Getty Image / Rich Schultz
The quarterback transfer portal market seemingly never stops, and another big name could be entering the portal in Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. But, there are complicating factors on if he will even be able to play college football next year.
That’s because, Taulia Tagovailoa has technically exhausted his eligibility, and he would have to get a waiver from the NCAA to play for a sixth year.
Here’s Inside MD Sports with more.
Taulia Tagovailoa could enter the transfer portal and attempt to play elsewhere next season as a grad transfer, Mike Locksley confirmed in an interview on “The Vinny & Haynie Show” on 105.7 The Fan. It’s one reason he opted out of Maryland’s appearance next Saturday in the Music City Bowl against Auburn.
“When he came to sit down and then he made the decision that he didn’t want to play in the bowl game in an effort to pursue future opportunities, whether it be the NFL, whether it be transferring, if in fact there were more time available,” Locksley said.
The catch is in the final phrase of Locksley’s comment, referring to Tagovailoa’s eligibility status: he’s used all of it. He would need to win a waiver from the NCAA, which is no sure thing because there’s little precedent for any claim he’d need to make. He played in five games as a freshman at Alabama, one more than allowed to call it a redshirt season, so it would be difficult to cite a paperwork error, injury or other extenuating circumstances. Both Alabama and Maryland would need to sign off too, which also seems far from a sure thing.
Currently, you can only get a redshirt year on a season that you play less five games in. Since he played five in 2019, that shouldn’t be able to count as a redshirt year. That means, even with the COVID year being a freebie for college athletes, he’s exhausted eligibility.
But, in two of those games he played at Alabama as a true freshman, Tagovailoa didn’t attempt a pass and played only a few snaps. Could they successfully argue those games shouldn’t count? Maybe.
If he gets an extra year of eligibility, he could be Miami bound, according to the article. His brother Tua, is the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins.
In his career at Maryland, he’s thrown for over 11,000 yards and 76 touchdowns, helped the school make three straight bowl games for the first time since 2006-2008.