Ad Disclosure
Tua Tagovailoa reportedly stepped in to prevent his brother, Taulia, from transferring to Auburn
Published:
Taulia Tagovailoa started his collegiate career at Alabama way back in 2019 as a backup to Mac Jones and his big brother, Crimson Tide legend Tua Tagovailoa.
And it turns out big brother wasn’t about to see him end it at Auburn, of all places.
According to an upcoming college football book, “The Price: What It Takes to Win in College Football’s Era of Chaos,” by Armen Keteyian and John Talty, the younger Tagovailoa was mulling a transfer to Auburn last offseason. Tagovailoa has said he was offered $1.5 million from a SEC program and the book cites sources saying Auburn was a program that was heavily interested in signing the Maryland QB.
So Tua, arguably the greatest quarterback in Alabama history, stepped in and made his voice heard — loudly.
“We’re an Alabama family,” elder brother told little brother, per an excerpt from the book. “You’re not going to Auburn.”
Maryland ended up bringing enough to the table for Tagovailoa to stay for the 2023 campaign. Head coach Mike Locksley admits the Terps got a discount compared to other offers that were on the table.
“I got a homeboy discount because we ain’t paying him one point five [million],” Locksley said, per the book excerpt. “Now, down the road, would we? Who knows how this thing’s gonna shake out.”
Tagovailoa’s collegiate career ended after the 2023 season despite a waiver appeal to the NCAA for another year of eligibility. He threw for 11,356 yards and 77 touchdowns in those 4 seasons in College Park plus the very limited action in Tuscaloosa in 2019.
Taulia is currently playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
