Taulia Tagovailoa

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Taulia Tagovailoa
Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa (cropped).jpg
Tagovailoa with Maryland in 2021
Maryland Terrapins – No. 3
PositionQuarterback
Class
Redshirt
Sophomore
MajorFamily science
Personal information
Born:ʻEwa Beach, Hawaii
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career history
College
Bowl games
High schoolThompson
(Alabaster, Alabama)
Career highlights and awards

Taulia Tagovailoa (/ˌtʌŋoʊvaɪˈloʊə/ TUNG-oh-vy-LOW-uh) is an American football quarterback for the Maryland Terrapins. He holds the Maryland single-season school records for completions[1] and passing yards[2] and a share of the touchdowns record.[3]

Early life and high school career[]

Taulia Tagovailoa was born in ʻEwa Beach, Hawaii, to Galu and Diane Tagovailoa in a Samoan family. After his brother Tua's commitment to Alabama and early graduation from Saint Louis School, Tagovailoa moved with his family to Alabaster, Alabama.[4] As a senior at Thompson High School, Tagovailoa threw for 3,728 yards and 35 touchdowns breaking many school records and becoming the only high school quarterback in state history to have at least four 400-yard passing performances in his career and became the 10th player in Alabama High School Athletic Association history to throw for 500 yards in a game with his 507-yard, four-touchdown performance.[5] Tagovailoa was deemed a four-star recruit during the 2019 recruiting cycle and committed to the University of Alabama to play college football.[6][7]

College career[]

Alabama[]

2019[]

Tagovailoa spent his true freshman season at Alabama in 2019 as a backup to his older brother, Tua Tagovailoa, and Mac Jones. He saw his first collegiate action in the season opener against Duke but did not record any stats. On September 21, 2019, Tagovailoa completed his first career pass for a gain of 20 yards against Southern Miss, finishing 1-for-1 on the day. He entered in the third quarter against Arkansas on October 26, 2019, for his most extensive action to date, finishing 6-of-8 passing for 45 yards while adding one rush for no gain. He came in late for the Tide against Mississippi State, handing the ball off to run out the clock in Starkville. Tagovailoa finished 2-of-3 for 35 yards against Western Carolina with his first career touchdown. He finished the season nine of 12 for 100 yards and one touchdown.[8]

Maryland[]

2020[]

On May 15, 2020, Tagovailoa announced he would be transferring to the University of Maryland.[9][10]

He started in all four games in which he played, only missing the final game vs. Rutgers. In his 4 games, he led Maryland to a 2-2 record, in which he beat the likes of Penn State and Minnesota. He broke the 5 game losing streak Maryland had against Penn State. He threw 75-of-122 passing for 1,011 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions.[11] He ranked top five in the Big Ten in multiple passing categories: first in yards per completion (13.48), second in passing efficiency (138.5), second in yards per pass attempt (8.29), third in passing yards per game (252.8) and third in total offense (263.8). At the end of the season, Tagovailoa was named All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.

2021[]

Tagovailoa returned to Maryland as the team's starting quarterback in 2021, starting in all 13 games and again earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.[12][13][14] He led Maryland to the program's first winning season since 2014 and the program's first bowl bid since 2016, beating the likes of West Virginia, Howard, Illinois, Kent State, Indiana, Rutgers, and Virginia Tech. He broke the 1992 single-season completion record set by John Kaleo in a loss against Michigan and then the 1993 single-season passing yards record set by Scott Milanovich in the subsequent win against Rutgers, then tied Milanovich's 1993 single-season touchdowns record in the bowl win.[1][2][15][3] Tagovailoa was named MVP of the 2021 Pinstripe Bowl against Virginia Tech where he went 20-of-24 with 265 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with 42 rushing yards from four carries in their 54-10 win. He led Maryland to the program's first bowl win since 2010. [3]

Statistics[]

Season Team Games Passing Rushing
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yards Avg TD Int Rtg Att Yards Avg TD
2019 ALA 3 0 0–0 9 12 75.0 100 8.3 1 0 172.5 1 -2 -2.0 0
2020 MD 4 4 2–2 75 122 61.5 1,011 8.3 7 7 138.5 26 44 1.7 2
2021 MD 13 13 7–6 328 474 69.2 3,860 8.1 26 11 151.1 80 77 1.0 2
Career[16] 19 17 9–8 412 608 67.8 4,971 8.2 34 18 149.0 107 119 1.1 4

Personal life[]

Tagovailoa's older brother, Tua Tagovailoa, is a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins.[17][18] Taulia spent a year at Alabama as Tua's backup in 2019.[4][19]

Tagovailoa's cousins also play football. Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa plays defensive line at Notre Dame and Adam Amosa-Tagovailoa plays offensive line at Navy.[20]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Maryland, still seeking bowl eligibility, is pounded by Michigan for third straight loss". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Maryland is bowl eligible for the first time since 2016 after a 40-16 victory over Rutgers". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Taulia Tagovailoa ties Terrapins touchdown record as Maryland routs Virginia Tech in Pinstripe Bowl". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Thomas, Ben (March 30, 2017). "Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa's brother set to enroll at Thompson High". AL.com. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  5. ^ Company, Tampa Publishing. "Tua's brother leaves Alabama for Maryland". Tampa Bay Times.
  6. ^ Etheredge, Alec (April 21, 2018). "Thompson's Taulia Tagovailoa commits to Alabama". Shelby County Reporter.
  7. ^ Gleeson, Scott. "QB Taulia Tagovailoa, younger brother of Tua Tagovailoa, commits to Alabama". USA TODAY.
  8. ^ "How good is Tua's brother? Why Taulia Tagovailoa can make his own name at Alabama". www.sportingnews.com.
  9. ^ "Ex-Tide QB Taulia Tagovailoa joining Terrapins". ESPN.com. May 16, 2020.
  10. ^ "Why Taulia Tagovailoa left Alabama for Maryland". al. May 18, 2020.
  11. ^ Wang, Gene (August 9, 2021). "Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa looks to elevate his leadership and his production". The Washington Post.
  12. ^ Giambalvo, Emily (September 18, 2021). "Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa shows poise, growth at Illinois". The Washington Post.
  13. ^ Dellenger, Ross. "Taulia Tagovailoa Is Resurrecting Maryland's QB Position". Sports Illustrated.
  14. ^ "Expectations not a burden for Maryland's Tagovailoa". AP NEWS. September 1, 2021.
  15. ^ "2021 Football Record Book (PDF)" (PDF). University of Maryland Athletics. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  16. ^ "Taulia Tagovailoa College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  17. ^ "For Taulia Tagovailoa, being 'Tua's brother' isn't a burden - The Washington Post".
  18. ^ "Next Tagovailoa up — How Tua's younger brother Taulia moved from offensive line to QB1". www.yahoo.com.
  19. ^ Carroll, Charlotte (April 21, 2018). "Taulia Tagovailoa, Younger Brother of Tua, Commits to Alabama". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  20. ^ Hansen, Eric (November 17, 2017). "Faith and family drive Notre Dame DL Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa". NDInsider.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.

External links[]

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