Tua Tagovailoa is openly lobbying for an award this season.

After coming up short last year, he spent the offseason honing his craft, spending hours working to get every small detail right. It was literally, he said, "the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

He envisions the ball in his hands with the game -- and the season -- on the line. If he messes up, he says, it was "going to be my fault."

"Let's say it's 6-6 and it's the fourth quarter," Tagovailoa says, "and I have to go out there to hold and we have to kick a field goal and there's 2 seconds left."

Yeah, that's right, Alabama's star quarterback isn't talking about throwing a game-winning touchdown or taking home a Heisman Trophy, despite finishing as the runner-up last season. The university hasn't launched a formal campaign on his behalf, and even if it did, you don't get the sense he'd want any part of it.

Instead, Tagovailoa's eyes are on the Peter Mortell Holder of the Year Award.

After Tagovailoa was listed first on the team's depth chart at holder, long-snapper Thomas Fletcher tipped him off to an actual award for the position. Tagovailoa was immediately intrigued. An Alabama sports information director promised to look into getting him on the watch list. "I'll try to work my way up to get my name out," Tagovailoa says. "... I'm working my butt off trying to get it."

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There is a wink and a nod to the whole thing, of course, but it's clear it isn't something he thought of as trivial. During a recent conversation, he dives into the intricacies of the hold: the direction of the laces, the tilt of the football, etc. "Holding is actually a really, really hard thing," he says.

Upon hearing this, Mortell rejoices.

For four years, Mortell has been working to promote an award that began as a joke and has turned into much more. It's been hard to get the general public interested, though. Holders, who often double as punters or backup quarterbacks, aren't just under the radar -- they're positively subterranean. An above-average fan would struggle to name their favorite team's holder, and even then the only time they're remarked upon is when they screw up.

But then there's Tagovailoa, who brings a whole different kind of attention to the position.

"He's the quarterback, right?" Mortell says, joking. "We've heard of him. ... We've heard he's up for this other award, I think it's called the Heisman."

Mortell said the HOTY search committee, which prefers to remain anonymous, has had some "initial eyes" on Tagovailoa. It likes his presence and the added dimension he brings to the field goal unit. But for now, the committee is waiting to release a full scouting report.

But before hanging up, