COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Taulia Tagovailoa is skipping Maryland's bowl game, closing the book on a record-setting career in which he helped the Terrapins return to respectability under coach Michael Locksley.
The Terps face Auburn in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30. Locksley announced Tuesday that Tagovailoa is opting out.
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“He handled it the right way,” Locksley said. “Great family, great people.”
Tagovailoa became the Big Ten’s career leader in yards passing in his final game, last month at Rutgers. He also tops the Maryland career list in yards passing, completions, completion percentage, passing touchdowns and total offense.
He set a single-season school record with 3,860 yards passing in 2021.
Tagovailoa has led the Terrapins to three straight bowl appearances. The brother of NFL star Tua Tagovailoa transferred from Alabama to Maryland before the 2020 season.
“I love him to death. Great kid, did a tremendous amount for our program," Locksley said. "The relationship goes back to 2016, when I was at Alabama and we started recruiting Tua and the family migrated to Alabama. I have nothing but utmost respect and very thankful for what they've been able to do as a family for my career.”
Locksley was Alabama's offensive coordinator before taking over the Maryland program in 2019. Tagovailoa couldn't quite lead the Terps to any big victories over the Big Ten's top teams, although they were competitive at Ohio State this year and only lost by seven to Michigan.
Turnovers were an issue for the Maryland quarterback at times, but Tagovailoa's overall production provided a sense of what's possible for the Terrapins under Locksley from an offensive standpoint.
“It's a quarterback-friendly system. I think he was perfectly made for this system. Quick release, accuracy, competitive drive," Locksley said. "Some people around here, I don't think they'll understand the impact of what Lia coming to Maryland will have probably for about 10, 15 years.”
Billy Edwards Jr. and Cameron Edge are Maryland’s top backups at quarterback, and Locksley said he expects both to play in the bowl with Tagovailoa absent.
“We respect his decision," Edwards said. "For me personally, I’m just excited for the opportunity.”
The Terps are adding quarterback MJ Morris via the transfer portal from North Carolina State, but Locksley said nothing is certain at the position going forward.
“Nobody is promised a starter position that plays for me," he said. "It's going to be a competitive position.”
Edwards transferred to Maryland from Wake Forest and played seven games for the Terps in 2022. This season, he's appeared in seven more but has attempted only 10 passes.
Locksley said at least 80% of his starters are practicing and preparing for the bowl, but he didn't seem interested in going down through the list of others who won't be in the game.
“For some reason I think our fans and sometimes our supporters have this misconception that we're the only person that has to deal with players not playing, going in the portal, losing top players," he said. "I mean get used to it. It's the landscape of college football. If you have attachment issues, you better get over it quick.”
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football