Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa says he was offered $1.5 million if he transferred to unnamed SEC school: report

The brother of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa claims he could have made a lot of money in his redshirt senior season. 

Maryland Terrapins quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa said he was offered “crazy money” – $1.5 million – on behalf of an unnamed SEC team if he transferred this offseason, according to The Athletic. 

Taulia Tagovailoa of the Maryland Terrapins looks to pass against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium Dec. 30, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C.  (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

“It can be eye-opening, but I think for my situation – if I was in a different situation where maybe I didn’t have a brother in the NFL or maybe my parents, it’d be a different situation,” Tagovailoa said.

Taulia said he consulted with his brother before deciding to return to Mayland for his senior year, per The Athletic’s report. 

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“It would be hard for me to go to another place and not be happy but have all the money in the world,” he said. “(I’d rather) be at a place where maybe I don’t have as much, but I’m happy and I’m here to work.”

The implementation of the transfer portal combined with name, image and likeness (NIL) has been a potent combination, and more players than ever are putting their names in the portal. 

Taulia Tagovailoa of the Maryland Terrapins during the first half of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Bank of America Stadium Dec. 30, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C.  (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

First-year UAB head coach Trent Dilfer passionately spoke about transfer portal tampering at American Football media days Tuesday. 

“It’s cheating. To coerce a player off a roster, whether you do it through a third person, whether you do it through an agent, a collective – no matter how you do it — it’s cheating. It’s against the rules,” Dilfer told reporters Tuesday. “So, let’s go attack that.” 

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Dilfer emphasized he has no issue with any of his players entering the transfer portal, but he does have a major problem if other programs try to get his players to enter the portal. 

“But don’t have a scouting department in your building that’s doing cut-ups of my players and then going and coercing them to enter the portal when they had no idea, they didn’t want to enter the portal,” Dilfer continued. “That’s the problem I’m addressing. And I’m not going to stop.”

Maryland Terrapins quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa speaks to the media during Big Ten Conference media days July 27, 2023, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.  (Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Taulia Tagovailoa led the Terrapins to an 8-5 record in 2022, the program’s first eight-win season since 2010. 

The 2022 offense finished the year in the top half of the Big Ten, averaging the third-most passing yards per game in the conference. 

Maryland opens the 2023 season against Towson Sept. 2 and begins Big Ten play against Michigan State in Week 4.