Calling it a “leap of faith,” Alabama junior quarterback Tua Tagovailoa announced Monday that he will forgo his senior year and enter the 2020 NFL draft.
The record-setting quarterback of the Crimson Tide revealed his decision in a news conference that included coach Nick Saban. Tagovailoa finished runner-up in the 2018 Heisman Trophy balloting but had his 2019 season derailed by a dislocated hip in the 38-7 win at Mississippi State on Nov. 16.
“It’s a unique situation for sure with my hip,” Tagovailoa said. “A lot of the general managers and owners that I’ve gotten to talk with are looking at this injury almost like a knee injury, even though it’s not, in a way like, ‘Are we going to take a chance on this guy?’ The biggest thing they want to see is if I can move and get back to how I was playing prior to the injury.”
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper said Monday that Tagovailoa could be selected by the Miami Dolphins with the fifth pick or the 18th pick or by another team in between. Kiper added that Tagovailoa’s durability issues the past two seasons, which include a knee injury in 2018 and an ankle injury in 2019, are a “real concern.”
When he wasn’t injured, the 6-foot-1, 218-pounder from Hawaii performed brilliantly for the Crimson Tide, completing 474 of 684 passes (69.3%) for 7,442 yards with 87 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. His 87 touchdown tosses and 96 total touchdowns are Alabama records.