The quarterback pipeline from Hawaii to the college and pro levels is keeping fans glued to their screens.
Chevan Cordeiro, Jayden de Laura, Taulia Tagovailoa and Tua Tagovailoa pulled off the quadfecta for Crusaders over the weekend. The former island prep QBs were a perfect 4-0.
Offensive gurus Ron Lee and Vince Passas chatted about the highly-productive field generals on Monday morning. As the offensive coordinator at Saint Louis, Lee coached Tua Tagovailoa, Cordeiro, then de Laura. So did Passas, the Crusaders’ quarterbacks coach.
“Three guys that we coached not that long ago. I was so impressed with them,” Lee said.
Chevan Cordeiro, 33-43, 410 yards, four TD passes, 2 INT; 10-39 rushing, one TD
At Aloha Stadium, Cordeiro passed for 410 yards and four touchdowns (33 for 43). He was picked twice, but came up with 39 rushing yards on 10 carries for another TD in Hawaii’s 39-33 comeback win over New Mexico. The Warriors are 2-1.
“Chev is running a little bit different offense, but he’s doing well. He’s done it in high school, and in college, 5-1 as a starter. He threw those deep balls, New Mexico not a bad football team,” said Lee, who was a wide receivers coach at Hawaii during June Jones’ era. “He’s getting on the same page with receivers, and he can run. You’ve got to pressure him. He buys more time and he’s accurate on the run.”
First-year UH coach Todd Graham has seen his offense score 34 and 39 points in two victories.
“Their offense is a little different. They use RPOs. But the coverages are the same. Rocky Long, New Mexico’s defensive coordinator, has been around around a long time,” Lee said of the former Lobos head coach. “He knew what he was up against and they did a nice job. Put pressure, (defenders) dropped, but it is big win for Hawaii. Every game is going to be tough.”
Lee is optimistic about the Warriors, who employ faster personnel on defense.
“They’re smaller plus they’re learning a new scheme. They were on the road, now they’re back. Then they go on the road again (this week at San Diego State),” Lee said. “They’ll get better. It’s going to be a good adjustment. They don’t have a bunch of games left and they have to get better. San Jose State is playing well. Nevada is playing well. San Diego State is always tough.”
Jayden de Laura 18-33, 227 yards, two TDs, one INT; 8-43 rushing, TD
His first game at the college level was also his first start. The Palolo resident led Washington State to a 38-28 road win over Oregon State.
“I thought he was amazing. He was excited for the opportunity that he’s been waiting for,” Passas said. “It’s on TV, a featured game, a conference game in someone’s backyard. I thought he showed tremendous poise and confidence. Nothing seemed too big for him in the moment there.”
Cordeiro and Tua Tagovailoa each won one state title during their prep football years. De Laura won two crowns during his two seasons as a starter. He watched and learned from his predecessors.
“His leadership on the field, letting guys know it’s OK. How to pick guys up. He really made the people around him better and that’s the biggest attribute he has, like Marcus and Chevan, he knows how to make people better,” Passas noted.
“Jayden is unbelievable for a freshman,” Lee said. “I’m not surprised. Somebody called me a couple weeks ago trying to figure out who was starting (for Washington State). I told them back then he would start. He knows a lot of the things they’re doing and there’s been so little practice time. It wasn’t an easy job.”
The four-wide offense of Cougars coach Nick Rolovich is still similar to what Jones taught at UH when Rolovich was a strong-armed passer. The Jones run-and-shoot attack is also similar to what Lee has taught at Saint Louis — and Kaiser and Kalani — for five decades.
“We’re similar, but I think the biggest thing these kids learn moving out of Saint Louis is how to understand coverage and they can apply that. Rolo’s offense is very similar. It’s proven, Tua right out of high school was competing at the top football program (Alabama) in the country,” Lee said.
Passas is enamored with the growth of de Laura as a decision-maker, as well.
“He went backdoor on them a couple of times (on runs). He did a good job moving the chains, knew when to go down, didn’t take big hits. He took one hit on a sack, but he did a great job on the zone read, when to pull. His RPOs were awesome. He got the linebackers to commit,” Passas said. “Some throws weren’t there, but he made the ball uncatchable for the defensive guy. The commentators said he should have led them more, but the ‘backer would’ve had a pick. A lot of times, you make the ball uncatchable, it’s incomplete and you live for another play. Punt and put the defense in a good position.”
Passas also saw the normal first-game energy of a freshman starter.
“Couple of balls that were underthrown, I think early in the game, the adrenaline and trying to get adjusted to the speed of the game. It’s his first real college game. Practice speed and game speed are totally different. Second half, he was adjusted, threw the ball in some good spots,” he said.
Lee saw the same confidence in de Laura.
“The routes, I don’t really critique routes. I look at defensive alignments and what I think they should attack, what they should do a little more of. What I saw with Jayden, he made some throws, the guy was covered very well, and he put the ball right on the money, stuff like that. Same with Chev on the deep ball. Same with Tua. They’re all not afraid to throw, that’s the thing that is so impressive. They give the receiver a chance,” Lee said. “This year, Chev’s a lot better. Same with Jayden, very accurate.”
Taulia Tagovailoa: 18-26, 282 yards, three TDs; 7-13 rushing
The sophomore transfer from Alabama led Maryland to its second win in a row, connecting with freshman Rakim Jarrett for two TDs and Donte Demus Jr. for another.
