Who is Tua Tagovailoa? 5 things to know about Alabama’s freshman QB

Tua Tagovailoa, the heralded 5-star quarterback from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, made his Alabama debut on Saturday against Fresno State.

Below are five things to know about Tagovailoa.

RELATED: Highly touted freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa makes debut for Alabama

1. Tua Tagovailoa is Hawaii’s all-time leading passer

The nation’s No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2017 became Hawaii’s career leader in passing yards, as he eclipsed former Saint Louis High School (Honolulu) quarterback Timmy Chang’s record of 8,001 yards. Tagovailoa left Hawaii with 8,158 passing yards and 84 touchdowns along with 1,727 rushing yards and 27 scores to give him 111 career touchdowns.

Tagovailoa willed the Saint Louis Crusaders to a 30-14 win in the state championship game against Kahuku, the No. 1 team in the state, at Aloha Stadium in his final game of high school.

RELATED: Watch highlights of Tagovailoa’s performance and celebration in his final high school game

2. He won the prestigious Elite 11 MVP

Tagovailoa was named the Elite 11 MVP, which is one of the most prestigious awards a prep quarterback can receive, in the summer of 2016. Tagovailoa became the second Alabama quarterback to win the award, as former Tide signal-caller Blake Barnett won in 2014.

3. USC was his dream school growing up 

USC was Tagovailoa’s leader to get his commitment for more than a year before Alabama came calling. USC was the school Tagovailoa saw himself attending.

That changed when his family made a southern swing where he saw Alabama, Auburn and Ole Miss. He fell in love with Alabama. After that visit in the spring of 2016, the Crimson Tide became the behind-the-scenes favorite until he committed in May 2016.

4. He’s roommates with Najee Harris

Tagovailoa and Najee Harris, a Class of 2017 5-star running back out of Antioch (Calif.) High School, developed a strong bond when they were recruits. The friendship really took off when both were at Nike’s The Opening camp in Oregon, which is where Tagovailoa was given the Elite 11 MVP.

“He’s an awesome guy — a great guy,” Harris told SEC Country in July 2016. “I went to his room to go over some plays, and we ended up talking about God. He’s just a great person. I have much respect to Tua.”

Both Tagovailoa and Harris are deeply committed to their faith.

5. His brother, Taulia, is a Class of 2019 Alabama QB target

Tagovailoa isn’t the only impressive football player in the family. His brother, Taulia, is rated as the nation’s No. 8 dual-threat quarterback in the 2019 class. He already holds an Alabama offer.

Taulia wanted to commit to Alabama when he received an offer from the Tide in July 2016, but his parents told him that he was too young to make a big decision like that. But that hasn’t stopped Taulia from thinking about Alabama nonstop. When asked if he still wanted to play for the Tide, Taulia responded immediately.

“Oh, heck yeah,” Taulia told SEC Country. “When Tua went up there, he didn’t want to come back home. He came back and was telling me all of these crazy things like how he got to meet Coach [Nick] Saban. I have only seen that guy in movies it seems like, and for me to see him taking pictures with Mom, Dad and Tua, it was just crazy.”

Source: Who is Tua Tagovailoa? 5 things to know about Alabama’s freshman QB

 

It took nearly four quarters into the second game, but Alabama’s talented freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa has his first-career TD.

The talented freshman Tagovailoa was rated a 5-star prospect and the nation’s No. 1 dual-threat QB for the class of 2017.

Tagovailoa checked in earlier in the game, but the drive didn’t amount to anything. With the game well in-hand, Tagovailoa got much more playing time in the fourth quarter.

Tagovailoa’s 16-yard TD was to freshmen WR Henry Ruggs III. The TD put Alabama up 41-10 late in the fourth quarter.

Tagovailoa finished 6-of-9 for 64 yards and one TD.