Aaron Donald’s huge hit reminded Tua Tagovailoa he’s not at Alabama anymore (Video)

Tua Tagovailoa is making his first NFL start, but Aaron Donald wants him to know his place right away. 

Welcome to the NFL moments are pretty cliche, but cliches exist for a reason. Aaron Donald remixed that cliche in a pretty big way to let Tua Tagovailoa know he’s playing with big boys every Sunday now.

Tua’s first drive as a starter ended with him absorbing a cannonball shot from Donald and losing a fumble that set up a Rams score.

Alabama and Miami might have Nick Saban in common, but Tua’s not in Tuscaloosa anymore.

Let’s not judge Tua too harshly for any of this. Not only is this the first start of his career, but there’s no shame in taking a monster hit from Donald. If anything, Tua deserves some serious props for stepping in front of a locomotive like he did and getting up to tell the tale.

Of course, Bama fans won’t be surprised by any of this. The amazing things they watched him do on Saturdays are exactly what Dolphins fans are hoping to see him do on Sundays. His big debut two weeks ago was an incredible moment, but now it’s time to get down to business — and business could be booming for Miami.

The Dolphins have one of the best young head coaches in the game, a locker room culture that free agent players are finding more and more desirable, and a war chest of draft picks to build the future around Tua.

If Tua can be half of what he was at Alabama, the Dolphins are sitting pretty. But Tua seems to only be getting started and what he will become is going to be a journey all football fans should be very invested in.