothing to back it up. And talk about everything being negative, how about looking at the positive side of things. Maybe they want to enjoy experiencing life outside of their comfort zone as a family; make it positive experiences. From what I’ve read multiple times, Tua enjoys competing against the best he can to see how he measures against the best. Good for him; takes guts and confidence; good things to have. Jalen Hurts had a great freshman year, is a better runner than Tua but he is not a good passer. I think Tua is a better passer then him and that may get him on the field. If Tua is Hurts backup, he’s just an injury or lousy play by Jalen away from playing.
The real deal was taulia go to alabama for a year and then transfer back to oahu and be a crusader..that the best way for him to transfer without losing a year…He wants to follow jones style offense and follow big bros footsteps playing with them best recruited players in hawaii..With jones at saint louis the best kids in state with come no doubt….I know this may sound crazy but it the plan all along.At the end of freshman year tua should be settled in and family with move back and taulia will have some familiar outlook of alabama before he commits to the tide.taulia probably plays for a alabama school that has lots of exposure and increased his rating 100 times more……#tauliacomesbackacrusader#
June Jones new oc at alabama
goodluck to taulia him and tua are excellent ambasadors for hawaii football helping put us on the map. makes sense to come back his sr year as a crusader, no loyalty to the homeschool kapolei.
Watch Tua on YouTube, the boy is definitely homesick. Family was planning to move to Alabama the day Tua committed. Taulia, will transfer back to the Saints after next season…bet on it!
Add Tua on snapchat @tuatagovailoa and see for yourself if he’s homesick. It’s ok homers, there is life outside the islands, the Tagovailoa’s are always welcome to come back. Props to that family for stepping out (way out) of the comfort zone. This is actually old news btw. Out of curiosity, why would they bother coming back to hawaii? Taulia’s got his offers also.
yeah, Officer Kanahele, St Louis Crusaders, the win-at-all-costs football program, recruiting football players all over the Hawaiian islands. Destroying the competitive balance of Hawaii state high school football.
ALPHA….the reason for the transfer and comeback is only so he dosent need to sit out a season..he does not want to sit and miss his junior season…He will go to a alabama high school get more exposure and even if he pobably will commit to the tide the recriting buzz will be crazy with him out there.i cant wait till he comes back will all the football knowledge from them in football country.Use it for his senior season back home and win one state title like big bro.
good for them. enjoy Bama living!! end of story. move on.
@OfficerKanahele your pretty much saying STL benefits from all this moving around.Taulia already got his offers and a whole lot of exposure already. Is it more important Taulia play for stl? Or is it important for stl to have Taulia? Obviously all this moving around is not for academic purposes or he’ll be enrolled at STL already. Is the departure of Tua that bad that the QB situation at STL is going this far to replace him (and it’s being publicized)? What about the parents of any potential qb’s at St louis (gotta be a slap in their face)? Remember now, Taulia’s college future is pretty much set, he’s got the exposures and the offers (and still coming) already. So what does stl have to offer him? You can’t say a chance at winning state title because what does that really do to any kid other then bragging rights. Honestly Taulia’s done a great job holding his own outside of St louis. If you ask me, St Louis needs Taulia more the Taulia needs st louis. . .
“No loyelty to the home school Kapolei”. The kid is from Ewa Beach NOT Kapolei! If he had loyelty he would have been playing at Campbell!!
Isn’t it great when a school like Alabama can offer jobs to families of recruits.
nice to move the whole family to bama, well its cheaper there than hawaii nei. no loyalty to anywhere. i doubt they have deep roots in hawaii, same as many other samoans here anyway. its no big thing stay to in hawaii. just take advantage of whatever you can and leave. good luck.
end of tagovailoa stories please. They are now alabama residents. cya
Why should the kids be loyal to the schools in the districts they live in? Does the school help pay rent? Does the school check on their family when they are sick? They only need to be loyal to themselves, their family, and their friends. They have the choice to go to whatever school they want. The ability to choose is what makes this nation great.
We teach kids to have options. It’s unfortunate that many of you think having one option to go to the school district you live in should be the only option. That is a very sad and naive way to look at life.
I hope you don’t teach your children there is only one option or path and you must take that one. if so, I prey for your children.
@thnk1st what is it with you and locals who decide to leave the islands? That’s what poly’s do, venture out and discover what’s outside of the islands. . . And you say Samoans don’t have deep roots in Hawaii? In 2011, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa anthropologist Terry Hunt reported, “Polynesian ancestors settled in Samoa around 800 BC, colonized the central Society Islands between AD 1025 and 1120 and dispersed to New Zealand, Hawaiʻi and Rapa Nui and other locations between AD 1190 and 1290.” that deep enough for you?
yup stl needs taulia to help stroke the alumni pride
He’s moving to Alabama for a year….return to Hawaii to play for St Louis…by doing that he won’t sit out a year of football
Greetings from Alabama. I live in the Birmingham-Tuxcaloosa area and follow these two young men via local sports coverage. Tauia is playing hs ball at Thompson High just south of Bham and their having a great season at a very well respected program in Alabama. Tua showing signs of potential greatness with his powerful throwing arm and good footwork. The young man can move and we Bama fans are looking for great things out of Tua in the years to come. National Championships? We’ve got’ a few and always looking for more at Alabama. Know Tua and hopefully Taulia can help us in our never ending pursuit of college football greatness.
I’ve visited your islands four times and always enjoyed myself. Ya’ll are always welcome here. Come try our brand of BBQ. Bet you’ll like it
I
@HanaBrada
Quote: “If Tua is Hurts backup, he’s just an injury or lousy play by Jalen away from playing.
And so, that fateful moment came on the biggest college football stage of them all .
A Hollywood script could not have been better written. Yes, good things can happen to those
who wait. Good call on your part.