Alabama Football: Tua’s ‘business’ decision could mean a Tide return
By Ronald Evans
Tua Tagovailoa faces a ‘business’ decision over his NFL Draft opportunities versus returning for another season of Alabama football. Don’t be surprised if he returns to the Tide.
For much of the 2019 college football season, stories circulated that certain NFL teams were tanking to improve chances of drafting Tua Tagovailoa. The sensational, Alabama football quarterback was expected to go no lower than the top three picks in April’s NFL Draft.
An ankle injury did little to change those stories. A serious hip injury changed everything. Now Tua and his family have until Jan. 20 to make a ‘business’ decision. Whatever the exceptional young man eventually decides, his chosen path will have a high degree of risk.
Earlier this week, ESPN released a snippet of a much-longer interview conducted with Tua by Kirk Herbstreit. That snippet includes Tua explaining his ‘risk-reward’ situation.
What Tua said to Herbstreit, he basically repeated for Alabama football media on Thursday. He does not know what he will do. He does not know when he will make a decision. His family and his faith will guide him.
He did make one somewhat illuminating comment on Thursday. He was asked how tough it would be to pass up a top 10 or top 15 pick in the NFL Draft.
"Yeah, I think that’d be tough to pass up. But I think there’s a lot more to it than that in some aspects. I don’t want to say too much because what me and my family talk about, we kind of want to be with me and my family."
No one knows where Tua might be drafted. Ryan Wilson, writing for CBS published a seven-round Mock Draft on Friday. He did not include Tua, because of the unknown “status of the hip injury.”
Even in the mocks including Tua, there is no consensus. Matt Miller for Bleacher Report has Tua as the No. 10 pick to the Los Angeles Chargers. A recent Pro Football Focus mock draft has Tua being selected at No. 27 to the Green Bay Packers.
In both mocks, there is a belief Tua playing in 2020 might not be possible. It is believed the Chargers’ and Packers’ quarterback situations would allow them to sit Tua until 2021. Not many other NFL teams are likely to be in the same situation.
The decision timetable for Tua does not match the schedules of NFL teams. Tua must make an early-entry decision by Jan. 20. The NFL Combine in February and early April examinations by NFL team doctors are when NFL teams will get to evaluate his health.
Next. A 'Bama Hammer' Thank You to Tua. dark
If Tua returns for another season of Alabama football, the quarterback room could be crowded. Would Mac Jones, Taulia Tagovailoa, Paul Tyson and Bryce Young be content to be QB2 or QB3?