Dylan Moses returning to Alabama: Will Tua Tagovailoa follow his lead?

Dylan Moses is returning to Alabama and he may set off a string of other players bypassing the NFL Draft, including Tua Tagovailoa to run it back in 2020.

Alabama has unfinished business and it could lead to a number of star players returning in 2020.

Preseason All-American linebacker Dylan Moses announced on his Instagram he will return next season after he missed all of 2019 with a torn ACL. Moses was a Butkus finalist and team leader whose absence in the middle of the defense and the huddle was missing for an Alabama defense that wasn’t the same elite unit we’re used to seeing.

Moses was viewed as a first round pick prior to the ACL injury but the lost season pushed him out of the first round mix. It was a smart decision to return for Moses. If he returns to health and the form he displayed in 2018, he should be back in consideration to be a top 25 pick. Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller had Moses going 19th in his mock draft.

For Alabama, it gives them an All-American talent with the leadership that will help call the defense and make sure the other players are in their spots and know what they need to do.

I have no doubts about Moses returning and challenging Penn State’s Micah Parsons for the Butkus, but the larger impact of this decision is what it means for other underclassmen and their decisions.

When Alabama missed the College Football Playoff for the first time the first question was about how many players would actually play in the Citrus Bowl. Preparing for the NFL Draft and eliminating the risk of injury in a game where a ring isn’t at stake is a growing trend but it looks like Alabama will have their studs playing.

Could this mean players who have been pegged in mock drafts for the last few months are thinking about following Moses’ lead and returning to Alabama for another year?

According to Michael Casagrande of Al.com, Saban said the NFL grades they got back only had injured quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the top-15.

That was pretty surprising considering offensive tackle Jerrick Wills, Jr. and receiver Jerry Jeudy could be the top players at their positions. If the growing vibe around the Alabama locker room is coming back to finish what they started and not go out the way they did, then Moses could just be the first domino to fall.

The big decision rests with Tua who faces an unknown recovery timeline from his fractured hip suffered against Mississippi State. Tua has hinted about his thought process in interviews essentially saying it’d be tough to turn down being a top-10 pick. Despite the unknown recovery for the Alabama record-setter, it looks like he’ll still be picked in that range.

My first instinct is to say Tua would be crazy to turn that down and run the risk of playing and suffering another injury while playing for free. But what if he bets on himself? What if Tua returns to full health this fall and shows he can get through a season healthy, wins the Heisman and leads Alabama to another national title with him under center?

Other great college quarterbacks have bypassed the NFL to have another chance to win a national title, notably Peyton Manning, Matt Leinart, Tim Tebow and Andrew Luck. Granted, none of them had the injury questions Tua has but there’s the priceless intangible of wanting to play one more year in college with your guys.

That was a large factor in the decision Moses made and the decision Tua, Jeudy, Jedrick Wills Jr., Henry Ruggs III, Devonta Smith, Xavier McKinney will have to make. If they aren’t satisfied with their NFL grades, I’m getting more confident in a few of these players returning to Tuscaloosa.

Moses got it started but Tua can set off an avalanche of others saying they want to run it back one more time if he returns.

That happens and you can pencil Alabama in the National Championship Game and the 2021 first round could set a record for most first round picks.

It would be the ultimate dream ending for Alabama fans and players. But is it too good to be true? We’ll have an answer perhaps after the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day.

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