77 Facts About Tua Tagovailoa

Tuanigamanuolepola Donny Tagovailoa is an American professional football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League.

Tua Tagovailoa played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was named the Offensive MVP of the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship during his freshman season.

Tua Tagovailoa spent his rookie season alternating as a backup and starter before becoming the team's primary starter in 2021.

Tua Tagovailoa led the league in passer rating in 2022 and passing yards in 2023, earning Pro Bowl honors in the latter, and helping the Dolphins qualify for the playoffs both seasons.

Tua Tagovailoa was said to have grown up with an intense interest in football, with his parents noting that he slept with a football under his arm every night as a small child.

Tua Tagovailoa was highly respected in the local Samoan community and was regularly addressed as "Chief Tagovailoa".

Tua Tagovailoa briefly considered quitting the sport after Seu's death in 2014 until he and his father agreed that he could best honor him by continuing to play.

When Tua Tagovailoa began varsity high school football in at Saint Louis School, he threw for 33 passing touchdowns during his first season with three interceptions and 2,583 passing yards.

Tua Tagovailoa said a big inspiration and motivation for his performance was how his father disciplined him, saying he used a belt whenever Tua Tagovailoa threw an interception.

In 2016, Tua Tagovailoa played in the All-American Bowl, and in his regular season threw for 2,669 passing yards with 27 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Tua Tagovailoa was chosen to be a part of the Elite 11 roster as one of the top high school quarterbacks in the nation, where he was named MVP of that roster.

Tua Tagovailoa educated people on his culture by teaching them the correct pronunciation.

Tua Tagovailoa was deemed a four-star recruit during the 2017 recruiting cycle and was ranked the top high school prospect in the state of Hawaii.

Tua Tagovailoa attended Saint Louis School in Honolulu, the same school as 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, where Mariota served as a mentor to him when they were growing up in Hawaii.

Tua Tagovailoa had 17 offers to play on a college football scholarship before eventually enrolling at the University of Alabama in January 2017.

Tua Tagovailoa likened Alabama's hospitality to Hawaii's when picking the school, and credits Alabama's church-going culture for making it feel more similar to his home state.

Tua Tagovailoa finished the game 14-of-24 for 166 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and one interception, along with 27 rushing yards on 12 attempts.

On September 1,2018, Tua Tagovailoa made his first career start at the season's opening game, against Louisville, in Orlando, Florida.

Tua Tagovailoa set a new NCAA FBS passer rating record of 199.4 for the season, surpassing the record 198.9 set by Baker Mayfield in 2017.

Tua Tagovailoa began his junior season at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game with a victory against Duke in Atlanta.

Tua Tagovailoa finished 26-of-31 with 336 passing yards and four touchdowns before sitting out the fourth quarter.

Tua Tagovailoa finished that game 16-of-24 with 227 passing yards and four total touchdowns before sitting out the fourth quarter.

Tua Tagovailoa left the Tide's seventh game against Tennessee early in the second quarter after suffering a high ankle sprain.

Tua Tagovailoa underwent surgery to repair the ankle the following day, and did not play in the next game against Arkansas.

Tua Tagovailoa was carted off the field and flown to a Birmingham hospital before undergoing surgery in Houston two days later.

In January 2020, Tua Tagovailoa announced that he would forgo his senior year and enter the 2020 NFL draft.

Tua Tagovailoa finished his collegiate career as holder of numerous Alabama football records, as well as notable NCAA career records, including: passing yards per attempt, adjusted passing yards per attempt, passing efficiency rating, and total yards per play.

Tua Tagovailoa graduated with a bachelor's degree in communication studies in August 2020.

Tua Tagovailoa was projected to be taken first overall in the 2020 NFL draft until his season-ending injury led to LSU quarterback and 2019 Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow supplanting him as the draft's top prospect.

Tua Tagovailoa was the first left-handed quarterback to be drafted by an NFL team since Tim Tebow in 2010.

Tua Tagovailoa signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $30 million, on May 11,2020.

Tua Tagovailoa passed his physical with the team in July 2020 to begin training camp, but was named the backup to Ryan Fitzpatrick to start the season.

Later in the game, Tua Tagovailoa recorded his first career touchdown on a pass thrown to DeVante Parker.

Tua Tagovailoa jammed his thumb in practice prior to a Week 12 game against the Jets and missed the game.

Tua Tagovailoa's performance earned him Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week honors for back-to-back weeks.

In Week 16 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Tua Tagovailoa threw for 94 yards and a touchdown before being benched in favor of Fitzpatrick again in the fourth quarter.

Tua Tagovailoa led the Dolphins to a Week 1 win over the New England Patriots, their divisional rivals.

