COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland football’s all-time leader in passing yards, touchdown passes and completion percentage, will skip the Terps’ game against Auburn in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl on Dec. 30, coach Mike Locksley announced Tuesday afternoon.
“He won’t be playing,” Locksley said during the program’s bowl media day inside SECU Stadium. “We certainly thank him and his family for all he’s given us and given this program over the last four years.”
The Terps (7-5) will try to win their third consecutive bowl game for the first time in school history when they take on the Tigers (6-6) in Nashville, Tennessee.
Redshirt sophomore Billy Edwards Jr., who completed four of 10 passes for 2 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception and carried the ball 16 times for 41 yards and six touchdowns in seven games this past season, is expected to start. Redshirt freshman Cameron Edge and freshman Champ Long could also get some playing time.
“We see him every day in practice,” Locksley said of Edwards, who will make his third career start and first since the team’s eventual 16-12 win against North Carolina State in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl last year. “Usually he takes about 40% of the reps as the backup with the starter — Lia at the time — taking 60%. So he’s got a lot of banked reps and a lot of banked experience that has shown us that he’s capable of operating our stuff. He still has a bunch of the weapons available to him on the outside [with junior wide receiver Kaden] Prather and [junior wide receiver] Tai Felton and [graduate student wide receiver] Jeshaun Jones and the run game, and the O-line is pretty much intact. So he has enough weapons that will allow him to operate our stuff.”
Tagovailoa, a 5-foot-11, 208-pound redshirt senior, earned All-Big Ten second-team honors for the second year in a row after leading the league in passing yards (3,377), touchdown passes (25), completions (290) and offensive yards per game (282.9).
In Maryland’s regular-season finale at Rutgers on Nov. 25, Tagovailoa became the Big Ten’s career passing leader, finishing with 11,256 yards. He also ranks fourth in completion percentage (67.1) and seventh in touchdown passes (76) and total offensive yards (11,473).
Locksley said he has known the Tagovailoa family since 2016 when he began recruiting Tua Tagovailoa, Taulia’s older brother and quarterback who starred at Alabama and is the starter for the Miami Dolphins. Without getting into the specifics of his conversation with Taulia Tagovailoa, Locksley praised him.
“He handled it the right way,” Locksley said. “Great family, great people. He’s got some decisions to make, and I’m excited for him, but this is across the country. This is happening to everybody. So Maryland fans, understand this happens to everyone, not just Coach Locks. So we’re good, we’ll be fine.”
Senior safety Beau Brade, a Clarksville resident and River Hill graduate, admitted he was surprised by Tagovailoa’s decision.
“But of course, I want the best for him,” Brade said. “He’s my brother at the end of the day. So I wish him the best with what he’s doing. It’s going to hurt us a little bit. Of course, Taulia’s the best quarterback that has been on this team for a long time, and he holds all those records for Maryland and the Big Ten. it’s going to be rough, but guys have to step up.”
