TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Taulia Tagovailoa isn’t committed to Alabama, but the 2019 quarterback recruit is already making a name for himself among Crimson Tide players.
Well, sort of.
Tagovailoa, the brother of Alabama backup quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, completed 16 of 31 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown with an interception to lead Thompson High School (Alabaster, Ala.) to a 32-25 win over Hoover High School this past Friday night. Taulia capped off what would go on to be a 98-yard game-winning drive, throwing a 12-yard touchdown pass with 4:53 remaining.
“It was really good. I was watching it online,” Alabama linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton said. “Hoover has always been that team. I was glad to see Baby Tua pull it out. That’s what I call him. Baby Tua.”
Hamilton said he was impressed with Taulia’s “will to win." During the game, he even tweeted “Taulia Tagovailoa. Remember the name.” Hamilton, a G.W. Carver (Montgomery, Ala.) High School graduate, didn’t mind seeing Hoover go down either. In fact, he said he made sure to give Taulia some pointers heading into the matchup.
“After the Tennessee game I gave him the whole history of Hoover High,” Hamilton said. “I told him to do what you have to do to beat them. To get the win as a junior, that’s big right there.”
Taulia enrolled at Thompson this season after he and his family moved from Ewa Beach, Hi., to Alabaster, a southern suburb of Birmingham roughly an hour away from Tuscaloosa, in April. The junior in high school is rated as a three-star recruit and is the No. 9 rated dual-threat quarterback in the 2019 class. He currently has offers from Alabama, Florida Atlantic, Hawaii, Oregon, Syracuse and Utah.
While Taulia is still uncommitted, he is no stranger to Alabama's campus. Due to his proximity to his brother, he has attended several Alabama games and was even photographed inside the Crimson Tide’s locker room following its 45-7 victory over Tennessee.
“He’s around here often, obviously so close, so close to his big brother,” Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts said. “We always hang out when we can.”
