One of college football’s best players, and one of the top prospects in the 2020 NFL draft class, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa may have played his final down for the Crimson Tide.
Despite being ahead 35-7 late in the first half against Mississippi State on Saturday, Tagovailoa was still in the game for Alabama, and suffered a scary injury as two defenders landed on him after he tried to scramble out of the pocket and make a throw.
Bama’s star quarterback had to be carted off the field, and was reportedly screaming in pain:
Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa was carted off the field after suffering a right hip injury against Mississippi State: https://t.co/gQM8FFWZxx pic.twitter.com/ZF0tz5LdAN
— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) November 16, 2019
"He was screaming in pain as medical training staff had to pick him up and carry him off the cart." @MollyAMcGrath said the first report is that Tua Tagovailoa suffered an injury to his right hip vs. Mississippi State. pic.twitter.com/ppMJykMq9N
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 16, 2019
Tide head coach Nick Saban said at halftime that Tagovailoa was supposed to come out after that series:
Nick Saban on keeping Tua Tagovailoa in the game up 35-7:
"That was going to be his last series, we were going to do two-minute (offense) before the half with him, just for practice. Of course, we got to block them better so he doesn't get sacked. Too bad."
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) November 16, 2019
Saban said Tua's injury is a hip injury and "that's probably something that could be serious."
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) November 16, 2019
Tagovailoa was air-lifted to the hospital, per Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News:
Tua Tagovailoa has been taken by helicopter to St. VIncent’s Medical Center in Birmingham
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) November 16, 2019
Saban had little information to provide regarding Tagovailoa’s situation at his postgame press conference:
The latest from Nick Saban on Tua Tagovailoa’s injury pic.twitter.com/qehk7QS1zA
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) November 16, 2019
According to Aaron Suttles of The Athletic, Tagovailoa is indeed out for the season:
Breaking News: Tua Tagovailoa is out for the season with a dislocated hip with a posterior wall fracture, a person with knowledge of the situation tells me.
— Aaron Suttles (@AaronSuttles) November 16, 2019
While many expected the injury to be an aggravation of the ankle injury Tagovailoa had surgery to repair last month, this injury ended up being a new injury to his hip.
The severity of this injury obviously has seismic implications for all involved, from Alabama’s hopes of making another playoff run, from Tagovailoa’s draft stock. Obviously, his long-term health is the most important thing right now, and hopefully he’s able to make a full recovery.
Currently jockeying with LSU quarterback Joe Burrow for the title of next year’s top quarterback prospect, Tagovailoa could face serious concerns about his injury history and durability when NFL teams are evaluating him this offseason.
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