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Marcus Mariota on pupil Tua Tagovailoa: ‘He’s a stud, he’s the next guy coming up’
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Could two of the next great NFL quarterbacks come from the same island? Judging by Tua Tagovailoa’s performance in Monday night’s title game, it’s not far-fetched to say Hawaii has become a hotbed of QB talent.
While Tagovailoa’s breakout game may have been a surprise to all those unfamiliar with the young signal caller, Tennessee Titan starting quarterback, and former Oregon Heisman Trophy winner, Marcus Mariota could have told us all that this was coming. The friendship between the two began long away, as Mariota began mentoring Tagovailoa when the Alabama QB was in the fourth grade.
Following Tagovailoa’s breakout performance, Mariota was eager to discuss just how great the young player can be.
“Tua is a stud. He’s the next guy coming up. Proud of him,” Mariota said according to Cameron Wolfe of ESPN. “From where that kid’s come, how he’s grown and how he handled the situation last night. He’s very special. Hopefully he can continue his success. I’m sure you guys saw the interview after the game. That’s who he is.”
While Mariota likely deserves some of the credit for helping Tagovailoa along the way, he refused to take any credit. Instead, he credits the young QB and his family for his strong upbringing for the success we all Monday night.
If you had any doubt that Tagovailoa has taken notes from Mariota, just look at these comments and compare them to Tua’s from Monday night, the similarities between the two as the deflect credit is uncanny.
“He’s done it all himself,” Mariota continued. “Where he gets his humility is from his family. How he carries himself is from where we grew up. I hope he uses this as motivation to continue to get better and see how far he can take it.”
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
