Following Mariota’s footsteps
Alabama’s Tagovailoa builds off what fellow Polynesian QB started
ATLANTA – When he watched Marcus Mariota accept the Heisman Trophy three years ago, Tua Tagovailoa imagined that maybe he could be next. Not the next Polynesian player to win college football’s most prestigious award, but the next to shine a spotlight on Hawaii and the surrounding islands.
Mariota gave an emotional speech that night, mixing in thanks for his family, teammates and coaches with a call to action to those back in his home state: “To the Polynesian community, I hope and pray that this is only the beginning. Young Poly athletes everywhere, you should take this as motivation, and dream big and strive for greatness.”
Clearly, Tagovailoa was paying attention.
Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, “the next Marcus Mariota” did what the first Mariota could not, leading his team to a national title in the most unthinkable of circumstances. With Alabama down 13-0 at halftime, coach Nick Saban gambled and inserted the freshman signal caller who had played only in mop-up duty during the season. Tagovailoa proceeded to throw two touchdown passes and an interception in regulation, then ended the game in overtime with a 41-yard winning TD pass as the Crimson Tide erupted on the sideline and celebrated yet another championship.
In Honolulu, Tagovailoa’s hometown, Vinny Passas’ street exploded. Passas is Tagovailoa’s longtime quarterback coach, a staple at Saint Louis High, the school that produced Mariota.
“Everybody in Hawaii is going crazy,” Passas said by phone to USA TODAY. “I can hear people screaming down the street.”
Passas has tutored every major quarterback to come out of the islands, from Mariota (Oregon) to Darnell Arceneaux (Utah) to Jason Gasser (Washington State) to Timmy Chang (Hawaii). He started working with Tagovailoa when he was 8 years old. And as Mariota’s star rose and more colleges traveled to Hawaii to recruit skill players, Passas thought Tagovailoa would do something special and perhaps something different. Maybe he could set a new bar.
“I always knew Tua was destined to be the next great one from here,” Passas said. “He’s been throwing bombs like that (winning touchdown) since he was a little kid.”
Tagovailoa came to Alabama as the top quarterback in the 2017 class, Hawaii’s all-time high school passing leader who threw for 3,932 yards and 43 touchdowns as a senior. Most believed he would have to wait his turn behind sophomore starter Jalen Hurts, who led the Tide to a national title game appearance last season as a freshman. And while Hurts played a huge role in getting Alabama back to the title game, it was Tagovailoa who sat at the winners podium with a championship hat perched on his head. With a lei draped around his neck, he spoke about how this win will reverberate 4,300 miles away in Hawaii.
“For kids back home, making our state proud is the biggest thing,” Tagovailoa said. “To be able to do this on a national level, on a big stage, is just a great opportunity. It’s great exposure for us as well, you know, our (Polynesian) people.”
Viewers also got a taste of that laidback Hawaiian attitude.
Midway through the third quarter and trailing 20-7, Tagovailoa missed a signal from the Alabama coaching staff, which resulted in an easy interception. As an obviously irritated Saban lectured him on the sideline, Tagovailoa put his arm around one of college football’s grouchiest coaches, smiled big and told Saban not to worry. In Honolulu, Passas watched on TV and cracked up.
“He did that all the time,” Passas said. “Anytime he’d throw an interception he’d come over and say, ‘Coach, my bad, but don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you.’ ”
Tagovailoa did not hear from Mariota before the game and said afterward he wasn’t in a rush to check his phone, which likely was still buzzing. He just wanted to spend time, he said, with family and teammates.
Even though Tagovailoa already has achieved legend status, it’s remarkable to think about what could still come in his college career. Monday was the most he had played all season, and theoretically he’ll get much better with more reps. He’s acclimated to Tuscaloosa well, pointing out that the three things most important to him — faith, family and football — also are top priorities in the South. He admitted he does miss Hawaii beaches. But that’s what the offseason, and trips home, are for. Passas thinks about the future, too. “What a great time for our people,” Passas said. “Tua wins a national championship, and Marcus is two wins away from the Super Bowl. And can you imagine — he might be playing against Marcus in the NFL someday.”
That would be almost unbelievable, Passas said. It’s also probably what Mariota — and Tagovailoa — had in mind three years ago when everyone started paying attention to Hawaii.