02/01/2020
Breaking News: Tua Tagovailoa is reportedly returning to Alabama
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was highly regarded as one of the top NFL Draft-eligible quarterbacks in the Class of 2020 as he entered his junior season of college football. However, after a late-season hip injury, Tagovailoa's football future has become a bit of a toss-up, leaving fans and NFL executives wondering whether he will remain in school or declare for the 2020 NFL Draft.
The waiting with baited-breath will come to an official end Monday as Tagovailoa has announced a decision date for whether he will return to Alabama for his senior season or turn pro.
"I'll be making my decision on the 6th..," Tagovailoa wrote Wednesday night on Twitter. "God bless and Roll Tide."
But recent rumors were confirmed today of a private player meeting that occurred right after the Citrus Bowl victory on Wednesday, a game Alabama won over Michigan 35-16. Unidentified players involved in the meeting reported that Tua, Alex Leatherwood, Henry Ruggs III, and Devonte Smith, all key players for the Tide, have decided to return for their senior seasons together. Najee Harris and offensive linemen Jedrick Wills is also considering a return, but not 100% committed according to player reports.
Offensive Tackle Leatherwood is a first-team All-SEC selection and ranks No. 21 on Mel Kiper's latest Big Board for the 2020 NFL draft. He wrote on Twitter that he wants to finish his degree at Alabama and, after talking with coach Nick Saban, opted to return. "My career here has had some ups and downs," Leatherwood wrote in his post. "Things have not always gone the way I envisioned, and because of that, I don't want it to end now."
Reportedly this same sentiment was echoed by many other juniors at Wednesday's private post-game meeting.
It had been speculated that should Tua return to the Tide, that it will cause a bit of a wave with other draft-eligible juniors similarly deciding to come back to the team. If he instead chooses to continue his career in the NFL next season, his draft status remains a bit of an unknown. Originally projected to be a top-two pick, would Tagovailoa still go among the first 10 or 15 selections, or will his hip injury (and history of ankle injuries) scare teams off from taking him that high?
A Heisman Trophy finalist in 2018 who was in the mix to win the award in 2019 after throwing for 2,840 yards, 33 touchdowns and just three interceptions in nine games, Tagoviloa saw his season cut short against Mississippi State on Nov. 16. Late in the first half, Tagovailoa was hit as he threw the ball outside the pocket and came down awkwardly. He suffered a dislocated hip and a posterior wall fracture, which required immediate surgery and subsequently ended his season.
