Maryland football is getting ready to play Auburn football in the Music City Bowl, but the Terrapins will be without quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa is sitting out to avoid injury as he looks to pursue other opportunities after Maryland. He has used all of his eligibly, so everyone assumed that the Terrapins QB was going to take a shot at the NFL after this season. However, that might not be the case.

In a recent interview on The Vinny and Haynie Show, Maryland football coach Mike Locksley said that Taulia Tagovailoa could look to enter the transfer portal to play elsewhere as a grad transfer. He would need a waiver from the NCAA, which can be hard, but it's possible.

“When he came to sit down and then he made the decision that he didn't want to play in the bowl game in an effort to pursue future opportunities, whether it be the NFL, whether it be transferring, if in fact there were more time available,” Mike Locksley said.

Tagovailoa did not start his career with Maryland. He transferred into the program, and he has been a great addition to the team. Now, he could transfer out, and Locksley wouldn't fault him for that decision.

“It was a pretty easy conversation because the mutual respect was there,” Locksley continued. “He's done enough and has done what we needed him to do for our program and we're very thankful. But at the same time, we've also given him a huge platform to showcase the abilities that we all have come to love. I think we've talked enough and understand the value that he added by coming to Maryland. He brought a brand because of his last name, and we provided him with a platform, which allowed him to get out of the shadow of that last name. And it was give and take, and he did a tremendous amount for our program and helped elevate it along with his teammates along the way. But the conversation was simple, man.”

Locksley has been doing this for long enough that he knows these things will happen. Maryland, like any team, could lose a lot of talent to the portal, but it's something that coaches are ready for.

“I have learned, and I say this, I've gotten rid of the attachment issues that as a coach you tend to have, and know that they're going to come and go now,” Locksley said. “And I addressed and kind of felt that way the last couple of years. It'll be a big story if Tagovailoa pops up in the portal. It would be a big story, especially with the Miami hook, but a waiver might be a longshot. Wherever he goes, he's done at Maryland, which he departs after leading the Terps to bowl eligibility three straight years, and with virtually every school passing record to his name.”

Locksley is right, it will be big if Taulia transfers out of the Maryland football program instead of pursuing the NFL. He has been a terrific QB for the Terrapins, and he would get a lot of attention in the portal. It'll be interesting to see what he decides to do.