It's a long read.
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There was a party waiting on him back at the fancy hotel in Honolulu. Instead, Tua Tagovailoa went to a Bible study at his uncle's church.
Alabama's latest signing class of football recruits is, yet again, projected to be the best in college football, and among the headliners is a left-handed, dual-threat quarterback who wants to lead his teammates on the field on Saturday, and then lead them to church on Sunday. In Hawaii, they like to call Tagovailoa the next Marcus Mariota, but in the SEC he'll be compared to another Heisman-winning quarterback, Tim Tebow.
A physical, five-star prospect who already is enrolled and taking classes at Alabama, the Tebow of Hawaii was back in the Aloha State last weekend for one last celebration of his high school career. Despite not being able to play in the game because of an NCAA restriction, Tagovailoa flew home last Thursday for the inaugural Polynesian Bowl, a high school all-star game similar to the Army All-American Bowl.
But first things first. Tua stopped by his uncle's church in Ewa Beach before enjoying the bowl's festivities.
"I was so surprised to see him at our youth Bible gathering," said Tuli Amosa, who is Tua's uncle and pastor, "but that's just who he is. You can tell where his thoughts are at, and he is like 10 years ahead of his age right now, which is an awesome thing."
A natural-born leader who takes after his parents -- father Galu is the oldest of nine siblings and mother Diane is the oldest of 10 -- Tua grew up the oldest of four brothers and sisters amid an enormous and deeply religious family. God, family and football are the three pillars of life for Alabama's new quarterback, and it was those values that have made it so easy for Tagovailoa to feel at home in Alabama, according to those closest to him.
Last year, Tua told his uncle and aunt that he wanted to build them a bigger church once he made it the NFL. He picked Alabama to help get him there.
A devout evangelical Christian, Tagovailoa toured Church of the Highlands in Tuscaloosa during his official visit to Alabama, and fell in love with the atmosphere. He is now a member of the ever-growing Alabama-based megachurch.
Like Tebow at Florida 11 years ago, Tagovailoa is expected to push Alabama's entrenched starter, Jalen Hurts, for immediate playing time this spring. That's hard to believe considering Hurts just completed one of the best freshman seasons of any starting quarterback in college football history, but that's the state of Alabama football recruiting on the eve of coach Nick Saban's 11th signing class with the team.
The Tim Tebow of Hawaii has big plans for Alabama
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There was a party waiting on him back at the fancy hotel in Honolulu. Instead, Tua Tagovailoa went to a Bible study at his uncle's church.
Alabama's latest signing class of football recruits is, yet again, projected to be the best in college football, and among the headliners is a left-handed, dual-threat quarterback who wants to lead his teammates on the field on Saturday, and then lead them to church on Sunday. In Hawaii, they like to call Tagovailoa the next Marcus Mariota, but in the SEC he'll be compared to another Heisman-winning quarterback, Tim Tebow.
A physical, five-star prospect who already is enrolled and taking classes at Alabama, the Tebow of Hawaii was back in the Aloha State last weekend for one last celebration of his high school career. Despite not being able to play in the game because of an NCAA restriction, Tagovailoa flew home last Thursday for the inaugural Polynesian Bowl, a high school all-star game similar to the Army All-American Bowl.
But first things first. Tua stopped by his uncle's church in Ewa Beach before enjoying the bowl's festivities.
"I was so surprised to see him at our youth Bible gathering," said Tuli Amosa, who is Tua's uncle and pastor, "but that's just who he is. You can tell where his thoughts are at, and he is like 10 years ahead of his age right now, which is an awesome thing."
A natural-born leader who takes after his parents -- father Galu is the oldest of nine siblings and mother Diane is the oldest of 10 -- Tua grew up the oldest of four brothers and sisters amid an enormous and deeply religious family. God, family and football are the three pillars of life for Alabama's new quarterback, and it was those values that have made it so easy for Tagovailoa to feel at home in Alabama, according to those closest to him.
Last year, Tua told his uncle and aunt that he wanted to build them a bigger church once he made it the NFL. He picked Alabama to help get him there.
A devout evangelical Christian, Tagovailoa toured Church of the Highlands in Tuscaloosa during his official visit to Alabama, and fell in love with the atmosphere. He is now a member of the ever-growing Alabama-based megachurch.
Like Tebow at Florida 11 years ago, Tagovailoa is expected to push Alabama's entrenched starter, Jalen Hurts, for immediate playing time this spring. That's hard to believe considering Hurts just completed one of the best freshman seasons of any starting quarterback in college football history, but that's the state of Alabama football recruiting on the eve of coach Nick Saban's 11th signing class with the team.
The Tim Tebow of Hawaii has big plans for Alabama
