Is Tua Tagovailoa injury-prone?

Tua Tagovailoa went down with a nasty ankle injury Saturday night. Is it time to start worrying about his long-term durability?

There is no denying that Tua Tagovailoa has been one of, if not the, best college football players in the entire country right now. In fact, his play this season has been so good that he is one of the first players mentioned in regards to the Heisman Trophy and the number one overall pick for the 2020 NFL Draft.

All that being said, it may be time to start worrying about his long-term durability. Last year, he suffered a high ankle sprain late in the season and his play dramatically suffered as a result. If it wasn’t for Jalen Hurts stepping in during the conference championship versus Georgia, Tagovailoa’s play to that point may have kept Alabama out of the playoffs and thus the National Championship.

On Saturday night vs. Tennessee, Tagovailoa suffered yet another ankle sprain on the opposite foot that he suffered last year. He got hurt in the second quarter when a Tennessee defensive lineman dove to tackle him and rolled up on his ankle:

Tagovailoa was even seen leaving the stadium in an ambulance shortly thereafter. All indications are that he suffered no long-term damage to the ankle and should be back on the field in a couple of weeks, quite possibly in time for the big showdown with LSU on November 9th.

Two ankle injuries in his two years as the full-time starter at Alabama. That’s not to mention the other various ailments that Tagovailoa played through in 2018. While it seems premature and unfair to call Tagovailoa injury-prone at this point, NFL teams have to have question his long-term durability in the NFL given his smaller frame and stature.

This injury will not affect Tagovailoa’s draft status, which is likely a top two draft pick at worst. How he plays when he returns from this ankle injury, and if he suffers any other injuries this season, will be something NFL teams and fans alike will be watching closely moving forward.