Former Miami Dolphins coach and current Alabama head coach Nick Saban was hoping that his star quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa would be drafted by his former NFL franchise.
Saban got his wish last Thursday night, as Tagovailoa was selected with the fifth overall pick by the Dolphins. In a video conference, per Barry Jackson and Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald, Saban remarked that his former quarterback would make a “great face of the organization there.”
“I was really, really hopeful that Miami would take him. Tua’s such a great person. Really was a very, very good leader here. One of the most popular players that we’ve ever had with our fans and our fan base. I think he will be a great face of the organization there.”
Due to helping Alabama to a championship as a true freshman, Tagovailoa managed to break the Alabama record for career touchdown passes in just 20 games, and accumulated 7,442 yards, 87 touchdowns and 11 interceptions over 32 games while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes.
With those stats and that college successful, Tagovailoa would have been in the running for the No. 1 overall pick had it not been for a few leg injuries over the last calendar year and a gruesome hip injury in mid-November that left many NFL teams questioning his durability.
Despite those injury concerns, Saban reiterated his compliments on his former playing, saying that if anyone could overcome these injuries, it would be Tagovailoa.
“I was just rooting for the guy. I felt so bad about him getting injured. Would those consequences of that injury affect his draft status dramatically? Probably as anxious as I ever was about a player getting drafted, so I was really excited about the fact that Miami ended up taking him. I think this is going to work out great. Tua’s a great player, and he’s going to be an even better person in the community and the organization.”
Saban will get to follow his former signal-caller's NFL career from the sidelines, just not the same ones as Tagovailoa anymore.
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