Report: Maryland's Tagovailoa to enter NFL draft

Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa is set to enter the 2024 NFL Draft, sources told 247 Sports' Matt Zenitz.

Tagovailoa reportedly entered the transfer portal in hopes of pursuing an additional sixth year of eligibility earlier in January, but the NCAA denied his waiver despite a strong plea of support from former Alabama coach Nick Saban, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel.

The former Terrapins star already used his extra year of eligibility granted to student-athletes after the pandemic for the 2023 season.

Taulia is the younger brother of Miami Dolphins starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

The 23-year-old petitioned for an added year of eligibility given that he played in just five games during his freshman campaign at Alabama in 2019. He played only two snaps in his final contest, which included taking a knee to close out a win against Mississippi State to honor his brother, who had sustained a severe hip injury.

Tagovailoa broke the Big Ten record with 11,256 career passing yards while also tallying 76 touchdowns during his tenure at Maryland. In 2023, Tagvailoia led the conference with 3,377 yards while passing for 25 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions.