Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa announced Monday that he will forgo his final year of eligibility for the Crimson Tide and will enter the 2020 NFL Draft.
Tagovailoa, rated No. 3 on ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper‘s big board, suffered a season-ending hip injury in November and missed Alabama’s final three games, including a bowl win over Michigan.
In nine games as a junior, Tagovailoa threw for 2,840 yards and 33 touchdowns with three interceptions. For his career, the 2016 Star-Advertiser offensive player of the year threw for 7,442 yards and 87 touchdowns with only 11 picks. He also rushed for nine TD’s.
His career total QBR of 93.4 at Alabama is the best in the history of the metric (since 2004) and his 87 passing TD’s and 10 300-yard passing games are Alabama records.
Tagovailoa dealt with injuries throughout his entire career, including his current hip injury.
“I’m just focusing on my rehab as far as now,” Tagovailoa said. “With all of the teams and deciding if I am going to do anything physically we’ll decide that with our atheletic training staff and then with what the doctors have to say about that.”
Tagovailoa will remain in Alabama to rehab his injury.
“It was just a hard decision all around taking into consideration the pros and cons with both sides of the decision,” Tagovailoa said. “This is a decision I am going to have to live with and we made it and I’m good with it.”
“I don’t think any of the doctors can tell the forseeable future,” Tagovailoa addded. “None of the guys rehabbing me can tell that. From what they’ve seen in New York, everything looks good but you can’t really tell until the three-month mark or the four-month mark so that’s the gauge on that.”
Taulia Tagovailoa, Tua’s brother, will compete for the starting job next season in his second year with the program. Redshirt sophomore Mac Jones started the final three games of the season in Tua’s absence. The Crimson Tide are also bringing in Mater Dei quarterback Bryce Young, one of the top high school QB’s in the country this year. Young won MVP honors at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Saturday.
Nothing on LSU and the Farrington Grad who are now national champs?