Although the rivalry runs deep in the state of Alabama between the Auburn Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn praised Tua Tagovailoa during an appearance on Mad Dog Sports Radio .
ICYMI: Auburn's @CoachGusMalzahn gave @LanceMedow his impressions of the top 3 QBs projected to go in the #NFLDraft after he coached against all 3 in their collegiate careers pic.twitter.com/0jauQdvHjt
— Mad Dog Sports Radio (@MadDogRadio) April 19, 2020
“If you watch enough film on him…the more film you watch on him, the more you’re impressed with him. He’s unbelievably accurate. He can really extend pays. He protects the football. He throws a great deep ball. He’s scary. When you try to game plan around that guy, it’s really scary because he’s so…he gets the ball out quick, he doesn’t take sacks and I’ve always been a big fan of him and I think he’s going to be a good pro too.”
Coming from Malzahn, that has to mean alot.
After enduring a devastating season ending injury against Mississippi State last season, Tagovailoa went from being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft to becoming the most questioned player in the draft.
Many teams seemed concerned with his healing process and recovery and wonder if he’s truly 100% and ready to go, and some other teams have questioned if he’s injury prone. Some mock drafts even had him slipping outside of the top 10.
But majority of the NFL Mock Draft have Tagovailoa going in the top 5, specifically to Miami.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban shared what advice he gave to Tua during an appearance on SportsCenter.
“I think staying focused and, you know, controlling the things you can control. You can’t control what everybody is saying, you can’t control what everybody thinks. But, you can control your rehab. You can control the things that the medical staff is telling you to do day in and day out. And, you know, be smart, be upfront you. The last advice that I gave him was, you know, you’re not going to be able to do a medical recheck, so make sure you get rechecked and send it to all of the teams so at least they’re getting that information from somebody that they have faith, trust and confidence in. I think he’s done a good job of managing this and a good job in handling this. He’s worked really hard on his rehab and I do think he’s in a position where he’s ready to start playing football again.”
Although there seems to be a lot of questions regarding Tagovailoa, it’s safe to say, he’s a very respected and admired quarterback in the state of Alabama.
For the season, Tagovailoa threw for 2,840 yards, 33 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
In his career at Alabama, Tagovailoa racked up 7,442 yards passing, 87 TDs and 11 INTs.
The NFL draft will take place from April 23-25.
Roll Tide Wire will keep you up to date on the very latest.
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