Nick Saban says Tua is most popular Alabama football player ever (Video)

Former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa received serious praise from his former head coach Nick Saban.

His final college football season didn’t end the way he had expected, but Tua Tagovailoa reached his destination in April: the NFL. Tagoavailoa was aiming to bring the Alabama Crimson Tide to the National Championship one final time, but that plan didn’t come to fruition due to a season-ending hip injury. Either way, Tagovailoa was drafted by the Miami Dolphins and left behind a legacy at Alabama that will never be forgotten.

In a clip of FOX Sports’ series, “Tua Talks,” head coach Nick Saban said that the most popular player in Alabama history would probably be Tagovailoa. It’s hard to debate this statement, that’s for sure.

Tua had three memorable seasons at Tuscaloosa

Tagovailoa had quite the college debut. During the 2018 National Championship Game, Alabama was down 13-0 to the Georgia Bulldogs at halftime. Saban opted to bench struggling starter Jalen Hurts for Tagovailoa, and the freshman led the Crimson Tide to a comeback victory in overtime.

The following season, Tagovailoa led Alabama to the big game once again after throwing for 3,966 yards and 43 touchdowns. However, they would end up losing to the Trevor Lawrence-led Clemson Tigers. Tagovailoa was on pace to at least put Alabama in the College Football Playoff, but his hip injury against Mississippi State ended his season.

Before Tagovailoa’s arrival, the Crimson Tide football program was never known for its quarterbacks. Usually, the teams were carried to bowl games by their stifling defenses and powerful running games. Tagovailoa was arguably the most dynamic signal-caller in the program’s history, and he became a popular figure of Alabama fans as a result.

Now, Tagovailoa is set on creating a similar buzz in the NFL with the Dolphins. You best believe that there will be plenty of Tua-Dolphins jerseys worn around Tuscaloosa.