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Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will announce whether he’s entering the 2020 NFL Draft on Monday. Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Sunday that he will sit alongside the signal caller during a press conference at 12 p.m. ET.
Tagovailoa entered the 2019 among the favorites to be the top pick in the 2020 draft. He threw for 2,840 yards and 33 touchdowns while completing an astounding 71.4 percent of his passes in his junior season. But a season-ending hip injury suffered against Mississippi State toward the end of the year put his NFL future into limbo.
Alamaba struggled without the lefty’s arm orchestrating the offense and has already lost several key players to the draft. Among these entrants are wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, offensive lineman Jedrick Willis, and safety Xavier McKinney. None of those players had press conferences to announce their decisions, and that could mean Tagovailoa has chosen to go a different route.
Tagovailoa, once a sure-fire No. 1 pick, could opt to return for his senior season in hopes of capping off his collegiate career with a healthy season and a national championship. Nothing’s guaranteed if he enters the 2020 NFL Draft, but odds are pretty good he would be a first round pick. However, he is likely to go after LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, so it might not be too surprising if he stayed in Tuscaloosa to try and boost his draft stock further for 2021.