re: Class of 2018 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: So Long Old Friend Edition

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Jackson Bratton

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Thompson quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa burst onto the Alabama high school football scene in 2017 and solidified his status as an elite recruit by throwing for 3,823 yards and 35 touchdowns.

His other brother, Tua, etched his name in Crimson Tide lore by throwing the game-winning touchdown in Alabama's 26-23 victory over Georgia in the College Football Playoff title game.

But does the combination of Tua's success and Taulia's proximity to Tuscaloosa automatically mean the brothers will play together at Alabama?

"What my brother has done, especially in the second half (against Georgia), is a blessing," Taulia said Tuesday at the annual Mr. Football luncheon in Montgomery, where he finished third in the voting. "I'm proud of the things that I have done, but I want to do more. I want to do my own thing and make a name for myself."

Taulia, a 4-star prospect and one of the state's elite prospects in the Class of 2019, remains uncommitted. He has offers from Alabama, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, Tennessee, Ole Miss and others. He said he has no timetable for when he hopes to make a final college decision.

The Tagovailoa family moved from Hawaii to Alabaster last year, allowing the family to be close to Tua. Tua played well in limited duty during the regular season before coming off the bench to throw three second-half touchdowns in the national title game.

Taulia didn't have to wait for high school stardom. He rallied Thompson for a season-opening vicory over Hapeville Charter (Ga.) and then led the Warriors to its first 10-0 regular season since the early 1980s and 12 straight wins before falling to Hoover in the playoffs.

In his first season of Alabama high school football, Taulia's quick release helped him complete 264-of-423 passes for 3,823 yards, with 35 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

"The thing I was most impressed with was Taulia's work habits and study and preparation for games," Thompson coach Freeman told AL.com earlier this month. "At first, we tried to take things he was already good at and incorporate it into our system so we would have something to fall back on if needed, but he picked up our offense very easily. He could see the system and where we were trying to go with the ball. It was all clear to him."

Taulia said he plans to graduate from high school in December, allowing him to enroll in college next spring.

"I feel like it's God's plan for me to be here," Taulia said. "I'm going to work on getting better and getting ready for 2018."

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Give me a big white kid with a arm. Tired of scrambling QBs

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I don't take, "I want to make a name of my own" to mean he doesn't want to go to the same school. I take it to mean he wants to accomplish his own great things.

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However, I think people are crazy if they think both Taulia and Tyson are going to sign with us.

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So Jack West did want to go to Alabama, but ultimately chose Stanford because Saban "was looking tired" and he didn't think he would be there in 4-5 years. Wonder who fed him that?

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