“Apologises for everything”: When Nick Saban shared Alabama star Tua Tagovailoa’s heartwarming trait

Tua Tagovailoa was one of the best players to play under Nick Saban at Alabama. Aside from his talent on the field, Tagovailoa also had an influence on the coach with his personality.

The quarterback was known as one of the most polite players under Saban’s leadership at Alabama. During his freshman season, Tagovailoa came off the bench for Jalen Hurts against Tennessee on Oct. 21, 2017, and threw an interception.

In his postgame press conference, Saban described the quarterback’s reaction on the sideline and discussed his character.

“Played great, played fine,” Saban said (Timestamp 0:10). "He was fine. You probably don't know Tua very well, but he apologizes and says 'thank you' and apologizes for everything. He was apologizing for that.”

“If you asked Tua how he's doing, he would say, 'Thanks for asking.' So, sometimes I say that to him now. ‘How's it going coach?’ I said ‘Good, man, thanks for asking.’ So he's made me more polite.”

Nick Saban discusses Tua Tagovailoa's personality

At the tail end of Tua Tagovailoa's career at Alabama, the quarterback suffered an injury in a game against Mississippi State, sidelining him for the remainder of the 2019 season. In his press conference the following month, Saban opened up about the quarterback’s personality.

“I think he has been a great ambassador for college football just for the class that he shows, and the way he goes about what he does and how he affects other people,” Saban said (per AL.com). “And I don’t think there is any way any of us can say we won’t miss that spirit that he has.”

Saban also mentioned how Tagovailoa fostered a positive environment around him and impacted the lives of his teammates — something that set him apart in Tuscaloosa.

“He’s just a fabulous person, a really good player, really cares about his team and teammates, and never had one issue of problems with him since he has been here,” Saban said. “He has worked hard. He has supported his teammates when he didn’t play.”

Tua Tagovailoa finished his college football career at Alabama with 7,442 passing yards and 87 touchdowns. In his appearance on “The Pivot” podcast in January 2025, Saban named him as one of his five favorite players at Alabama. Tagovailoa was the only quarterback on the list.