Best Alabama football players: Modern-era Mount Rushmore – From Derrick Thomas to Tua

Perhaps it’s recency bias but there is reasonable cause to say that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, fresh off of his three years under Nick Saban and his umbrella, is the greatest player to ever suit up for Alabama football. Yes, his career ended prematurely and he only spent three years in Tuscaloosa — but what Tua was able to accomplish in that brief time was nothing short of magical.

The legend of Tagovailoa was already in place entering his freshman campaign in 2017 but, once he actually took the field, the legend reached lofty expectations. Tua saw his first real action in the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Georgia, taking over for Jalen Hurts with the Crimson Tide trailing 13-0 at halftime.

Thanks in no small part to Tagovailoa, Alabama stormed back to force overtime after the freshman quarterback starred. He saved the best for overtime, however, taking a horrendous sack first but recovering with a 41-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith to capture the title for the Tide.

Tagovailoa took the starting job for Hurts in the 2018 season and put up absurd numbers, throwing for 3,966 yards, 43 touchdowns and six interceptions while taking Bama back to the National Championship Game, though they fell well short against Clemson. In 2019, Tua was again phenomenal but first suffered an ankle injury that limited him and then came back only to fall victim to a horrific hip injury that ultimately ended his college football career.

Despite coming up short in terms of titles in his final two seasons and having his time in Tuscaloosa cut short due to injury, Tagovailoa established himself as the greatest quarterback in program history.

Only starting less than two full seasons, Tagovailoa is third in Alabama’s all-time passing yards list (7,442), first in career completion percentage (69.3), first in career touchdowns (87) and holds the records for most touchdowns in a single game and single season. He was as prolific of a passer as Alabama has ever seen and his place on their modern-day Mount Rushmore is undeniable.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.