Even with Alabama’s playoff hiccup against Clemson, you could argue Tua Tagovailoa’s 2018 campaign as the best passing season in college football history. Tagovailoa finished with the highest passer rating (199.4) ever by a college quarterback, and he led the Tide to the cusp of a national title less than a year removed from his championship heroics the year before.

247Sports examined the unprecedented nature of Trevor Lawrence’s freshman debut earlier this week. It’s appropriate 247Sports’ offseason series, which examines college football stars in a historical context, follows with a breakdown of Tagovailoa.

Lawrence and Tagovailoa will be measured against each other throughout 2019. Then they’ll likely go No. 1 overall picks back-to-back years in the NFL Draft. At the risk of oversimplifying the games of both superstars, they’re also stylistic foils. Lawrence, who is more mobile than you might guess, is the prototype pocket passer at 6-foot-6. Tagovailoa, at 6-foot-1, is best in a creative space; an artist who makes plays on the move.

One could debate for hours about college football’s preeminent QBs. But this is a statistical look at Tagovailoa, and his numbers largely speak for themselves.

If Lawrence’s season was incomparable, Tagovailoa’s first year as a starter was nearly as unprecedented.

Not only did the lefty set a national passer efficacy record, his yards per attempt average (11.2) was the fourth-best rate of all-time. The only reason Tagovailoa didn’t win the Heisman was Kyler Murray’s historic efforts and a late-season injury that hobbled the Alabama All-American.

Tagovailoa set nearly every single-season Alabama passing record, yet it caused hardly a ripple. The former five-star passer didn’t chase Crimson Tide legends a year ago. He ran full speed toward national records with this stat line: 3,966 yards, 43 TDs, 6 INTs, 69 CMP%, 12.8 YPA

There are few, if any, seasons like his. Using Sports Reference data, which dates back to 2000, 247Sports found just seven Power Five seasons that saw a passer complete at least 69 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,500-plus yards, 40-plus TDs and fewer than 10 interceptions.

Only two of those players only Tagovailoa and Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins were underclassmen; Haskins was technically a redshirt sophomore.

It’s important to remember in this examination that Tagovailoa’s numbers came with a governor. Tagovailoa didn’t play in the second half of a game until November, meaning his overall numbers were throttled in a mercy effort. Also working against Tagovailoa is a late-season ankle injury that saw him stumble against Georgia in the SEC Championship game: 10-of-25, 164 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs. This isn’t meant as an excuse for Tagovailoa – injuries are a part of sports – merely a mention that one of the best passing seasons ever could’ve been further augmented with improved health and additional opportunity.

Comparisons are the catnip of the internet. There’s an easy one for Tagovailoa from a statistical perspective – 2016 Baker Mayfield.

Mayfield: 254-of-358, 3,965 yards, 40 TDs, 8 INTs, 196.4 passer rating, 177 rushing yards, 6 TDs

Tagovailoa: 245-of-355, 3,966 yards, 43 TDs, 6 INTs, 199.4 passer rating, 190 rushing yards, 5 TDs

Those seasons are nearly identical. As are their frames. Mayfield, a right-hander, stands 6-foot-1, 220 pounds. Tagovailoa, a left-handed mirror, weighs in at 6-foot-1, 218 pounds. Both are thickly built and thrive on creativity within and out of the pocket. They’re both extremely accurate. And while neither is necessarily a run threat (like a Russell Wilson or Kyler Murray), they’re fleet enough of foot to extend plays and push the pocket. Are there differences? Sure. Mayfield is at his best out of structure, while Tagovailoa's success in large part came as designed. But the traits the two share are far more similar than not.

You’ll hear other Tagovailoa comparisons over the coming year, especially around draft time, but from a physical and statistical profile one need not look far into history to find an intriguing comp.

Moving toward 2019, Tagovailoa can only hope he follows up his 2018 campaign in the way Mayfield did his 2016 effort. Mayfield, before Murray blew records away, had one of the best passing seasons of all time in 2017 as Lincoln Riley opened up his playbook and learned on Mayfield even more as a passer (46 additional attempts) on the way to the first of the Sooners' back-to-back Heisman Trophies.

If Tagovailoa gets that same sort of opportunity, his 2019 season could be historic. Err … more historic.