IN PHOTOS: Nick Saban spotted with Tua Tagovailoa and Mark Ingram for former Alabama HC’s golf tournament
Former Alabama Crimson Tide players Tua Tagovailoa and Mark Ingram joined their former head coach for a golf tournament on Tuesday.
The two NFL players were spotted with former Bama coach Nick Saban during the tournament, which was held for "Nick's Kids," a charitable foundation set up by Saban and his wife.
Both Ingram and Tagovailoa experienced success under Saban during their times at Alabama.
Ingram was on the roster between 2008-2010, and the running back became immortalized in the history books as a result of his time.
In his three seasons at Alabama, Ingram was able to record 3,324 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns. Those 42 touchdowns were then a program record and have only been bested by Naiee Harris, who scored 46 touchdowns with one season more than Ingram.
However, Ingram has one record that will never be broken. During the 2009-10 season, Ingram recorded 1,678 yards and was a key part of the Crimson Tide team that won the national championship after defeating the Texas Longhorns in the championship game.
For his performance that season, Mark Ingram won the 2009 Heisman Trophy, becoming the first Alabama player to win the award.
Tua Tagovailoa broke onto the scene in Alabama due to his performance during the 2018 National Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs.
After coming on in relief at the start of the second half, with Alabama down 13 points, Tagovailoa led a comeback, which ended with him throwing the winning touchdown in overtime.
From then on, he had the starting quarterback job and was able to rack up a large amount of yardage. During the 2019 season, Tagovailoa threw for 3,966 yards, but would this time be unsuccessful in the National Championship game, losing to the Clemson Tigers.
Tagovailoa would be less successful in his final season with Saban, but his performances would be enough to guarantee that we would be a first-round draft pick.
What did Mark Ingram and Tua Tagovailoa do after they left Alabama?
Ingram was drafted by the New Orleans Saints during the 2011 NFL draft as the 28th pick.
Ingram played 12 seasons in the NFL, the majority of them with the Saints. During that time, he had strong seasons and was able to make three pro bowls. But he was never the dominant player he was in college, missing many games during his career due to injuries.
Ingram retired after the 2022 season and has now returned to college football as a broadcaster.
Tagovailoa is still in the NFL, having been drafted as the fifth pick of the 2020 draft by the Miami Dolphins, the same team in which he remains to this day.
Tagovailoa still possesses many of the same attributes that made him such a strong passer at Alabama. In the 2023 season, he led the league in total passing yards with 4,624 yards.
However, Tagovailoa has, like Ingram, suffered a few injuries that have kept in out of many games. But, he is continually improving, and his Dolphins are slowly becoming one of the best in the AFC. It might only be a short time before Tagovailoa is a Super Bowl Champion.