Jeremy Pruitt and his staff have been exceptionally busy on the recruiting trail over the last few weeks. They’ve picked up commitments and have hosted several highly-rated prospects, including the No. 1 athlete in the 2019 class. Tennessee is also set to host more prospects this weekend and next week, and that reportedly now includes one of the top quarterbacks in this cycle.
Taulia Tagovailoa is a four-star quarterback who is currently committed to Alabama. He’s the younger brother of rising sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa who burst onto the scene for the Tide last year during the National Championship Game. The Vols offered the younger Tagovailoa in January of this year, and now according to a report from Gridiron Now’s John Brice, Tennessee will be hosting the talented quarterback this weekend.
So @Vol_Football is flat-out doing work on the recruiting trail. Had 6-8 QBs on campus last weekend in a special invite-only setting, in addition to linemen camp & 7on7. Now am told they expect to host @tauliaa12 through the weekend. #Vols #SEC
— John Brice (@JohnDBrice1) June 14, 2018
Tennessee had Tagovailoa on campus for a Junior Day event back on February 24th, and he unofficially visited South Carolina exactly a month later. But on April 21st, he committed to Alabama and seems destined to join his brother on the Tide’s roster.
But a commitment isn’t going to stop Jeremy Pruitt and his staff from trying to sway Tagovailoa.
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Tagovailoa is the No. 149 overall player and the No. 7 pro-style quarterback in the 2019 class. Michigan, Oregon, Florida, and others have also offered him. He was recently invited to The Opening Finals along with other highly-rated quarterbacks.
Though a bit undersized by usual quarterback standards at 5-foot-11, Tagovailoa’s highlight tape shows off his speed and explosiveness while running. But he’s more than just a running quarterback; his film also displays his ability to throw accurately on the run and highlights his very strong arm. He throws a tight deep ball and is fairly accurate in almost all his throws. He doesn’t struggle throwing to any part of the field in his highlight film.
As a junior, Tagovailoa completed 66 percent of his 435 pass attempts for 3,820 yards, 36 touchdowns, and eight interceptions for Thompson High School in Alabaster, Alabama. He also ran for 155 yards and five scores on just 30 carries according to Max Preps.
Along with Tagovailoa, the Vols are also expected to host five-star linebacker Henry To’oto’o either this weekend or sometime next week.
The Vols don’t currently have a quarterback committed in their 2019 class, and it remains unclear if they’ll end up signing one in this class. But if they can convince Tagovailoa to flip his commitment from Alabama to them, then Tennessee will absolutely take him. But that seems unlikely at this point, and the younger Tagovailoa is likely to follow his brother’s footsteps at Alabama.
