University of Maryland head coach Mike Locksley has landed a big fish in Alabama quarterback transfer, Taulia Tagovailoa.
Taulia, the younger brother of former Alabama standout quarterback and No. 5 overall draft pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Tua Tagovailoa, spent one year at Alabama as the third string quarterback last season behind his brother and Mac Jones.
While it was thought that Taulia would perhaps transfer to a Florida school to join his brother and family in the Sunshine State (Tua was drafted by the Miami Dolphins), Taulia made the decision to join former Alabama offensive coordinator, Locksley in College Park.
A 5-foot-11, 208-pound quarterback, Tagovailoa finished 9-of-12 for 100 yards in five games played at Alabama during the 2019 season, where the Crimson Tide went 11-2 and won the Citrus Bowl over Michigan.
Tagovailoa did play in five games last season, so he did not preserve his redshirt status and has three years of eligibility left. The fifth-ranked dual-threat quarterback of the 2019 class, according to ESPN, will have to seek a waiver in order to play in 2020. Regardless of when he gets on the field, this is a big catch for Locksley and the Terps.
“Taulia has outstanding field vision and excellent pocket awareness,” said Locksley in a press release. “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.”
While Taulia did not play for Locksley at Alabama, he is joining the man who helped his brother reach incredible statistical heights with the Crimson Tide.
Tua Tagovailoa threw for 3,189 yards and a school-record 37 touchdowns as the Crimson Tide offense averaged 47.9 points and 527.6 yards per game with Locksley at the play calling helm. The Locksley-Tua Tagovailoa combination helped Alabama set school records for points scored (623), single-season total offense (6,859 yards) and passing yards (4,231) in a season.
Taulia is undoubtedly excited as he heads to Maryland and a situation with only two other quarterbacks to compete against.
“I’m so excited to start the next chapter of my career at the University of Maryland,” said Tagovailoa in a press release. “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.”
The Terps are slated to open its 2020 season on September 5 as it welcomes the Towson Tigers to Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium.
