Taulia Tagovailoa heads to NFL Draft after NCAA waiver is denied

Former Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa is entering the NFL draft after getting denied a waiver for an additional year of college eligibility, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Tagovailoa had already used up five years of eligibility between Maryland and Alabama where he started his collegiate career. However, he hoped to be granted a sixth year and entered the transfer portal last week.

His former Alabama head coach Nick Saban had written a strong plea to the NCAA in support of Tagovailoa. Yet, the efforts were to no avail. Instead, Tagovailoa will begin training for the upcoming NFL draft.

Tagovailoa spent his freshman year backing up his older brother Tua at Alabama. After Tua declared for the NFL draft in 2020, Taulia transferred to Maryland following his Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Mike Locksley to College Park.

He spent four seasons at Maryland, leading the Terrapins to three straight bowl berths. In the process, he became the all-time Big Ten Conference’s all-time leading passer with 11,256 yards. He also tossed 76 touchdowns.

At 5-foot-11, Taulia is not as highly heralded as his brother Tua, who was the fifth overall pick. Instead, Taulia Tagovailoa is projected to be a Day 3 pick. His accuracy is his best trait. He completed 67.1% of his passes as a Terrapin.

However, his slender stature and durability concerns will be his weakness. He can move outside of the pocket, scoring 13 touchdowns on the ground in college. But he doesn’t have elite speed.

Tagovailoa is likely to battle to be the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart and a roster spot at the start of his pro career.