Tua Tagovailoa says he wanted to transfer to USC

The talk about Tua Tagovailoa considering transferring away from Alabama apparently was quite legitimate.

Tagovailoa spoke at his former middle school in Hawaii on Thursday. According to Hawaii News Now, the Alabama quarterback told the students that he was discouraged by not playing and wanted to leave the Crimson Tide program. He specifically says he asked his father about transferring to play for the USC Trojans.

“I called my dad and asked him if my offer to the University of Southern California was still available,” Tagovailoa told the crowd, via Hawaii News Now. “I wanted to leave. I told my dad I wanted to go to a school where I thought it’d be easier for me and wouldn’t challenge me so much.

“Even throughout my football season, I wasn’t the starter,” Tagovailoa continued. “I wanted to leave the school. So I told myself if I didn’t play in the last game, which was the national championship game, I would transfer out. If I gave in, I don’t think I would have seen the end blessing of where I am now.”

You know what? That’s exactly how Lane Kiffin told the story, and it turns out he was correct.

Tagovailoa was behind Jalen Hurts on Alabama’s depth chart the whole season. It wasn’t until halftime of the national championship game when Tagovailoa was given the chance to star for the Tide. He entered the game in the second half and rallied Alabama back for a victory over Georgia. Now he’s favored to be the starter in the fall, repeat as a national champion, and potentially win the Heisman Trophy. It sounds like perseverance is the theme of his message.

H/T The Spun