Tua Tagovailoa Earns His Bachelor’s Degree

Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returned to Tuscaloosa over the weekend to receive his bachelor's degree from the University of Alabama's College of Communication and Information Sciences.

His brother, Taulia Tagovailoa, recorded Tua walking across the stage at Coleman Coliseum.

Tagovailoa came to Alabama as a 5-star prospect and the nation's top-ranked dual-threat quarterback according to 247Sports. He participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge and was named MVP of the 2016 Elite 11 quarterback competition.

As a freshman, Tagovailoa came off the bench in the national championship game against Georgia to bring the Crimson Tide back from a 13-0 halftime deficit. In overtime, he connected with DeVonta Smith for a 41-yard touchdown to secure Alabama's 17th national championship. Tagovailoa threw for 166 yards and three touchdowns and earned Offensive MVP honors.

The Hawai'i native became the full-time starter as a sophomore in 2018. Tagovailoa threw for 3,966 yards and an Alabama single-season record 43 touchdown passes. He was named the Walter Camp Player of the Year, the National Player of the Year by Sporting News, won the Maxwell Award and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting.

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As a junior, Tagovailoa threw for 2,840 yards and 33 touchdowns in nine games. He led all quarterbacks with a 206.93 passer efficiency rating. He left Tuscaloosa as Alabama's all-time leader in passing touchdowns with 87 and third in career passing yards with 7,442.

Tagovailoa was drafted fifth overall by the Miami Dolphins in the 2020 NFL Draft. He became the first Alabama quarterback to be drafted in the first round under head coach Nick Saban.

In his rookie season, Tagovailoa went 6-3 as a starter. He threw for 1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns and completed 64.1% of his passes, leading the Dolphins to a 10-6 record.