Alabama almost ‘ran’ off QB Tua Tagovailoa

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa earned consensus All-American recognition, gained the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award and led a comeback that gained a CFP nationwide championship throughout his three seasons at Alabama.

However throughout an look on Miami teammate Tyreek Hill’s podcast “It Wanted To Be Mentioned” this week, Tagovailoa stated he needed to depart Alabama virtually as quickly as he bought there as a extremely rated recruit from Hawaii.

MORE NFL:

· DARNELL MOONEY HAS ‘UNBELIEVABLE FAITH’ IN BEARS QB

· SAINTS EXPECTING RESULTS FROM ALABAMA ADDITION

· NO PRESSURE TO PLAY ON TITANS ROOKIE QB MALIK WILLIS

“I don’t know if anybody else is aware of however my shut mates, my shut buddies, so that is form of distinctive with this being in your podcast,” Tagovailoa stated. “We had this factor referred to as Fourth Quarter, and Fourth Quarter is spring conditioning. So the primary day we go on the market – that is the primary day we see coach (Nick) Saban on the market form of supervising the drills and the working. We had eighties that day. You most likely needed to run like eight, so eight is like 80 straight, stroll 80 straight – that’s one. You do eight from the precise facet, then you definitely change – eight to the left facet. Then there’s like halftime and also you go into the center and also you do much more working.

“After that, I bought on the cellphone with my dad, and I instructed my dad, ‘Dad, do you assume that USC nonetheless has a suggestion for me?’ I used to be able to go. I used to be like, ‘Man, that is – I’ve by no means skilled one thing like this with the quantity of labor.’”

RECEIVER SAYS HE GOT DEATH THREATS FOR TAGOVAILOA/MAHOMES COMMENTS

Tagovailoa stated the love for soccer that he discovered at Alabama was one thing else he hadn’t skilled beforehand.

“For me, the College of Alabama, they’re simply primarily based on soccer – the college, the those who stay across the college,” Tagovailoa stated. “… The entire soccer factor was one thing that was extraordinarily totally different for me after I bought there. After I did get the prospect to start out and I performed and we had been on this little roll of profitable nevertheless many video games and blowing groups out by nevertheless a lot, like going to class bought slightly tougher, too. I can bear in mind college students bringing their mother and father into class. ‘Hey, let’s take an image.’ …

“The cool factor I might say, to me, it was like a film. That complete factor was like a film. You recognize like the way you see good soccer gamers, how they get handled, and also you’re like, ‘Aw, that’s solely in a film.’ On the College of Alabama, it was like that. That’s how the scholars form of seemed on the gamers. And I’m not saying all the scholars. I’m simply saying the scholars that watched Alabama soccer.”

Whereas at Alabama, Tagovailoa broke college information for passing yards in a season and landing passes in a recreation, season and profession. The Crimson Tide compiled a 22-2 report in video games that he began. However his most well-known second got here within the CFP championship recreation for the 2017 season.

With Alabama trailing Georgia 13-0 at halftime, Tagovailoa took over for Jalen Hurts at quarterback and led the Tide to a 26-23 additional time victory. Tagovailoa stated the plan had been for each quarterbacks to play within the second half, however he went all the way in which.

“(Saban) instructed me and Jalen that I might be beginning the second half after which we’re going to rotate, and we’ll see how that works,” Tagovailoa stated. “However for me, I form of had the mindset of: I bought nothing to lose. I’m simply going to go in right here and do what I’ve been doing in follow, earlier practices prior. I simply took all of the performs that I had ran in follow with the primary crew and in addition with the second crew and simply tried to make it my greatest.”

The subsequent season, Tagovailoa was the beginning quarterback for Alabama whereas Hurts was the backup. In 2019, Hurts transferred to Oklahoma and completed because the runner-up within the Heisman Trophy balloting, as Tagovailoa had in 2018.

EAGLES QB JALEN HURTS FILES TRADEMARK APPLICATION

Hurts is getting ready for his second season as an NFL starter as is one other quarterback within the Alabama place room with Tagovailoa and Hurts – Mac Jones.

“It was very aggressive in that room, very aggressive in that room,” Tagovailoa stated. “However the factor that I’ve respect for for each of these guys is whatever the competitors all of us had with one another, everybody was really prepared to assist. After I bought there – me and Mac got here in on the identical time – Jalen was already established because the man. He had all these accolades and he took the crew his first yr to the nationwide championship (recreation). He was established already, and for me and Mac to have got here in, him with the ability to take us underneath his wing, I assumed that was cool.

“It was very aggressive, although. I believe all of us helped one another develop as gamers and that form of helped the crew out, too, since you knew while you had been going in opposition to the second crew and the third crew, it nonetheless wasn’t straightforward. You’re getting it. That complete course of, wanting again at it now, that was cool. And also you quick ahead to the place all three of us are at with J on the (Philadelphia) Eagles and Mac on the (New England) Patriots.”

MAC JONES ‘ONE OF THE GOOFIEST GUYS IN THE LOCKER ROOM’

Tagovailoa is getting into his third season with the Dolphins after becoming a member of the crew because the fifth choose within the 2020 NFL Draft.

Miami has its first training-camp follow on July 27. The Dolphins begin their three-game preseason schedule on Aug. 13 in opposition to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and kick off their regular-season slate on Sept. 11 in opposition to the New England Patriots.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports activities reporter for Alabama Media Group. Comply with him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.