Tua Tagovailoa’s brother Taulia might be playing football in the same city as the Miami Dolphins quarterback once again.
Taulia Tagovailoa recently decided to not participate in the University of Maryland’s bowl game against Auburn University, which is set to take place on Dec. 30.
It seems as though the 23-year-old could be looking to stay in college for another year.
“Tagovailoa’s family would like to bring him to the city where his brother, Tua Tagovailoa, is a star, sources in Miami and Maryland told IMS,” wrote Jeff Ermann.
The issue with that plan is that Taulia Tagovailoa has used up all of his eligibility. He would need the NCAA to grant him a waiver, and that is seemingly not a sure thing.
He appeared in five games (one more than allowed for a redshirt season) for the University of Alabama as a freshman during the 2019 campaign, backing up his brother and Mac Jones. There doesn’t seem to be a reason why the NCAA would grant Taulia Tagovailoa a waiver. Furthermore, Alabama and Maryland would have to agree to the move too, and the schools might not want the youngster to play for a third school.
Maryland head coach Mike Locksley offered some interesting comments on Taulia Tagovailoa’s situation.
“When he came to sit down and then he made the decision that he didn’t want to play in the bowl game in an effort to pursue future opportunities, whether it be the NFL, whether it be transferring, if in fact there were more time available,” Locksley said.
It seems like there’s no bad blood between the two sides.
“It was a pretty easy conversation because the mutual respect was there,” the coach said. “He’s done enough and has done what we needed him to do for our program and we’re very thankful. But at the same time, we’ve also given him a huge platform to showcase the abilities that we all have come to love.
“I think we’ve talked enough and understand the value that he added by coming to Maryland. He brought a brand because of his last name, and we provided him with a platform, which allowed him to get out of the shadow of that last name. And it was give and take, and he did a tremendous amount for our program and helped elevate it along with his teammates along the way. But the conversation was simple, man.”
It would be pretty awesome for Taulia Tagovailoa if he were to end up in the transfer portal and move to a school like the University of Miami. He could make tons of money playing a huge market and be closer to his brother, who has led the Dolphins to a 10-4 record so far in the 2023 season.
Tua Tagovailoa and Taulia Tagovailoa appear to be very close, something that was seen when the Dolphins star offered a touching message to his brother for the Big Ten passing record.
Another year of college ball surely wouldn’t hurt Taulia Tagovailoa either. He’s currently not viewed as one of the top prospects at quarterback. Perhaps a standout season at a school like Miami could elevate his draft stock a bit and convince a team like the Dolphins to take a chance on him.
