Tua Tagovailoa admitted he was "really close" to transferring to USC in 2017 during his freshman season at Alabama because he didn't want to watch from the sideline.
"I wanted my parents to see me play, my parents wanted to see me play," the quarterback said Wednesday on "The Dan Patrick Show." "Just making my parents happy and proud was the biggest thing I wanted to do, and I couldn't do it on the sideline."
What could have been…Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa says he was “really close” to transferring to USC when he wasn’t playing at 'Bama pic.twitter.com/sadX4iB70C
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) September 25, 2019
Tagovailoa was a true freshman behind sophomore Jalen Hurts when he considered leaving Alabama. Hurts had led the Crimson Tide to the national championship game against Clemson the season before, but came just short of winning the title.
Tagovailoa played sparingly, appearing in eight games that season, but wanted to be a starter. He got an opportunity to compete for the starting job when coach Nick Saban benched Hurts at halftime of the 2017 national championship game, where he threw three touchdown passes in a win over Georgia.
GAME. WINNER. DOT. GIF.
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) January 9, 2018
The legend of Tua Tagovailoa has just begun. #RollTide pic.twitter.com/wlhjTNCOi5
He won the starting job as a sophomore, finishing the 2018 season with 3,966 passing yards and 48 total touchdowns, and Hurts transferred to Oklahoma.
Tagovailoa is off to another strong start this season, completing 77.7% of his passes for 1,300 yards and 17 touchdowns with no interceptions. He again is a favorite for the Heisman Trophy and is expected to be a top NFL Draft pick in 2020, if not the No. 1 overall selection.