Meet Tua Tagovailoa, the 2016 Elite 11 MVP

BEAVERTON, Ore. — For the second time in the last three years, an Alabama commit has been crowned Elite 11 MVP after 4-star Crimson Tide pledge Tua Tagovailoa dominated during seven-on-seven play at The Opening on Sunday.

The 6'1", 215-pounder from St. Louis High School in Honolulu ran away from the competition after tossing four touchdown passes during the first half of Team Vapor Speed's 38-20 victory over Fly Rush in the tournament championship game.

On a team with five other Tide commits, Tagovailoa—who was also named the MVP of the seven-on-seven tournament—shined the brightest on the biggest of stages.

He joins current Tide passer Blake Barnett, who won it in 2014, as the only other Alabama pledge to win the award.

"[Winning MVP] means a lot. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience as well as journey. Being able to get the MVP, all glory goes to God with that," Tagovailoa told Bleacher Report. "It was a team effort and it couldn't have been done if the receivers didn't catch passes and the defense didn't get us the ball back."

His strong showing in the seven-on-seven tournament caps off what has been a stellar showing on the camp circuit during the offseason.

It started in May at the Nike Oakland Opening Regional, where he earned an invite to the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles a month later.

With a trip to The Opening at stake in L.A. at the finals, Tagovailoa was arguably the best passer at the event and proved himself to be one of the elite arms in the 2017 cycle.

Still, according to Matt James—who serves as Nike's Director of Grassroots Football—there were some questions Tagovailoa would have to answer about his game.

Could he adapt from his comfort zone of operating a spread offense and work like a seasoned veteran using pro-style concepts? Would he have the necessary discipline to match his footwork with what his eyes were seeing? Could he adjust to an expansive playbook against elite competition?

It's safe to say James found the answers he was looking for.

"Once he got used to that and started picking things up, he just started dealing," James said. "I would say for the last two games of pool play all the way through today, it was special to watch. No one else performed like that."

Equally as impressive as his accuracy, arm strength and touch was his ability to exude leadership.

According to 4-star receiver KJ Hamler—who was one of Tagovailoa's trusted targets on team Vapor Speed—the future Tide passer made it easy for his teammates to rally around him.

"Tua is the happiest, most energetic person I've ever met in my life. Even when we [were] down and losing [Saturday], he kept our spirits up," Hamler told Bleacher Report. "He's a smart quarterback who knows how to take care of business in big situations. He knows what he's doing on every play and I think he'll be very successful in college."

With Alabama operating a pro-style offense, Tagovailoa was eager for the opportunity to work with the Elite 11 coaching staff and use it as a litmus test for what he will face at the next level.

"This experience alone taught me a lot. I will go back home and continue to work on the things I was taught here," Tagovailoa said. "It's going to really help me, going through my progressions and knowing where to go from one through four. There's many things I can take home from this experience here at the Elite 11."

James, noting Tagovailoa's strengths as a runner and his success in a spread scheme, admits he was skeptical about his fit with Alabama after he committed. However, he's now a firm believer that Tagovailoa can beat teams from the pocket with his arm and his mind.

"After what I've seen from him that weekend in L.A. and being with him the last five days, I'm so impressed with him and I think the sky is the limit for him," James said. "If he gets in that offense and he does what he did here, watch out."

The future certainly appears bright for the top overall prospect from the state of Hawaii.

Tagovailoa believes he gained something even more rewarding than taking home the prestigious honor of capturing the Elite 11 MVP award.

"It's a blessing. That's the best word that would be able to describe it. More importantly, it's about the relationships I've been able to create with a lot of the quarterbacks," he explained. "That's the most important thing to me. Winning the MVP was far off from the main goal—which was to create a bond that will last a lifetime with these other quarterbacks."

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow @SanjayKirpalani