Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa entered the transfer portal Friday afternoon, 247Sports reports. The Big Ten’s all-time leading passer should have a long list of suitors, but there is a hitch — the NCAA would need to grant Tagovailoa a waiver to allow him a sixth season of eligibility. Tagovailoa has filed for a re-instatement waiver, ESPN reports.
Tagovailoa’s case hinges around his true freshman season at Alabama. Players are limited to just four games to preserve redshirt eligibility and Tagovailoa played in five as the third-string quarterback. He had just two snaps apiece in two of those appearances, though, and only logged stats in three games. According to ESPN, Tagovailoa argues that he entered Alabama’s 2019 regular season finale against Mississippi State — his fifth appearance — and played two snaps as a way to honor his older brother, Tua, who suffered a hip injury.
“I’d humbly ask them to consider that the plan for 2019 was always for me to redshirt,” Tagovailoa told ESPN. “In an emotional decision where my brother had suffered a devastating injury, I went into my fifth game to honor him. In that game, I only played two snaps at the end of the game, where I didn’t even record a stat. In another game, I only played one snap before kneeling for the final play. These are two games my freshman year where I played only two snaps in each game. Please don’t let those four snaps prevent me from playing another year of college football while beginning coursework for my master’s degree.
“Honestly, if I could do it again, hopefully my brother doesn’t get injured and I’m not in that emotional state where I want to play in the game. If I got to do it over again, I wouldn’t have played in the game. Coach asked me if I wanted to go in. Of course I wanted to go in and play for my brother. And that’s what happened.”
Tagovailoa signed with Alabama in 2019 and transferred to Maryland in 2020, playing in four games in his first season with the Terrapins. He used his extra year of eligibility — handed down by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic — during the 2023 season, which means he’s been in college for five years with four seasons of eligibility utilized.
Tagovailoa emerged as Maryland’s starter from the moment he stepped foot on campus. In four seasons with the Terrapins, he completed 955 passes for 11,256 yards and 76 touchdowns — all three of which…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CBSSports.com Headlines…