College Football

Alabama 2017 Class: Tua Tagovailoa

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 4:57 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Ronald Evans/FanSided via Bama Hammer

Alabama Football has built the foundation of an outstanding class. Let’s go in depth with early enrollee, Tua Tagovailoa.

Tua Tagovailoa: 6′ 1″, 200 lbs.

Dual-Threat Quarterback

Scout rating: 4 stars – Rivals rating: 4 stars – 247 Sports rating: 5 stars

St. Louis School – Honolulu, Hawaii

In October 2015  SI published a Lindsay Schnell profile of Tua and the Tagovailoa family. It is a great read.

Tua is of Samoan descent and in Samoan culture, it is a great honor to have your name known.  His full name is Tuanigamanuolepola Tagovailoa. Tua is a devout Christian, a member of an extended family that worships together every day.

The man Tua credits with inspiring both his spiritualism and passion for football was his grandfather. Seu Tagovailoa was respectfully known as Chief Tagovailoa in the Ewa Beach area of Honolulu, HI.

“When Tua was a child, Seu told him the story of the lion and the gazelle: One runs to get something, one runs away from something. When we wake up, we all have to run. So you better run toward something.”

Many readers will recognize the lion and gazelle story. It happens to also be one of Nick Saban’s favorite life lessons.  It is no wonder that Tua and Saban bonded so closely during recruitment.  Tua was very impressed that he and Saban had a weekly ritual, “I speak with Coach Saban on FaceTime every Sunday, and it does make me feel good that he’s committed to that with me and we have connected so much.” Cam Smith, USA TODAY High School Sports

We Alabama fans have a long-standing habit of anointing backup QB’s as “warrior/saviors.” Such practice is eerily similar to a Biblical Second Coming. In this case, perhaps we should just acknowledge Tua as a special young man with the potential to become the Tide’s next great QB.

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