As his younger brother, Taulia Tagovailoa, signed his letter of intent for the University of Alabama in the 2019 signing class, Tua Tagovailoa spoke to the media this afternoon and updated everyone on his left ankle.
He sustained the injury in the Southeastern Conference title game against Georgia and was sidelined in the fourth quarter, which allowed for Jalen Hurts to come in off the bench and lead the Crimson Tide to a 35-28 comeback victory. Since the mishap, the sophomore quarterback had had surgery and is progressing well.
According to head coach Nick Saban, the Heisman Trophy finalist and consensus All-American is “ahead of schedule.”
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He is expected to start for the Tide against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl for the College Football Playoff semifinal on Saturday, Dec. 29 and per Tagovailoa, he looks toward next Monday as the timetable for him to be back at 100 percent.
“I feel like we’ve been progressing well every day,” Tagovailoa said.
He has moved well in practice this week and is displaying much confidence in drills under the guidance of Michael Locksley, Dan Enos and Jeff Allen. The trio has been monitoring him; however, he is more comfortable with putting pressure on his left leg. Despite playing through pain, the native Hawaiian totaled 3,353 passing yards with 37 touchdowns to four interceptions.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
