In his exit from the University of Alabama, Tua Tagovailoa made one thing clear at the podium: there is still another Tagovailoa at the program.
With his brother pursuing the NFL Draft, Taulia Tagovailoa carries the mantle in fighting to be the starting quarterback for the Crimson Tide.
Since the younger Tagovailoa thrives so much on competition, the idea of having his brother already at Alabama never deterred his decision to come.
His arm talent and his influence may not be at the elite level yet; however, his toughness is.
Tagovailoa played through injuries at Thompson High School (Alabaster, Ala.) and still tossed for 3,728 passing yards with 35 touchdowns in 2018, leading the Warriors to a Class 7A State Championship Game as a senior.
RELATED: Alabama QB Taulia Tagovailoa records his first of many TD passes
Taulia, like Tua, set passing records in high school and was a highly-touted quarterback in the 2019 recruiting cycle.
He threw his first career touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith versus Western Carolina last season and while Bryce Young is the name that fans are excited for, Galu Tagovailoa has one message for everyone.
As the father of two talented sons, he believes Taulia is about to step out of Tua’s shadow and prove he can lead the program.
After seeing his eldest son announce his move on Monday, Christina Chambers of WBRC Fox 6 News caught up with Galu Tagovailoa.
It will be different not having his brother with him, but the patriarch said Taulia loves competition.
24 hours after @Tuaamann declared for the #NFLDraft,
I caught up with the @dtagovailoa today…..Galu opens up about how @tauliaa12 is ready to compete for starting QB job at @AlabamaFTBL . pic.twitter.com/BchecxkEUO— ChristinaWBRC (@ChristinaWBRC) January 8, 2020
“Competition is a healthy thing and he {Taulia} knows that,” Tagovailoa said.
“Lia has always been put in that situation every year and he loves it. It drives him to get better… It drives him to help his teammates, and the things he will go up against is to make him better as a person and a player on the field. I think this is going to be a really good transition.”
A positive thing noticed by yours truly of Touchdown Alabama Magazine is Tagovailoa is starting to gain some weight.
He appeared to be thicker in the neck, upper body and waist, meaning that Scott Cochran (Alabama’s strength coach) is developing his body well.
The Tagovailoa’s came to Alabama from Hawaii with a plan.
A plan that consisted of seeing their sons become successful in college, transform the lives of people around them and then pursue a professional career.
Tua started things with rescuing the Tide to a national championship and grabbing the heart of Nick Saban, but now Taulia gets to stamp his claim on Alabama football.
This spring is about to get really entertaining.
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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.
