Nick Saban Breaks Silence on Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa Amid Concussion Absence

There are few in football circles who know Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa quite as well as his former college coach, Nick Saban. The two were together three seasons at Alabama, with Tagovailoa serving as a backup on the Crimson Tide's 2017 national champs.

Tagovailoa also led the nation in just about every passing category as a sophomore in 2018, set an NCAA record with a 199.4 paser rating, and was named an All-American that year. In his junior year, though, Tagovailoa was beset with injuries, first to his ankle, then to his hip on a hit that also resulted in a concussion.

Saban knows well the injury history that Tagovailoa carried into the NFL. And now that he's again dealing with a concussion (his fourth) and on the IR for the Dolphins, Saban said he feels for his former charge.

He was asked about Tagovailoa on the, "Pat McAfee Show." While Saban did not weigh in on whether Tagovailoa should return to the Dolphins and play again, he certainly knows he wants to play.

“Yeah, I talked to Tua. He seemed to be (good),” Saban said, via On3 . “I talked to him right afterwards. You know, he’s good. He’s always positive and, you know, very enthusiastic. Terry (Saban's wife) talks to his mom a lot. You know, they want prayers from everybody out there to try to help him, you know, get well.

"He really wants to play, whether he ever can play or get the opportunity to again, I guess that’s a medical decision somebody has to make."

Saban went on to describe Tagovailoa's personality, which makes him an easy player to support.

“But, you know, Tua is the best. I mean, and I hate it, I hate it for him, because he’s such a good person who does everything the right way," Saban said. "He’s the only player that I’ve ever had that if you ask him, ‘How are you doing today?’ He says, ‘Great, Coach. Thanks for asking.’ I mean, every time. The guy is just phenomenal. You love to see people like that, you know, have success and not have this kind of adversity, but hopefully he’ll be able to overcome it.”

Tagovailoa suffered his latest concussion in Week 2 against Buffalo, when he was knocked in the head by Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin. It's his third head injury in two years, and he will miss at least four games as he goes through the league's concussion protocol and meets with neurologists.

No determination has been made yet as to when, or whether, Tagovailoa will return to the Dolphins.