Tua Tagovailoa was later ruled out for the Dolphins Week 3 matchup against the Raiders, as it was revealed that he had fractured several ribs.

Tua Tagovailoa was then placed on injured reserve on September 25,2021, and returned from injury in Week 6 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

Tua Tagovailoa used the win to catapult a turnaround in his and his team's fortunes.

Tua Tagovailoa led the team to its first seven-game winning streak since 1985.

Tua Tagovailoa finished the 2021 season with 2,653 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns, and ten interceptions to go along with 42 carries for 128 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in 13 games.

Tua Tagovailoa demonstrated a fencing response and was stretchered off the field and transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center with head and neck injuries.

Tua Tagovailoa was discharged from the hospital later that night.

Tua Tagovailoa's suspected concussion resulted in the NFL and NFLPA revising its concussion protocol policy.

On December 21, despite topping the overall fan votes for the 2023 Pro Bowl, Tua Tagovailoa was not selected to the Pro Bowl.

The next day, it was announced that Tua Tagovailoa had entered concussion protocol after he was experiencing concussion symptoms he suffered in the game.

Tua Tagovailoa led the league in passer rating and passing average.

Tua Tagovailoa was ranked 82nd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.

On January 3,2024, it was announced that Tua Tagovailoa had been selected for his first Pro Bowl appearance.

Tua Tagovailoa was named as the starting quarterback of the AFC roster.

Tua Tagovailoa finished the season with a league-leading 4,624 passing yards, becoming the first Dolphins quarterback to lead the league in passing yards since Dan Marino in 1992.

Tua Tagovailoa generated career-highs in passing touchdowns, completions, and completion percentage in his fourth NFL season.

Tua Tagovailoa was ranked 36th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2024.

On July 26,2024, Tua Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension with the Dolphins through 2028.

Tua Tagovailoa opened the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, throwing for 336 yards and leading a game-winning field goal drive.

Head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed that medical experts approved his return, and Tua Tagovailoa stated that he did not consider retirement after the concussion.

Tua Tagovailoa joined Dan Marino as the only Dolphins quarterback with a 300-yard performance in three consecutive games.

Tua Tagovailoa has been noted for his throwing accuracy and touch, particularly in passes traveling over 20 yards in the air despite criticism of his arm strength.

In particular, Tua Tagovailoa has been efficient in running the run-pass option, one of his strengths in college and early on in his professional career, and his time to throw and time to release are among the fastest in the league.

Tua Tagovailoa graduated early from Saint Louis School and moved with his family to Alabaster, Alabama, after his commitment to play for the University of Alabama.

Tua Tagovailoa has been married to his wife, Annah, since 2022.

Tua Tagovailoa is one of two starting left-handed quarterbacks currently in the NFL, alongside Michael Penix Jr.

Tua Tagovailoa's younger brother, Taulia Tagovailoa, is a CFL quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Tua Tagovailoa transferred to Maryland in 2020 after spending a year as Tagovailoa's backup at Alabama in 2019.

In 2023, Tua Tagovailoa began practicing jiu-jitsu in response to the concussions he suffered in the 2022 NFL season.

Tua Tagovailoa is a supporter of the Samoa national rugby league team, and publicly pledged his support to the team during the 2021 Rugby League World Cup where they made the Final for the first time.

The foundation focuses its efforts in communities that have had the most prominent impact on Tua Tagovailoa including Hawaii, Alabama, and Miami.

Tua Tagovailoa identifies as "full Samoan" and "not Hawaiian" even though he is from Hawaii.

On May 19,2018, Tua Tagovailoa returned to Hawaii after winning the National Championship game with Crimson Tide teammate and friend Najee Harris to be celebrated at the Hometown Hero Parade.

Tua Tagovailoa wore traditional Samoan clothing, headwear, and shoes, and was accompanied by his friend and cousin.

Money is thrown at the dancer, and Tua Tagovailoa chose to donate this money to his hometown church and youth football program.

Tua Tagovailoa enjoyed sharing his culture with his Alabama teammates, bringing his teammates Joshua Casher and Alex Leatherwood to explore Oahu's Polynesian Cultural Center's villages.

Tua Tagovailoa believed it was a "good experience for them to see a good mix of cultures", and after they remarked on how they could lead traditional Samoan chants before Alabama games.

In 2024, Tua Tagovailoa collaborated with clothing brand Perry Ellis on a modern island life-themed line of clothing.

Tua Tagovailoa was inspired by aspects of his culture when designing the pieces and the clothing he grew up wearing.

Tua Tagovailoa commented on how clothing designs that were normal for his culture's everyday wear were pushing the boundaries of design for a company like Perry Ellis that typically sticks to more classic designs.