Taulia Tagovailoa is making waves and handing out upsets in flag football.
Tagovailoa, the younger brother of Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, led American Samoa to a stunning victory at the IFAF Flag Football Championships on Friday in Germany, handing the United States its first loss at the event since 2012.
The 26-year-old ex-Maryland QB threw five touchdowns with 213 yards on 29-of-36 passing in American Samoa’s 38-32 win.
The loss snapped the Americans’ 14-year streak at the event held in Düsseldorf, with their last loss coming against Austria in the 2012 final.
Tagovailoa thanked God while speaking to reporters following the game, but insisted that American Samoa still has a long way to go following their pool play victory.
“This team, America Samoa, we set our foundation on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Tagovailoa said. “Only he can do these things, make this possible. I’m pretty sure everyone knows how far we had to travel, the things we had to go through to travel, or the population of the nation.
“No one but us on that team believed. We give all glory to God… This is a great victory for our team and our country. Job’s not finished. … We’ve got to continue working. It’s a great win, but we’re not satisfied.”
Flag football is set to make its Olympic debut at the 2028 games in Los Angeles, where 12 men’s teams will qualify.
The U.S. has already secured its spot as the host nation, leaving American Samoa competing with other nations for the remaining 11 spots.
For Tagovailoa, helping lead American Samoa is the latest chapter of his football journey after a stellar college career for the Terrapins.
In four seasons at Maryland, Tagovailoa racked up 11,256 passing yards, 76 touchdowns and a 67.1 completion percentage while leading the Terrapins to three bowl game victories.
After not being selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, Tagovailoa has spent time in the Canadian Football League, the Indoor Football League and the United Football League before joining American Samoa for flag football.
