Whatever is in Tua’s name, he’s a winner

Everyone calls him Tua for a reason.

The name on his birth certificate is Tuanigamanuolepola Tagovailoa, and not even Eli Gold — the longtime radio play-by-play announcer for Alabama — could get that whole name out in one play.

Tua Tagovailoa could throw a touchdown pass and run for another score before yours truly could pronounce it correctly, so it was with great curiosity that an internet search was done to see whether the name had some special Samoan meaning. Like man of mythical skills. Samoan Superman. Hawaiian He-Man.

Two sites couldn’t identify Tuanigamanuolepola, so it apparently was just a name his mom and dad liked. A mom and dad who attend every game, which is why they moved to Alabama from Hawaii. The dad has said they are a family, and that’s the only reason they moved to Alabaster, Ala. The dad believes a family that worships together stays together.

Tua’s younger brother Taulia Tagovailoa is a senior at Alabaster High and has a four-star rating. He’s being recruited by, among others, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee and Florida. Like his older brother, he is a dual threat.

Less than halfway through the season, Tua, a true sophomore; Kyler Murray, Oklahoma’s junior quarterback who was drafted ninth in the first round of this year’s Major League Baseball Draft by the Oakland A’s; and Will Grier, West Virgina’s senior quarterback, are the hottest names in the Heisman Trophy race.

They are the best. Everyone else is the rest.

All three lead undefeated teams, although Murray and Grier are headed for a showdown on Friday night, Nov. 23 on national television. That is the final regular-season game for both Big 12 schools and is about 10 days before the Heisman Trophy voting deadline.

ESPN has its own complicated system for ranking quarterbacks, one that is highly respected. It is based on a rating of 1-100, and 50 is considered good.

Tagovailoa is No. 1 with a rating of 97.8, Murray is second at 96.8 and Grier is third at 90.9. Tua has played 54 less plays than Murray and 48 less than Grier because Nick Saban has not played his quarterback in the fourth quarter this season. Against Ole Miss, he played only the first half. Against Louisville, he played just one series of the third quarter.

Real football fans in Arkansas should look forward to seeing the best quarterback in the country in person Saturday when the Tide take on the University of Arkansas. Razorback fans may not like the results, but it is not often a football player this talented visits Fayetteville.

That means the best coach and the best quarterback in all of college football will be on display Saturday morning. This will be Tagovailoa’s only visit to the UA. After next season, he’ll declare for the draft.

Tagovailoa, who has a good sense of humor and told the media Monday that if Saban had said nice things about him (he did) then Saban must have been kidding the media.

Tagovailoa has thrown just 88 passes this season but not one has been intercepted — mainly because he’s completed 66, and 75 percent accuracy is amazing in anyone’s book.

As expected, Saban shields his quarterback from life experiences like dealing with the media, and Monday was the first time he was brought to the interview room since early August. By all accounts, he’s a grounded, likable young man.

Maybe he is making his own definition of Tuanigamanuolepola: winner. Tagovailoa has won every game he has played in at Alabama.