DECISIONS MADE
The top 10 quarterbacks in the 2017 signing class according to 247Sports.com — combining pro-style and dual-threat — already are committed:Quarterback - (Hometown) - College1. Dylan McCaffrey - (Littleton, Colo.) - Michigan2. Hunter Johnson - (Brownsburg, Ind.) - Clemson3. Tate Martell - (Las Vegas) - Texas A&M4. Jake Fromm - (Warner Robins, Ga.) - Georgia5. Tua Tagovailoa - (Honolulu) - Alabama6. Shawn Robinson - (DeSoto, Texas) - TCU7. Davis Mills - (Norcross, Ga.) - Stanford8. Kellen Mond - (Bradenton, Fla.) - Baylor9. Lowell Narcisse - (Saint James, La.) - LSU10. Ryan Kelley - (Chandler, Ariz.) - Oregon
Alabama has quarterbacks on its roster from Utah (Cooper Bateman), Oklahoma (David Cornwell), California (Blake Barnett) and Texas (Jalen Hurts).
Next year, the Crimson Tide could add a Hawaiian.
Tua Tagovailoa, a 6-foot-1, 210-pounder from Honolulu, committed early Tuesday morning to the Crimson Tide. Tagovailoa is rated by 247Sports.com as the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback and the No. 61 overall prospect in the 2017 signing class.
The highest-rated prospect ever from Hawaii visited Alabama last month.
"The program speaks for itself," Tagovailoa told AL.com. "They always have the No. 1 recruiting class. The linemen are studs. You're surrounded by four- and five-star players. It's an opportunity to really showcase your talents.
"You want to be around a community that's really supportive of you and one that's willing to do things for the school and everybody around to be successful."
Tagovailoa attends Saint Louis, an all-male Catholic school that produced Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, who played at Oregon and won the 2014 Heisman Trophy. Mariota was 247Sports' No. 18 dual-threat quarterback and No. 519 overall prospect in the 2011 class.
As a junior last season with the Crusaders, Tagovailoa threw for 2,583 yards and 33 touchdowns and was intercepted just three times. He also rushed for 576 yards.
Alabama had a quarterback commitment for 2017 until two months ago, when Jake Fromm switched his nonbinding pledge to Georgia. Fromm is a pro-style quarterback from Warner Robins, Ga., while Tagovailoa could become the second consecutive dual-threat quarterback to enroll in Tuscaloosa.
Tagovailoa, the ninth Crimson Tide commitment for 2017, has another visit to Alabama scheduled next month. He is looking forward to getting to know his future boss better.
"I feel like I'm home over there," Tagovailoa told Honolulu TV station KHON2. "Everybody on Sunday goes to church, and that's something big in my life as far as spirituality. I couldn't ask for anything better.
"Coach Nick Saban is a really good guy and a really humble man. He's soft-spoken, but the words hit."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.