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3 SEC football teams who probably offered Taulia Tagovailoa ‘crazy money’ to transfer

By Cody Williams

MADISON, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 05: Taulia Tagovailoa #3 of the Maryland Terrapins drops back to pass against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 05, 2022 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
MADISON, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 05: Taulia Tagovailoa #3 of the Maryland Terrapins drops back to pass against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 05, 2022 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) /
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Taulia Tagovailoa, SEC football
COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 19: Taulia Tagovailoa #3 of the Maryland Terrapins celebrates during the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at SECU Stadium on November 19, 2022 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa said he was offered ‘crazy money’ to transfer to an SEC football program. Naturally, we have to wonder who offered him.

At Big Ten Media Days this past week, Maryland Terrapins quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa briefly detailed his part in the offseason NIL free-for-all in the transfer portal. Most notably, the quarterback said that he was offered “crazy money” by an SEC football program to transfer in, per Audrey Snyder of The Athletic (subscription required).

Specifically, Tagovailoa said he was offered $1.5 million from a program that he declined to name at the podium.

But that’s not going to stop us from naming the possibilities. Looking at the aggressive offer in terms of money and pairing that with needs at quarterback, we are willing to bet — though this is purely speculative and not at all being reported — that it was one of these three SEC football programs who made the push for Taulia Tagovailoa to transfer ahead of the 2023 season.

3. Auburn football definitely has good reason to have offered Taulia Tagovailoa

It’s not a secret at this point that Hugh Freeze identified quarterback as an area in which the Auburn Tigers could undeniably improve moving into his first season on the sidelines for the program. Robbie Ashford, who remains an option, was wildly inconsistent as a thrower and, to help rebuild the Tigers, they needed more stability and consistency.

Ultimately, Auburn brought in former Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne, another Big Ten veteran who isn’t Tagovailoa.

Thorne has been solid if not unspectacular with the Spartans throughout his two years as a full-time starter, however. Thorne did throw for 3,232 yards and 27 touchdowns in the 2021 season but took a step back when Kenneth Walker III left the offense, throwing for 2,679 yards and just 19 touchdowns.

When you then look at the productivity and the upgrade in efficiency in the passing game that Tagovialoa could’ve provided, it’s not hard to connect these hypothetical dots to Auburn.

We know that the Tigers have been investing big time in NIL once Freeze arrived to revive the program from the disaster that Brian Harsin left, so it only stands to reason that they would’ve tried to take a big swing to upgrade the quarterback spot in the transfer portal.

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