We've come to expect a measure of silliness from Lane Kiffin, so take the new Florida Atlantic coach's latest eyebrow-raising comment with the biggest grain of salt you can find.
Kiffin compared Alabama incoming freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Steve Young.
Whoa.
Tagovailoa was among the top quarterback recruits in the country last year, but he's at least three-plus months away from throwing his first college pass and has an established starter ahead of him in sophomore Jalen Hurts.
"He's different," Kiffin said of Tagovailoa, via the SEC Country Alabama podcast. "Where we talked about Jalen coming in a little more raw, Tua's been doing this forever. I call him 'the human jugs machine' because he can throw a ball all day long and never gets tired. He's a lot more trained and (will have) less transition from his high school system. He's going to be a phenomenal player, best comparison I think would probably be Steve Young. Smooth release like that, not fast but really quick feet and smooth release."
Kiffin clearly was comparing the two from a style standpoint, and not making predictions about Tagovailoa's NFL future, but a comparison between a player who has finished a decorated NFL career with one just embarking on a college career is nevertheless a bit jarring. And, as long as we're keeping the comparison to style-only, here's another: both throw left-handed. It's also worth noting that Kiffin never formally coached Tagovailoa at Alabama. He helped recruit him, but was gone for FAU by the time Tagovailoa enrolled in January and competed in spring practice.
In Alabama's spring game, Tagovailoa showed plenty of promise in completing 17 of 29 passes for 313 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. But right now, promise is all there is to discuss.
You can judge whether he has Young-like qualities this fall; that is, if he makes it onto the field.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
