Since his decision on Monday to declare for the NFL Draft, everyone has weighed in on Tua Tagovailoa move to forgo his senior year at Alabama.
The latest name to talk was Clemson’s head coach, Dabo Swinney, as he prepares his team to face LSU next Monday for the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in New Orleans, La.
Swinney faced Tagovailoa in his sophomore year, as the Crimson Tide battled the Tigers in the 2019 CFP title matchup off the 2018 season.
The Alabama native in Swinney got the better of Tagovailoa by a score of 44-16, handing Nick Saban his worst loss in 13 seasons at head coach.
As ESPN tries to entice Tide fans into watching the title game by having Saban as its prominent figure, Swinney attempted to get back into the good graces of supporters in showering high praises on Tagovailoa.
While some draft analysts are unsure as to whether the native Hawaiian should be selected in the first round, Swinney said he would ‘take Tua’ if he was in the NFL.
“From a talent aspect, he’s awesome. If I was in the NFL, I’d be taking Tua.”
Dabo Swinney has some high praise for Tua Tagovailoa ? pic.twitter.com/7JvEO0zabN
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) January 11, 2020
“Tua is special. He is one of the best quarterbacks we’ve seen come through the college ranks,” Swinney said on Saturday.
“Awesome person. Just a phenomenal young man. I reached out to him when he got hurt and communicated with him. He has been so good for the game… just what he represents. I did not get a chance to coach him, but I know what type of teammate he was and the type of leader… you know Coach Saban has a great appreciation for that as well and the mark he left on their program. He impacted a lot of people through his platform of playing quarterback at the University of Alabama, but from a talent aspect, he is awesome. He’s a winner. He is a very smart, savvy, instinctive player. He’s tough. He’s got a great heart. He’s going to make everyone else around him better and those are qualities you want to have in a quarterback.”
Tagovailoa’s career ended with 7,442 passing yards, 87 touchdown passes and 96 total touchdowns.
He ranks in the top-five in school history for all three aspects – including first all-time for touchdown passes and total scores.
Tagovailoa was a Heisman runner-up, a consensus All-American, a first-team All-SEC selection, the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Year and an SEC Champion in 2018.
As a freshman, he came off the bench in the second half and rescued Alabama to a CFP National Championship win over Georgia and was named Offensive MVP.
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He was truly a once in a generational talent, and fans will be rooting for him in the NFL.
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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.
