Taulia Tagovailoa, the younger brother of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, is forging his path in football. He’s a talented quarterback at the University of Maryland, known for his impressive arm strength, accuracy, and football IQ.
Taulia began his career at Alabama before transferring to Maryland in 2020, where he swiftly became a standout player in the Big Ten. In recent seasons, he has set several school records for passing yards and touchdowns, establishing himself as a top college QB.
As Taulia continues to excel, his success in college football highlights his potential for an NFL future, following in the footsteps of his brother Tua. We’ll delve deeper into Taulia’s personal life and background — the Tagovailoas are a football family through and through.
Are Taulia Tagovailoa and Tua Tagovailoa Related?
Born on February 15, 2000 and raised in ʻEwa Beach, Hawaii, Taulia Tagovailoa grew up in a football-centric household, with his father, Galu, coaching and mentoring him from a young age. He moved to Alabama during his high school years, where he played for Thompson High School in Alabaster. There, Taulia quickly became a sensation, leading his team to the 2018 Alabama 7A State Championship.
His high school career was marked by record-breaking performances, earning him a reputation as one of the top quarterbacks in his class. His passion for the game was evident from an early age, reflecting the dedication and drive of his older brother, Tua.
Both began their collegiate careers at Alabama, with Tua spending three seasons in Tuscaloosa from 2017-2019.
Taulia spent only one season with Tua at Alabama before the elder sibling jumped to the NFL. The younger Tagovailoa sought an opportunity elsewhere to carve out his legacy, following Alabama’s co-offensive coordinator to Maryland after the 2019 season.
The 5’11”, 205-pounder quickly established himself as a program star in his second season as a starter. He threw for 3,860 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while completing 69.2% of his attempts. His 2022 season was almost as dynamic in one less game, compiling 3,008 yards, 18 touchdowns, and eight interceptions on a 67% completion rate.
Tagovailoa was offered “crazy money” to transfer back to the SEC over this past offseason but turned down a reported $1.5 million to finish his career at Maryland.
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Previously, he said his older brother is “…motivation seeing him go out there and playing in the NFL, starting in the NFL and do really good, so it’s motivation for me, and that’s something that I strive to be like.”
The bond between Taulia and Tua Tagovailoa has always been strong. Both brothers share a deep passion for football, and their family’s faith and values have been central to their upbringing. Taulia often credits his brother as one of his biggest inspirations, both on and off the field. The Samoan family’s close-knit relationship heavily emphasizes the importance of family and solidarity.
Taulia Tagovailoa’s Scouting Report
What better way to ignite the sibling rivalry than to compare their scouting reports?
Strengths
- Flashes impressive velocity in the short ranges and over the middle of the field.
- Showcases the necessary arm elasticity to adjust his arm angles on short throws.
- Can keep his shoulders level and maintain velocity when working off-platform.
- Above-average athlete who has enough speed to evade rushers and reach the sideline.
- Can levy quick one-cut movements to offset defenders in space and get extra yards.
- Has enough hip flexibility to torque his midsection while rolling across his body.
- Steps up to avoid looping rushers, and can seep into space through outlets.
- Able to keep his eyes forward on his drop and look off safeties, opening the boundary.
- Has shown he can work left to right and trigger on open second reads with urgency.
- Has the patience and discretion to wait for optimal second-window throws.
- Has shown to climb the pocket and use controlled shoulder tilt on deep passes.
- Overall, has solid rotational mechanics and areal accuracy, giving WRs chances.
- Possesses a good feel for trajectory manipulation and lofts throws into buckets.
- Savvy veteran with good awareness and ball handling on play-actions and options.
- Tough competitor who plays to win and puts it all on the line in high-pressure moments.
Weaknesses
- Arm strength is near average; velocity doesn’t consistently carry down the field.
- Athleticism, while above average, is not elite and cannot be an offensive centerpiece.
- Deep passes float and lose pace, allowing defenders to regain positioning underneath.
- Can be over-zealous and test tight windows that he doesn’t have the arm to challenge.
- Footwork can be staggered on his drop, and heel clicks sometimes lock out his hips.
- Base can be a bit too narrow in-phase, causing lopsided shoulder alignment on release.
- Sometimes kicks up back foot on release, tipping front shoulder and causing low misses.
- Release can be somewhat winding and concentric, delaying throw arrival times.
- Doesn’t always have the necessary poise to trigger on open WRs with pressure coming.
- Sometimes needs receivers to be completely open before triggering.
- Field vision and anticipation can be more consistent.
Tua Tagovailoa’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Remains poised under the rush, steps up in the pocket to buy time and naturally looks off the safety.
- Displays complete command and control of the offense, uses all his weapons and leads the team extremely well.
- Knows what’s happening on the field, quickly releases the ball and delivers passes that immediately get to the intended target.
- Displays timing, puts passes in front of receivers and lets them run to the throw.
- Goes through progressions and takes the safe underneath outlet if nothing else is available.
- Keeps his feet active, displays outstanding pocket awareness and senses the rush.
- Easily moves outside the box to give himself a better view of the field and buys time for receivers.
- Makes good decisions and does not force the ball to covered targets.
- Flashes the ability to drop the ball in the bucket and nicely place passes into the receiver’s hands.
Weaknesses
- Durability has been a major issue throughout his college career.
- Stands to improve his downfield accuracy and pass placement.