Alabama’s early enrollee quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa attended the Touchdown Club of Atlanta award ceremony Thursday night. Tagovailoa met with the media and discussed his transition to Alabama and playing alongside his brother, Tua Tagovailoa.
Q: What is your mentality going into spring practice with Tua as quarterback and you looking to start in that role?
A: I'm just trying to win the starting spot, and I'm going to learn a lot from him and the other quarterbacks. I'm going to compete my hardest and going to work hard on and off the field.
Q: Starting college early, what’s that transition been like with classes and getting used to college life?
A: It's different, I have to be more independent. It's something that I like though, I have more time throughout the day, in between classes and tutors and stuff like that. The tutors help me a lot and my professors are real cool, I like it.
Q: With spring practice around the corner, do you have a concrete goal or skill you want to work on? Training wise, is there something specific you have a goal for, or just overall development?
A: For spring practice I'm just trying to be a sponge and absorb everything and learn everything that I can. Just try to get comfortable with the timing of my receivers and the snaps. Just everything, getting used to practices.
Q: With (Jalen) Hurts gone and your brother at quarterback, what was the biggest takeaway you took watching the championship game and them battling during the game? What do you want to take forward for yourself?
A: Competition, you know. I know Jalen got better, Jalen got a lot better from when he started. Both of them competing made both of them better. And I know Jalen made a decision that was best for him and his family. And that's what I'm going to do, I'm just going to continue to compete like they did, and I know I'm going to get Tua better as well as the other quarterbacks, and they will get me better at the same time.
Q: What are those relationships with the other early enrollees like so far? Were you friends with any of them before you started at Alabama, or how did they develop?
A: I mean I never really met them before, only the people I played against in Alabama. But now we're all cool, we're all close, I'm happy I got to build relationships with them early.
Q: How are you feeling with your shoulder going into spring practice and everything?
A: Oh, I'm going to be good. The trainers at Alabama are taking really good care of me. They are the best trainers in the nation, and I'm happy that I'm teaming up with them. I'll going to be 100 percent for spring practice.
Q: How were you feeling during the 2019 Polynesian Bowl?
A: My shoulder was still messed up, but it's a game that I really wanted to play in. And it meant a lot to me, so that's why I played in it.
Q: How did you hurt your shoulder?
A: It was in our semifinal game against Hoover. They landed on me, and I landed wrong and it just got messed up.
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