Alabama’s sophomore quarterback, Taulia Tagovailoa, the younger brother of former Tide standout Tua, has entered the NCAA transfer portal and will look to continue his collegiate football career with a different program.
The report does not come as a shock — at least not to most — as he’s been in a quarterback room with Mac Jones and and freshman phenom Bryce Young among others. Unless something miraculous happens, it appears as if Taulia would be destined to roam the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
There are rumors of him wanting to follow Tua, much like how he did when his older brother committed to Alabama and the family moved from Hawaii to Alabaster (Ala.), which could play a role when deciding which roster he will be on in 2020.
The NCAA will soon be voting on the possibility of a one-time transfer waiver for athletes which would allow them to play immediately rather than sit out a season. The list below accounts for both possibilities.
Here are five of the most likely landing spots for Taulia:
5. Florida International
How can a player with such star power behind his last name go from one of the strongest and most storied college football programs to a team that went 6-7 in Conference USA? Easy. A guaranteed starting job, an opportunity to be a large factor in the growth of a young program and a high profile coach that’s shown he wants to win in the city of Miami, just not with the University of Miami.
Head coach Butch Davis has shown he wants to win and he proved it by claiming the title “best team in Miami” by beating the Hurricanes in 2019. Not to mention, the program had two players drafted in 2020 – one being quarterback James Morgan in the fourth round – and four players signed to teams after the draft.
FIU being located in Miami also makes sense to many when they consider Taulia wanting to be close to his brother, who now plays for the Dolphins, and family. They made an even bigger move in 2017 when they relocated to Birmingham from Hawaii to keep the family together.
When looking at the roster, there is an opening for the former four-star Tagovailoa. His strongest competition for the position would be former three-star Caleb Lynum.
Don’t be surprised if the Panthers make a strong push to get Taulia.