Alabama Crimson Tide will have to find a new quarterback next year. Alabama’s current QB Tua Tagovailoa decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2020 NFL Draft.
Tagovailoa announced his decision at the press conference on Monday.
“With lots of prayers, thoughts and guidance I have decided that I will enter the 2020 NFL draft,” said Tagovailoa. “It was a hard decision all around.”
Entering 2019, Tagovailoa was considered an almost unanimous first overall pick in 2020. However, his season was cut short due to a hip surgery, which caused his draft stocks to drop. The 21-year-old is now considered to be a top 10 pick, with the possibility of him dropping even more, depending on how teams are afraid of his injury history.
Tua Tagovailoa made a name for himself in 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship, when he stepped in for Jalen Hurts and led the Crimson Tide to a comeback win. He followed that up with an impressive 2018 season, in which he won the Walter Camp Award and Maxwell Award.
Tagovailoa started 2019 on a high note as well but ended up having to undergo ankle surgery in Week 6. He returned after three games, but didn’t manage to stay healthy for too long as he dislocated his hip against Mississippi State.
While there is no doubt that Tagovailoa has the talents to have a successful career in the NFL, it’s unclear how much importance teams will put on his health struggles. This will probably be determined during the NFL Combine when he will be able to show how much the injuries affected him.
