BIOGRAPHY
Tua Tagovailoa was born March 2, 1998, in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. He is a quarterback in the NFL.
His full name is Tuanigamanuolepola Donny Tagovailoa. He was the oldest of four children in a Samoan family. Tua was known for his interest in football ever since he was a little kid. He was known to sleep with a football in his arm every single night as a small child. Tua's primary inspiration as a child was his grandfather Seu Tagovailoa. Tua almost gave up his love for football after Seu's death but he and his dad talked about how continuing to play would be the best way to honor him. When Tagovailoa began varsity football in high school, he threw for 33 passing touchdowns during his first season with three interceptions and 2583 passing yards. Tagovailoa said a big inspiration and motivation for his performance was how his father disciplined him, saying he used a belt whenever Tagovailoa threw an interception. Tagovailoa was deemed a four-star recruit during the 2017 recruiting cycle and was ranked the top high school prospect in the state of Hawaii. He attended Saint Louis School in Honolulu. After his high school career, he went to Alabama after receiving 17 scholarships from different schools.
In Tua's freshman year at Alabama in 2017, he was the backup to Jalen Hurts. He got some playing time due to some of Alabama's blowout victories. Tua was known as an Alabama legend after winning the BCS National Championship Game against Georgia. Due to ineffective play by Hurts, Tua was subbed in the 2nd half and threw the winning touchdown to cap off Alabama's comeback. He finished the game 14-of-24 for 166 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and one interception, along with 27 rushing yards on 12 attempts. Tagovailoa was named the Offensive MVP of the game.
On September 1, 2018, Tagovailoa made his first career start at the season's opening game, against Louisville, in Orlando, Florida. He finished 12-of-16, with 227 passing yards and two touchdowns in the 51–14 victory, before Jalen Hurts replaced him in the third quarter. During Alabama head coach Nick Saban's weekly Monday press conference following the win, he announced Tagovailoa as the starter for The Crimson Tide's home opener against Arkansas State on September 8. After a phenomenal season by Tua where he finished 2nd in the Heisman race and leading his team to a 13-0 regular-season record. In the playoffs, Tagovailoa put on a nearly flawless offensive performance against Oklahoma in the 2018 Orange Bowl (24-of-27 with 318 yards passing, 4 TDs, and 0 INTs) to lead the Tide to their 4th consecutive CFP National Championship appearance. He was also named Offensive MVP of that game. In the 2019 National Championship loss (44-16) against Clemson, Tagovailoa went 22-of-34 with 295 passing yards, 2 TDs, and 2 INTs. He also set a new NCAA FBS passer rating record of 199.4 for the season, surpassing the record 198.9 set by Baker Mayfield in 2017.
After a successful and injury-free sophomore season, he was not as fortunate as his junior season. After a start to a great season in his 6th game, he suffered a high ankle sprain against Tennessee. He then had surgery after the game to repair his ankle and returned in 3 weeks where they lost their first game to a prestigious LSU team. The game after LSU against Mississippi State Tua saw his college career end. He got sacked and ended up dislocating his hip and had to be carted off of the field. He was flown to a hospital where he needed immediate surgery. After the end of the 2019 season, Tua announced he would not come back his senior season and he would go to the NFL Draft in 2020. His prestigious career made him the #5 pick in the 2020 Draft to the Miami Dolphins as the 2nd QB to get drafted.
On March 20, 2023, the Dolphins picked up the fifth-year option of Tagovailoa's contract. In his first news conference since December 2022, Tagovailoa said that he considered retirement in the off-season due to his injuries in the 2022 season.
Tagovailoa began the season throwing for 466 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception as the Dolphins won 36–34 against the Los Angeles Chargers. For his performances Tagovailoa was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 1.