“They totally destroyed Penn State,” Passas said. “I thought it would be the other way around, but they made Penn State look bad. Taulia had one of those games again where he made things happen. Gosh, they got up to a 28-7 lead and went into cruise control after that. They shortened the game, got out of there.”
The longtime passing clinician also noticed Tagovailoa’s sense of urgency.
“Taulia was kind of frustrated because he wanted to keep that rhythm. He wanted to put up 56 points. He wanted to get the play (calls) in faster, but they used up the whole 25-second clock. They were giving him the play with 10 seconds (on the play clock) and he’s got to rush, but when you’ve got a lead like that, you want to shorten the game,” Passas said. “When the game is won, you don’t want anybody else getting hurt, putting the defense back in the game.”
Taulia never played at Saint Louis, but he would’ve been quite a fit.
“He is awesome, he really is. There’s Tua, and right underneath him is Taulia. Then there’s everybody else,” Passas said. “I think Taulia is a good systems guy. Tua can create a little bit more as far as being in the open field. Taulia has really improved on his open-field running. Taulia can stay within the system. I think he’ll be another guy playing on Sundays. He’s accurate. He knows what’s going on. Good feel for the game. He’s a good leader, too.”
Tua Tagovailoa: 20-28, 248 yards, two TDs, no INT; 7-35 rushing
The gunslingers’ battle in the desert was the best game on TV Sunday as Tagovailoa led Miami in a 34-31 win over Arizona.
“Miami’s receivers were covered. That’s the thing. The throws that Tua made, it’s not like guys were wide open,” Lee noted. “The game is so fast. Some of the reporters kind of questioned Tua’s ability after the (first) game, but they were up 21 points, they didn’t need to throw. That’s smart. The fact that he got the starting spot, he had to be doing good things at practice. Now, he needs to play well and that’s what he did. He stepped up.”
The Dolphins lost wide receiver Preston Williams to a foot injury early, but never missed a beat. Even with starting running back Mike Gaskins out (injury).
“The throws he made, the one on the fade stop, that was a heck of a throw. Third-down throws, the scrambles, the run. That game was a hell of a game. They are the quarterbacks of the future,” Lee said.
Passas enjoyed seeing the former Ewa Beach youth standout clutch up.
“Hoo, wow, you could see him getting better with each snap and each series. They’re down by seven, late drive, his true colors really came out — 5-for-5, took the team down and scored in about nine plays. He made some runs like he was back at Saint Louis and Alabama. Broke the pocket, up the field, foot in the ground made the guy miss, kept the drive going. That touchdown throw, that was a great spot,” Passas said.
Passas saw a piece on “NFL Live” that broke down Tua’s mastery.
“Dan Orlovsky had a story, ‘Tua and 0.’ The last play of the third quarter, ball deep in their own territory. Cover 3, curl flat concept, he made the DB think he would throw to the flat, ball exiting his hand to the next window. The defender took the flat, and by the time the curl guy put his foot in the ground, the defender was off and inside, and Tua delivered to the curl guy. Tua was totally amazing,” Passas said.
“They had a stat on Tua, where they played zone on him he was like 13 for 14. When they blitzed him, he was 7 of 11 or 12. Just knowing where everyone’s going to be against zone and man. The chemistry is starting to mix, starting to get better. It’s not just rubbing off offensively, but defensively. They scored again on defense, played well on special teams. The chemistry around Tua is really starting to gel. These guys knew what they were doing bringing him in. Yesterday’s game shows he’s on the rise, getting better with each snap, each series. He did a great job.”
Lee was enthralled by the back-and-forth of the two quarterbacks.
“What I saw in both teams is that Murray and Tua, these guys that can run around. Unlike (Tom) Brady and (Drew) Brees,” he said, referring to New Orleans’ 38-3 blowout win over Tampa Bay on Sunday night. “The whole defensive scheme is they can rush right in front because they basically stay in the pocket. Brady can make the throws, but teams defend him knowing he can’t run. He’s going to struggle because he can’t buy more time. The big plays don’t all come from the pocket. Murray runs around, makes a play. I’d rather play a Brady type of quarterback.”
Passas saw the lack of separation for the Buccaneers, who missed injured receiver Scotty Miller, the fastest of their pass catchers.
“With Kyler Murray, every time he has the ball, he keeps you breathless, on the edge of your seat. That’s how Brady was before, ball in the air, you wonder what’s going to happen. The Bucs seemed like they had no separation with the DBs. I felt for Brady, gosh. I thought Antonio Brown would make a difference, but it’s still the young stages of getting his game speed and conditioning,” Passas said.
For Saint Louis football coaches and fans, this is possibly the sweetest of sweet spots. A swarm of recent graduates are thriving at the next level and beyond.
“Nick Herbig is had an incredible game. He starts for Wisconsin, Jordan playing at Notre Dame. Roman (Wilson of Michigan) scored against Michigan State. (Matt) Sykes playing for UCLA. That’s pretty good. Stanley McKenzie is at Cal. Utah had to cancel (its game), but (Kamo‘i) Latu is doing really well there,” Lee said. “They’re good kids, they go on to college and they contribute and that’s pretty special. I’m proud of all of the kids.”
Lee and Passas would rather be on the field coaching, but catching former Crusaders on the tube isn’t so bad.
“I was flipping the TV all over the place,” Lee said. “That’s incredible. I gotta give those guys a call today. They make us, the Saint Louis ohana, the brotherhood proud.”
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