Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa nearly returned to the Crimson Tide for one last season of college football.
Tua opted to leave for the NFL after his junior year in Nick Saban’s program, despite suffering a hip injury against Mississippi State. While I think we all know it was a tough decision, it turns out he nearly didn’t pull the trigger on leaving. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
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“I was very close. I sat down with my family, my parents, got to see where their hearts were with this whole thing,” Tua told ProFootballTalk during a Thursday interview.
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Honestly, you can’t fault Tua for leaving for the NFL. You really can’t at all. What was the upside to coming back?
He plays very well, wins a national title and is then still not the top pick in the 2021 draft. See, there’s really no upside at all.
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The former Alabama star is probably going to be a top 10 pick this year, he already has a title ring, and he has nothing left to prove.
When I look at it, the upside to justify leaving millions on the table simply didn’t outweigh the downsides of returning.
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Tua, while it might be hard to hear for some, made the right call by dipping for the NFL. I 100% believe he’ll have a very strong career at the next level.