Former Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa lives every quarterback's biggest nightmare in his debut for European pro football league

"It was a very hard debut for Hamburg's new quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa," Alex Malchow wrote for the league's official website. "He was replaced mid of the game by Moritz Maack, who managed to achieve 2 touchdowns for the Sea Devils."

Tagovailoa's arrival to the EFL was the cause of plenty of hype, given former FBS quarterbacks are a rarity, particularly with as much experience as Taulia, who was named a two-time second-team All-Big Ten player. On Saturday, Tagovailoa was described pre-game as a Maryland "legend" during the broadcast. 

The EFL is mostly made up of European players as only four U.S. "imports" are allowed per team. Only two at a time can be on the field. The league's goals include "giving local players the chance to develop and play on a higher level to showcase their talent." 

The EFL is in the middle of Week 3, with a championship game date set for September 7. In other words, Tagovailoa has plenty of time to turn things around if given the chance to continue starting for the Sea Devils. 

Tagovailoa went undrafted during the 2024 NFL Draft and though he received invites to rookie minicamps, he went unsigned in free agency. He later briefly played with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL in 2024. He signed with the Hamburg Sea Devils on May 22.