Taulia Tagovailoa enters the Transfer Portal: Where Will He End Up?

Last Friday night, news broke that Alabama quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa had decided to enter the transfer portal. Taulia, the younger brother of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, was hoping to follow in his brothers footsteps and claim the mantle of QB1 for the Crimson Tide. However, with sophomore QB Mac Jones and incoming freshman Bryce Young in better position for the starting quarterback role, Taulia could have found himself at the bottom of the depth chart and slip into irrelevancy at Alabama.

With Taulia’s brother headed off to Miami, Taulia has an important decision to make. The former 4-star recruit has yet to announce where his interest lies in terms of schools, so fellow college football writer Max Harvey and I have made a list of three potential landing spots we predict the youngest Tagovailoa brother settling into next season.

Max Harvey’s Top 3 Landing Spots:

1. Miami - Of the three options, Miami is the only Power 5 school. A Power 5 program has the most to offer and would likely give Taulia the best chance to face NFL-caliber competition. If he does transfer from Alabama, Taulia will likely have to sit out a year unless he’s granted an immediate eligibility waiver by the NCAA. Miami landed a big name transfer this year with D’Eriq King, but King has only one year of eligibility remaining. Taulia could use his redshirt season to learn Miami’s system while King runs the offense. After King departs, the starting quarterback position would likely be Taulia’s, where he could man the ship for the remainder of his three years of eligibility. Personally, I see Taulia transferring to Miami where he would have three years of eligibility and play in the ACC with the likes of Clemson, Florida State, etc.

2. Florida International - The second option I see for Tagovailoa is Florida International University. Longtime starter for the Panthers, James Morgan, graduated and was drafted in the fourth round by the New York Jets, so that leaves an opening that Tagovailoa could fill. Taulia would be near-guaranteed to win the starting job and run the offense for the remainder of his college career, which could be a very attractive bargaining chip for Taulia. While FIU is a less likely option as opposed to Miami, FIU does stand a chance of landing the former 4-star.

3. Florida Atlantic - The third option is Florida Atlantic. FAU recently lost head coach Lane Kiffin to Ole Miss, but remaining components of Kiffin’s high-powered offensive schemes could still linger at FAU. Tagovailoa could easily compete for the starting job at a school like FAU. Playing time is always a factor for any player and may prove to be the ultimate factor for Tagovailoa.

Dark Horse: LSU

Spencer Robb’s Top 3 Landing Spots:

1. Tennessee – Now, this potentially makes SEC fans scratch their heads, but hear me out. Tennessee currently has the second-ranked recruiting class in the country, behind Ohio State, with 21 commitments. Current starter Jarrett Guarantano will be in his last year of eligibility this upcoming season, and if Taulia is forced to sit out one year, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he could find himself being the face of Tennessee football when Guarantano exits. Something interesting could be brewing in Knoxville, TN in the next couple of years, and if the Vols can land Taulia, an Alabama-Tennessee showdown would make for excellent television. I can see the storylines writing themselves already.

2. Miami – The Tagovailoa family is an incredibly tight-knit family. When Tua committed to Alabama, the family uprooted themselves from Hawaii to Tuscaloosa to be close to Tua and watch all of his games. With Tua going to Miami as the 5th overall pick by the Dolphins in this year’s draft, and with D’Eriq King, the transfer QB from Houston, having only one year left of eligibility, Taulia may be convinced to move his brother’s way and settle down in Miami for the remainder of his collegiate career.

3. USC – When it came down to it, Tua had to choose between USC and Alabama when he was being recruited, and if it wasn’t for Nick Saban’s decision to put Tua in during the National Championship, Tua was ready to potentially transfer to USC. With the university being close to their native state of Hawaii, and the transfer of JT Daniels from the Trojan program, the door is wide open for Taulia to return to the west coast and be a star in the PAC-12.

Dark Horse: FAU

Author: Spencer Robb

Contributor: Max Harvey