Sitting in New York a day before the Heisman Trophy ceremony, Tua Tagovailoa remembered watching the 2014 ceremony at his high school in Hawaii.

It was clear he looked up to that winner, Marcus Mariota who once walked those same halls. It turns out the admiration was mutual.

Speaking to AL.com after an NFL draft event with Courtyard Marriott, the quarterback of the Tennessee Titans remembered seeing the early evidence of Tagovailoa’s potential. The Alabama passer was maybe seven or eight years old when the older kids noticed something different in him.

“Tua was out there throwing with the younger kids,” Mariota said, ‘and I think all of us high school kids were looking like ‘He’s pretty good. Who is that?’ It ended up being Tua and he actually came over and started throwing with us high schoolers and I think we all looked at each other and said he was going to be pretty good one day. I’m excited for him. I think he’s done a great job representing not only himself, but the whole state of Hawaii.”

These early interactions came at the weekly camps held by St. Louis High School quarterbacks coach Vince Passas. Mariota credits Passas with the explosion of quarterback talent from Hawaii that includes the 2018 Heisman runner up currently playing in Tuscaloosa.

Mariota remembers seeing the young Tagovailoa had the mental side of the sport down. The physical tools grew around that.

“I think he can throw with the best of them,” Mariota said. “At the same time, he has the natural ability to extend plays. But he has a good football mind. I can remember him as a kid making some of those throws that you’re just not accustomed to seeing from a younger guy. He never ceases to surprise me. I’m excited for him. I think he’s such a great kid.”

Mariota, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft, said he remains in touch with Tagovailoa and other Hawaiian quarterbacks like former Ole Miss passer Jordan Ta’amu and UCF’s McKenzie Milton.

If he can get to a TV on Saturdays when Tagovailoa is playing, he will.

“He’s exciting to watch,” Mariota said. “Again, if he gets healthy and continues to build his résumé up, I’m sure he’ll be around where we’re at right now.”

Tagovailoa is projected as a top-10 lock if he were to leave school after his junior season with a few mock drafts pegging him as the No. 1 overall pick in 2020.

Before that, a shot at winning the Heisman that Mariota claimed that December in 2014 is the goal. Knowing how much his big season at Oregon fueled Tagovailoa “is pretty special to say the least,” Mariota said.

“That’s all I’ve ever wanted as an athlete is to hopefully give some kind of inspiration to these younger kids because there are so many kids back home in Hawaii who should have the opportunity to play and as they continue forward,” Mariota said. “Hopefully they can use us as stepping stones to better their lives.”

Michael Casagrande is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.