Tua-daloo! Tagovailoa leaves Alabama for NFL draft
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa announced at a press conference on Monday that he'll enter the 2020 NFL Draft rather than return to school for his senior season.
The southpaw said he gave serious thought to coming back after missing the last three games of the 2019 season following surgery for a dislocated hip with a posterior wall fracture.
Tagovailoa added that he isn't certain how much he'll be able to do physically in the pre-draft process, but that he could be ready for the start of the 2020 NFL campaign.
"I'm optimistic I'll be able to play this coming season," he said.
Tagovailoa is leaving the Crimson Tide as one of the most prolific quarterbacks in program history, holding its career record for touchdown passes (87) while sitting third in passing yards (7,442). Additionally, his touchdown-to-interception ratio of 7.9 ranks as the best in the FBS over the last 20 seasons.
As a true freshman in 2017, Tagovailoa famously came off the bench in the second half of the national championship game to lead Alabama to a comeback victory over Georgia in overtime. He threw a game-winning 41-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith in the extra frame.
Tagovailoa's career passing stats
| Year | Yards | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 636 | 11 | 2 |
| 2018 | 3966 | 43 | 6 |
| 2019 | 2840 | 33 | 3 |
Tagovailoa entered the 2019 season as the favorite to go No. 1 overall in the 2020 draft, but his injury combined with the ascension of Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow pushed him down most mock drafts.
From a scouting perspective, Tagovailoa's scrambling, aggressive playing style and left-handedness have prompted comparisons to Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young.