Taulia Tagovailoa reportedly turning to NFL after seeking NCAA waiver
Taulia Tagovailoa is entering the 2024 NFL Draft, according to a report from 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
The former Maryland quarterback had previously entered the transfer portal and sought a waiver from the NCAA that would have granted him another year of eligibility. In a subsequent report on Tuesday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel revealed the NCAA denied Tagovailoa’s waiver request despite a strong case presented by Alabama and former head coach Nick Saban.
With his eligibility exhausted, Tagovailoa will turn to the NFL. ESPN had Tagovailoa outside the top 12 quarterbacks in a pre-Christmas ranking of the prospects at the position.
At Alabama in 2019, Tagovailoa played in five games — one more than the allowed number to preserve a redshirt. His fifth appearance that season entailed just two snaps at the end of a 38-7 win over Mississippi State as a way to honor his brother, Tua, who suffered a hip injury that ended his season prematurely.
“Honestly, if I could do it again, hopefully my brother doesn’t get injured and I’m not in that emotional state where I want to play in the game. If I got to do it over again, I wouldn’t have played in the game,” Tagovailoa explained in an interview with ESPN’s Pete Thamel earlier this month. “Coach asked me if I wanted to go in. Of course I wanted to go in and play for my brother. And that’s what happened.”
He was applying for a reinstatement waiver after spending four seasons as the starter at Maryland. In 41 appearances with the Terps, Tagovailoa threw for 11,256 yards and 76 touchdowns.