Nick Saban shares moment of pride in Tua Tagovailoa for charity event

Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is still making an impact on the community in Tuscaloosa. Tagovailoa, who is currently the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, recently returned to Alabama, where he held a luau and helped give back to the community that he once called home.

Following the gesture from Tagovailoa, Alabama head coach Nick Saban took a moment to appreciate his former star quarterback, adding that the moment reiterates part of the development process that the Crimson Tide emphasize each year.

“There was a couple things that I wanted to comment about that I don’t get a lot of opportunity to comment about,” Saban said. “It was really heartwarming to me and made me very proud of Tua, who had a luau here with his foundation, donated money to Boys and Girls Club of West Alabama to give back to the community, donated money to Nick’s Kids. Really first class luau that was very enjoyable to attend.

“But it makes me proud because we always try to get guys to sort of develop things that are going to help them be successful and having compassion for other people, giving back tot he community, giving back to people who supported our program, and our fans I think are an important part of that.”

Mike McDaniel hopes to tap into the potential many saw in Tagovailoa at Alabama

Tagovailoa became Alabama’s starting quarterback in 2018, and he threw for nearly 4,000 yards with 43 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He dealt with injuries in 2019, but still threw for 2,840 yards, 33 touchdowns and three interceptions. Following his impressive run at Alabama, the Dolphins selected Tagovailoa with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

As a rookie in 2020, Tagovailoa eventually took over the starting quarterback job for the Dolphins, leading the team to a 6-3 record in nine starts, throwing for 1,814 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. This past season, the Dolphins went 7-5 in 12 Tagovailoa starts, and he threw for 2,653 yards with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Now, with a new regime in place, the Dolphins are hoping to tap into the potential that the team saw in Tagovailoa out of Alabama. New head coach Mike McDaniel is excited to see what he can do with his new quarterback.

“I’m really excited because the guy has some skills that are untapped and I think it’s important you empower the quarterback with the rest of the players around him and the scheme you bring forth,” McDaniel said. “I think his best days are in front of him and that’s a really cool piece of the part of being the head coach.”