Alabama QB Commit Tua Tagovailoa Showing He's the Ultimate Winner

SAN ANTONIO — In the world of Tua Tagovailoa, there's no such thing as unnecessary drama.

Hard work? Definitely. Success leading to hard work? Absolutely.

Drama? Hardly.

Tagovailoa, the darling of Honolulu expected to be the next big thing at quarterback for the University of Alabama, enjoyed the elevator ride involving his high school career. The 4-star talent has multiple accolades on his resume, including Elite 11 MVP, a U.S. Army All-American Bowl invitation and a state championship, the first for Saint Louis School since 2010, according to KITV-TV.

Not to mention, he finished his senior season as Hawaii's all-time career high school passing leader, beating the old record of 8,001 passing yards, per Hawaii Prep World.

"All the blessings, I couldn't thank God any more for all of this," Tagovailoa said. "After winning Elite 11 [MVP], I came back home and worked hard to get to the state championship. Now, I'm getting ready for the [Army] game and then on to Alabama."

He then said what every Alabama fan wants to hear from their future leader at quarterback.

"I can't ever be satisfied," he said.

The alpha's alpha

Playing in Saturday's game will hit close to home for Tagovailoa. He said he has two uncles and a cousin in the U.S. Army, and playing in front of the troops in San Antonio was one of the reasons why he chose to play in this game.

"This is an awesome experience," he said. "It's an awesome opportunity because I finally get to play and give back to some of my family members. It's a little token to be able to play in front of those who serve for our country."

And what will the soldiers see in Tagovailoa? They'll get an athlete who not only threw for 8,158 passing yards and 84 touchdowns in his career but also rushed for 1,727 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns.

Matt James of the Elite 11 called Tagovailoa "an alpha dog of alpha dogs" after watching him during last spring and this past summer at The Opening. It's easy to tell that leadership is one of Tagovailoa's biggest assets.

"When you go to the Elite 11, you've got a bunch of alphas, but he had a way, by the end of it, where all the top dogs were hanging with him," James said. "He just has that 'it' factor. There's something about that kids really gravitated to."

One of those athletes is running back Najee Harris, a fellow Alabama commit and Tagovailoa's roommate at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Harris is the nation's top-ranked player in the 2017 class, and on many occasions, athletes will gravitate to the top player. With Tagovailoa, the top-ranked player was always hunting to find his future quarterback.

At The Opening, the two got even closer as future teammates after winning the event's 7-on-7 state championship. Harris, someone who doesn't like speaking to the media about his own play, always had something positive to say about Tagovailoa.

"He's an awesome guy, a great guy,” Harris told Chris Kirschner of SEC Country over the summer. "I went to his room to go over some plays, and we ended up talking about God. He's just a great person. I have much respect to Tua."

Harris then added: "I think he has all of the tools needed to succeed."

Setting the bar

Tagovailoa became Hawaii's all-time passing leader on Nov. 19 with a 243-yard passing performance in a win in the inaugural Open Division final of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA State Football Championships. Per the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, a 52-yard touchdown pass to Jonah Panoke broke the career passing mark of Timmy Chang, a former Saint Louis standout who played college ball at the University of Hawaii.

Tagovailoa said he received text messages from Chang before and after the state championship. Chang, who saw time in the NFL and CFL, just finished a year as the offensive coordinator at NCAA Division III Emory & Henry College in Virginia. Chang was hired as an assistant coach at Nevada last month, per KRNV-TV.

"I've known him since I was in the fourth grade," Tagovailoa said of Chang. "I used to go to his football camps. My uncle played center for him, and they used to hang out here and there. That's kind of how my relationship grew with him."

Tagovailoa admitted that surpassing Chang was something he will always cherish, but he doesn't want that feat to be the highlight of his football career. He's hoping to one day be in the position of Jalen Hurts—who is about to play for a national title early in his college career.

Few are expecting Tagovailoa to play much as a freshman because Hurts is currently finishing his freshman season, but few expected Hurts to see playing time this early in his career—which is what motivates Tagovailoa to continue honing his craft.

He knows that at Alabama, his number can be called at any given time.

"Some coaches don't play the best guy; they play the most experienced guy," Tagovailoa said. "Listening to Coach [Nick] Saban, he's going to play the best guy. Jalen played over quarterbacks who are older than him. To me, actions speak louder than words."

Tagovailoa has his state's career passing record; an Alabama career passing record is something he'd love to add to his resume.

And it's something that James believes is attainable.

"I saw him at All-Poly camps in junior high going into high school, and I remember him coming to early combines. I knew there was something special there with him," James said. "If all things work out, he should be a very successful player, not only for what he does on the field, but who he is off the field. With a kid like that, it's easy to go on and on about him."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of Scout.com. Follow Damon via Twitter:@DamonSayles