When Alabama football quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa spoke to a group of Hawaii middle-schoolers, his message was about persevering in the face of adversity.
Most of the coverage of Tua Tagovailoa speaking to students in Hawaii has centered on his inclination to leave Alabama football during last season. The information is accurate but somewhat misleading. Headlines and social media generally fail to reveal the most important perspective in Tua’s message.
Well before the national championship heroics, Tua considered leaving Alabama but that is not the primary theme of Tua’s message.
In summary, Tua said during the season the challenge of not playing made him consider a transfer. He asked his father if he could still go to USC. Tua’s parents advised him to persevere through the challenge of becoming the Alabama football starter. You can view the interview, here.
"It was so hard I wanted to leave … I told my dad I wanted to go to a school where I thought it’d be easier for me and wouldn’t challenge me so much."
Staying at Alabama a Blessing
Tua went on to explain to his young fans how leaving would have been a mistake. Staying at Alabama was described by Tua in one word. Tua called it a “blessing.”
Alabama football fans can think back to all the times we heard and read Tua would leave if he did not win the starting job. That claim continues to circulate and it will be fueled by Tua’s middle school message. Listen carefully though and Tua’s words indicate a young man with a more deeply developed resolve to stick rather than bail. And that resolve appears to be reinforced by his parents.
John Parker Wilson had some good advice for Alabama football fans. In his regular radio slot on WJOX, Wilson reminded Alabama football fans the Crimson Tide won a recent national championship with a transfer quarterback, Jake Coker.
"The Tua story, to me, I don’t think was shocking. It definitely came out last year as we heard some things from his camp about leaving. It’s just the way the college football game is right now, and it’s going to be like that until we either change the rules or we’ll just have to continue to accept it."
QB transfers are the new normal
J.P. is spot on in understanding transfers, especially involving QB’s, are almost the new normal. Not every QB prospers on a new team but there are often success stories. Will Grier went from Florida to West Virginia and is now on pre-season Heisman lists.
Alabama football has a quarterback problem. Fortunately, it is driven by an abundance of current and future QB talent. Assuming Taulia Tagovailoa and Paul Tyson sign in December or February, the 2019 roster is not likely to include Jalen, Tua, Mac Jones, Taulia and Tyson.
In this situation two things are sure. Every one of those five young men will believe they are good enough to start. Every time the actual starter exhibits less than superstar performance, some Alabama fans will anoint a backup as a Crimson Tide savior.
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So who takes the first snap Against Louisville? We have been thinking Saban may try a two-QB system. Here is another idea – line up Mac Jones under center, with Jalen and Tua as wingbacks. All three get the start.
We are well aware Nick Saban will not and should not engage such foolishness. Still, imagine running that formation a limited number of times, just to confound all future, opposing defensive coordinators.