Doubts About Tua Tagovailoa Should Be Taken Seriously | THE MARK-UP

Tua Tagovailoa is one of the top two quarterbacks in college football, and in just about any other generation, he'd be the clear-cut No. 1. Hell, the Miami Dolphins are already tanking for him.

Yet, just a few games have held the Flyin' Hawaiian back from cementing himself as the best pro prospect at the amateur level, and the top Heisman Trophy candidate this coming season. The man--and the team--in his way are Trevor Lawrence and Clemson.

Tagovailoa's dominance of the SEC early last season was well-documented. In fact, he was leading in Heisman polling up until the SEC Championship, when it was stolen right out from under him by the one and only Kyler Murray.

Further, what got lost in Tua's successful start to the year and ultimate downfall is an unfortunate trend that's noticeable when diving a little deeper in Tagovailoa's numbers.

When Tagovailoa was forced deeper into his progressions against some of the top defenses in college football, he very clearly struggled. Fair or not for a college sophomore, these are decisions and plays we expect the best player at his position to make, especially when everything's on the line.

Thus far in his young career, when Tagovailoa is forced out of his comfort zone, he's failed. And due to Alabama's overall dominance at just about every position in the SEC, it's unlikely we'll see Tagovailoa in such a position again until the SEC title game-- if that.

Tua is undoubtedly the top QB prospect in next year's draft class; that designation is here to stay. Yet, scouts have every right to be concerned about his numbers against the best defenses he's allowed to face at this level, even if he's only 20 years old.

Just this past season, Alabama was saved from an unthinkable collapse by Jalen Hurts (not Tua) in the SEC Championship against Georgia. When Hurts was inserted into the game, the Tide looked like a different team, suddenly opening up the offense and doing damage. Hurts looked like the better player--which he is definitively not--and that ought to be considered a black mark on Tua's resume.

Because of Alabama's schedule, Tagovailoa is likely to silence these doubters early in the season, and make us forget about his flaws until at least late November. But unlike in past years, the SEC isn't automatically the closest NFL replica college football has to offer. Receivers won't be given five yards of separation at the professional level. Corners won't lack size and intangibles. Defensive lines will hurry you and interrupt your passing lanes.

These are all areas where Tua must improve, and he's unlikely to get much of a chance to do so outside of his own practice facility.