Tua Tagovailoa commits to Alabama over USC

Four-star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa committed to Alabama over USC football and others on Monday night, becoming the latest 2017 quarterback to spurn the Trojans.

Tua Tagovailoa, the nation’s No. 2 dual threat quarterback for 2017, committed to Alabama Friday night, choosing the Crimson Tide over USC, UCLA and others.

The four-star quarterback announced his decision on television in Hawai’i.

“It was a hard decision for me to make, but it does come down to me making a decision. With all of that said I will be making my commitment to the University of Alabama,” Tagovailoa said, explaining that he wanted to make his choice early so that other coaches would have to time to recruit other players without waiting for his word.

Tagovailoa is the No. 1 player in Hawai’i and the No. 58 player in the nation this year, according to the 247Sports composite. Standing 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, Tagovailoa possesses great athleticism and an enticing arm. His skillset has earned him comparisons to Oregon Heisman winner Marcus Mariota, who also came from Hawai’i.

In April Tagovailoa named his Top 6 including Alabama, USC, UCLA, Hawai’i, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Unexpectedly, Oregon did not make his Top 8 in March despite a clear connection to Mariota.

Even though the Trojans added Matt Fink to their quarterback class in 2016 and have a strong commitment from 2018 four-star Matt Corrall, USC has long been looking to cash in on a deep quarterback class in 2017 with no success.

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USC had been considered the favorite for Tagovailoa after his interest in Oregon waned. Like Shea Patterson in 2016 and Tate Martell, a fellow 2017 recruit, Tagovailoa’s early preference for the Trojans wasn’t enough to secure a commitment and the quarterback’s head was turned by another contender.

Now the Trojans will have to look elsewhere to fill that need. Stanford commit Davis Mills picked up a scholarship offer from Clay Helton’s staff last week, suggesting they haven’t given up on taking a quarterback this cycle.

USC’s 2017 class stands at five strong, with commitments from five-star running back Stephen Carr, four-star safety Bubba Bolden, three-star linebacker Juliano Falaniko, three-star athlete Randal Grimes and three-star wide receiver Marlon Williams.