Despite Injury, Former Tide QB Tagovailoa Poised for Starting Job

Former Alabama and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is dealing with back tightness in his first offseason with the Atlanta Falcons, but that isn't stopping the former Crimson Tide national champion from pursuing a starting quarterback for a franchise that plays its home games in a stadium where he became a legend for Alabama.

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In the 2018 College Football Playoff national championship, Tagovailoa entered the game at halftime, leading the Crimson Tide back from a 13-0 deficit, capping the comeback victory in overtime with a 41-yard touchdown pass to fellow freshman DeVonta Smith to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to claim the school's 17th national championship.

Tagovailoa went on to have a prolific college career before the Miami Dolphins drafted him with the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NFL draft, where he spent the first six seasons of his NFL career. The Dolphins released Tagovailoa this past offseason, and he signed with the Falcons, where he is competing with former Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. for the starting job.

Penix tore his ACL late last season for the Falcons and has still not been cleared to return to 11-on-11 action for Atlanta, telling reporters on Wednesday that it could be another four weeks before he's fully cleared.

With Penix limited in practice for roughly another month, if Tagovailoa can withstand his back injury, then the former national championship hero for Alabama has a wide-open opportunity to start for the Falcons, who boast some of the top weapons in the NFL with Drake London at wide receiver, Kyle Pitts at tight end, and Bijan Robinson (who is currently holding in for a contract extension) at running back.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.