Taulia Tagovailoa won the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 7A Back of the Year Award for the 2017 and 2018 seasons as the quarterback at Thompson High School in Alabaster.
At Maryland, Tagovailoa became the Big Ten’s career passing leader as he threw for 11,256 yards in four seasons with the Terrapins.
But it’s Tagovailoa’s older brother, Tua Tagovailoa, who is preparing for his sixth NFL season with the Miami Dolphins, while Taulia Tagovailoa has appeared on the rosters of teams in three leagues in 2025 – none in the NFL.
Tua Tagovailoa said his brother’s journey showed how much he loves football.
“For my younger brother, I think I would tell him, like, man, he must really love this,” Tua Tagovailoa said on Wednesday, “because he played in the CFL, then he went to Germany to play, then he came to Boston, I think, to play in the Arena Football League, so I think he got a little cooler gig, if you will, than me with traveling to different places and seeing things.
“But, you know, I love my brother. I support him in any and everything that he does, and I’m here for him for whatever he needs.”
The Tagovailoa brothers were teammates at Alabama in the 2019 season.
Tua Tagovailoa was in his second season as the Crimson Tide’s No. 1 QB after receiving consensus All-American recognition, earning the Maxwell and Walter Camp awards and finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting the previous season.
Taulia Tagovailoa was behind his brother and Mac Jones on the Crimson Tide’s depth chart. He completed 9-of-12 passes for 100 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions before transferring to Maryland.
Taulia Tagovailoa attended rookie minicamps with the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals after going undrafted in 2024 and failing with an application to the NCAA for another season of eligibility.
Tagovailoa completed the 2024 Canadian Football League schedule as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ backup quarterback, appearing in eight games.
After Hamilton released Tagovailoa on May 11, the Hamburg Sea Devils of the European League of Football signed the quarterback on May 22. Tagovailoa started two ELF games, including a 31-14 victory over the Berlin Thunder as he threw three touchdown passes on June 7. But Hamburg announced a week later the Sea Devils and quarterback had parted ways “for family reasons.”
On June 25, Tagovailoa signed with the Massachusetts Pirates of the Indoor Football League. After serving as a backup for four games, Tagovailoa started the Pirates’ 2025 finale and had two touchdown runs and one TD pass in a 45-30 loss to the Bay Area Pirates on July 25.
While Taulia Tagovailoa’s latest season is over, Tua Tagovailoa’s next season is about to begin. The Dolphins kick off their 2025 campaign on Sept. 7 against the Indianapolis Colts.
“I feel like these six years in the NFL have been in dog years,” Tagovailoa said. “A lot of ups and downs, but a lot of growth, a lot of perspective throughout those struggles and challenges. And you know, you become more grateful for the things you have and where you are and who you become throughout those challenges and difficulties.”
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Before visiting Indianapolis, Miami has three preseason games, starting with the Chicago Bears at noon CDT Sunday. NFL Network will televise the game.
On Friday, the Dolphins and Bears will hold a joint practice at Chicago’s facility in Lake Forest, Illinois.
“We’re pretty excited,” Tagovailoa said. “I think our defense is pretty excited as well. We have a lot of chirping going on back and forth (at practice) with the competitive nature, with situational ball and then team drills. And so I know those guys are hungry to see the ball more because I for sure wasn’t letting them see the ball a lot this training camp.”
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at@AMarkG1.
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