Since Tua Tagovailoa first announced his commitment to the University of Alabama he was flooded with references and comparisons to another Hawaiin native quarterback. Former Oregon Ducks and current Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota.
In many ways, Mariota was a trailblazer for Hawaiin football players. Before he joined the ducks back in 2012, Hawaii wasn’t viewed as a place to go looking for quarterback talent. But when he took the field and began lighting up college football, everyone seemed to take notice of what the island had to offer. After winning the Heisman trophy in 2014 it solidified Hawaii as a legitimate state to search for talent. And Tua Tagovailoa only proves that theory right.
“Not too many kids from Hawaii (are) built to be skill players,” said Tagovailoa during SEC media day. “A lot of them play on the defensive side so to be able to be apart of that Marcus Mariota trend of quarterbacks guys like that paving the way for other guys from Hawaii is pretty cool.”
Tagovailoa has obviously continued the trend of dominant skill players from Hawaii. He is the second Hawaiian based quarterback to be a finalist for the Heisman trophy award this decade. Along with Mariota and Tagovailoa, both have ushered in even more quarterbacks from their home state into the SEC. Little brother Taulia Tagovailoa joined the crimson tide this past spring and also former Ole Miss quarterback Jordan Ta’amu who started the past two seasons for the rebels.
With high profile players like Mariota and Tagovailoa playing at high levels on the biggest stages, there will no doubt be more opportunity given to players residing in the lower northern hemisphere.
*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber only content!*
Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
