Taulia Tagovailoa looks up to older brother Tua, but QB takes his own distinct NFL draft path

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Music fit for an all-inclusive, tropical resort played inside the Jones Hill House, the Maryland Terrapins' indoor football facility,

The tunes were at the request of the man of the hour, Taulia Tagovailoa, who sought the reggae vibe for his throwing session Friday during Maryland's pro day. He responded by dancing and banging the air drums between some of his throws as personnel from all 32 teams in attendance watched.

“I just feel more relaxed,” Tagovailoa, born and raised in Hawaii, said of the music selection that livened an otherwise business-like atmosphere. “At the end of the day, it’s just another workout. Obviously something we’ve been training for, but it’s just throwing the ball around with the boys.”

At the outset of the offseason, Tagovailoa – the younger brother of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa – didn't plan on throwing for scouts or realizing his NFL dream. Instead, the Big Ten's all-time passing leader initially pursued a sixth season of college football and entered the transfer portal. The NCAA denied his waiver, and Tagovailoa entered the draft.

“I wasn’t really stressing on anything going through that whole process,” Tagovailoa said.

Tagovailoa explained that he felt like he left too many plays on the field and wanted another chance to show his full potential before pursuing a professional career.

Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley said name, image and likeness deals allow players with recognition like Tagovailoa to financially benefit – especially if the additional time can help boost their draft stock.

“With these opportunities these kids have with the extra year, the NIL piece, that’s a smart business decision that Taulia made,” Locksley said.

Tagovailoa began his college career at the University of Alabama, where his older brother was the starting quarterback. Despite former Alabama head coach Nick Saban supporting his former player's push for another season, the NCAA ruled against Tagovailoa. It noted he had played a fifth game – one more than allowed to retain a redshirt – during his freshman season, which made him ineligible for a sixth year.

Locksley had been the offensive coordinator for the elder Tagovailoa in 2018. Between that season and the recruiting process, there was a familiarity between Taulia and his new head coach by the time the quarterback transferred to Maryland for the 2020 season. He earned the No. 1 job ahead of the pandemic-shortened season and started all four games in which he played.

The next year, as a redshirt sophomore, he set the program record in passing yards (3,860), completion percentage (69.2%), passing touchdowns (26) along with seven 300-yard performances. In 2022, he became the Terrapins’ all-time passing leader and was named second-team All-Big Ten, an honor he repeated this past season. With 361 passing yards against Rutgers on Nov. 25, 2023, Tagovailoa became the conference’s all-time passing leader, later finishing with 11,256 career yards through the air.

With teams now being afforded extra flexibility to carry three quarterbacks on the game day roster, Locksley thinks his former pupil can land with a NFL team.

“He’s a guy that’ll make somebody’s NFL team," Locksley said. "He is talented enough.”

On Friday, Tagovailoa wanted to show teams that he could control his base in the pocket and possessed the arm power required to complete NFL passes.

“I feel like I showed them my arm strength,” said Tagovailoa, who completed a standard run-through of various throws and finished with a series of play-action fakes rolling to his right.

Tagovailoa participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl and had conversations with every team. The Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders were two of the teams Tagovailoa mentioned he met with.

Many draft projections indicate Tagovailoa likely won't hear his name prior to the third day of the draft and might not be selected at all, leaving him to sign with a team as an undrafted free agent. For now, he said, he's visualizing receiving a phone call from a team official and might rent an Airbnb in Florida for the draft.

When Tua attended the NFL scouting combine, he measured at 6-0 and 217 pounds. On Friday, Taulia – who was not invited to this year's combine – was listed at 5-foot-11, 205 pounds. Also, unlike his brother, Taulia throws right-handed.

When Locksley recruited Taulia, he understood the family dynamics and what could come with being in Tua’s shadow. Over the years, Locksley saw “a kid who has stood on his own.”

That’s not to say Tua – whose pre-draft process was quite different as he rehabbed a hip injury and was the fifth overall pick – hasn’t been a valuable consigliere as he prepares for the draft. Tua know Taulia prefers direct communication, Taulia said. The only con he can think of is that some people mispronounce his first name, thinking it’s “Tua”-lia.

“Seeing everything that Tua’s doing, I soak it all in," Taulia said. "I look up to my brother – everything he does. I want to be where he’s at.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Taulia Tagovailoa takes separate NFL draft path from older brother Tua