More than 4,300 miles from the heart of SEC country, and a world away from Southern fried football and the fanaticism attached to it, two of the league's budding quarterbacks plotted their futures smack dab in the Pacific.

At a park in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa and Ole Miss' Jordan Ta'amu threw passes and dreamed of taking center stage in the Pac-12, wearing Oregon's garish uniforms and playing for the Ducks -- the program where their role model, Marcus Mariota, rose to stardom.

"SEC was never the talk," Ta'amu said.

But it's where they have landed and where the nation has been introduced to their talents. Ta'amu is the successor to Shea Patterson, the former five-star prospect who transferred to Michigan in wake of the NCAA probe that ensnared the Rebels and left them saddled with probation. Tagovailoa is the national championship game hero competing with Jalen Hurts to captain the Crimson Tide's offense in 2018.

Both have the potential to influence the trajectory of their teams this season. Ta'amu passed for 1,682 yards and 11 touchdowns last fall, experiencing immediate success when Patterson suffered a season-ending knee injury. Tagovailoa dazzled as Hurts' backup, rescuing Alabama from the brink of defeat when the stakes were highest in the showdown with Georgia last January.

"I think it's amazing to have Hawaiian quarterbacks come out here and showcase themselves and know that they can come out here and they can compete with the rest of those guys and compete with the country," Ta'amu said. "We are all doing our thing for our state."

Ta'amu, who grew up ten miles away from Tagovailoa, is proud of his roots.

So too is Tagovailoa, who invited a select group of Alabama teammates to tag along with him and his family on a trip back to Hawaii this offseason that was chronicled by AL.com.

"I am from Hawaii," Tagovailoa said. "But I am not Hawaiian. I am full Samoan."

Still, Tagovailoa -- like Ta'amu -- has become most closely associated with his home state.

It has become a hotbed of quarterback talent in recent years, and in particular, the last 12 months. Mariota was the first to steal the spotlight. But starting last September UCF's McKenzie Milton, Ta'amu and Tagovailoa have each grabbed headlines and their fair share of attention, too.

Tagovailoa, because of his championship heroics and the potential to be the face of college football's strongest power, has the capacity to shine the brightest.

"He did blow up kind of big," Ta'amu said, "but he's always remained humble."

The implication was that Tagovailoa is no different than than the quarterback Ta'amu trained alongside in Ewa Beach -- far from the region and 14-team league where the two reside now.

"I am truly blessed to be in the SEC and the best conference in college football," Ta'amu said. "It's awesome. He loves it. I love it....Just living life."

More than 4,300 miles from home and a world away from the park where they contemplated a future that has turned out far different than they could have ever imagined.

Rainer Sabin is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @RainerSabin