Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa told the Dan Patrick Show that he was "really close" to transferring from the Crimson Tide during the 2017 season. Tagovailoa would have likely ended at USC.
Tagovailoa spent his freshman season as Alabama's backup behind Jalen Hurts. Tagovailoa, a Hawaii native, said he wanted the chance to start and playing on the west coast was additionally appealing.
"I wanted to have my parents see me play, my parents wanted to see me play," Tagovailoa said. "Just doing things for my parents, making my parents proud is the biggest thing I wanted to do, and I couldn't do it on the sidelines.