Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa Will Leave School Early and Enter NFL Draft

Tua Tagovailoa has played his last down at the University of Alabama. After plenty of speculation, the youngster made things official on Monday at a press conference in Tuscaloosa, announcing he's leaving school early and will enter the NFL Draft in April.

With Nick Saban by his side, Tagovailoa, a projected first-round pick, was emotional in his announcement that he'll be turning pro.

Breaking: Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa will enter the 2020 NFL draft. pic.twitter.com/8MA1mcARLf
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 6, 2020

Tagovailoa was expected to be in contention for the No. 1 overall pick in this spring's draft for quite some time, but a major hip injury suffered earlier this season has affected his stock. LSU's Joe Burrow now figures to be a virtual lock to be taken No. 1 by the Bengals.

However, just because it's unlikely he goes No. 1 doesn't mean the 6-1, 220-pounder won't be a high selection in the first round. Several teams are in need of a quarterback of the future. Could the Dolphins take Tua? Hey, maybe the Chargers go after him to eventually replace Philip Rivers? It's all on the table.

Tua on his next step and his motivation from his hip rehab: "These kind of things pretty much boil down to one thing, and I think that's faith. And coming from a family that has a lot of it, I'm definitely willing to take that challenge."
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 6, 2020

Few Alabama fans have forgotten Tagovailoa leading the team to a national championship win at the end of his freshman year. It was one of the countless memories he provided for fans. Now, he'll look to do the same in the NFL.