Alabama Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa To Reveal His Draft Intentions Monday

Following Alabama’s win over Michigan Wednesday, star quarterback Tua Tagilvoa tweeted, “I’ll be making my decision on the 6th.. God bless and Roll Tide.” Prior to the announcement, head coach Nick Saban told the media he didn’t know what Tagovailoa’s decision was going to be. The Hawaiian-born star suffered a dislocated hip on November 16 against Mississippi State and the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft is January 17.

“That’s a decision that I think his family needs to make,” Saban told ESPN. “And I’m sure when they make that decision, they’ll let everybody know. I think it’s our responsibility and our job to make sure that we give them all the information from an NFL standpoint, from a medical standpoint, from a rehab standpoint. And if there is any way that he could possibly be devalued because of his injury, what are the consequences of that and how does that affect his decision and what he does in the future? But he’s been a great leader for us. He’s a great player on our team. He was elected captain of the team by his teammates. And we just want what’s best for him.

“I think that’s my job with all the players is to make sure they get the right information from the right people about what their status is so that they can make a business decision about what they do for their future. And that’s what we’re going to continue to do, and we’re going to continue to do that for Tua and his family.”

The junior quarterback is still the top prospect from Alabama on Mel Kiper Jr.’s “Big Board” ranked at number three overall. In nine games this season Tagovailoa compiled 33 touchdowns and only three interceptions with 2,840 yards passing. Dolphins owner and Michigan booster, Steven Ross, was in attendance on Wednesday leading many to believe the Dolphins may draft him with the number five pick.

Saban was later asked if Tagovailoa would be physically ready for April’s NFL Draft, or would it be in his best interest to return for another season.

“I’m not a doctor,” Saban told the media. “I haven’t operated on anybody’s hip before. I’m struggling to be a good coach, which is plenty to do for me. That’s a question for a medical person. We have a lot of hip specialists that have given the family a lot of information, and we’re going to continue to do that. Our medical staff has done a great job of getting Tua to this point, and his rehab is going well, and that’s what we’re going to be responsible to try to help him with in the short term.”

Article by Frank DeLorenzo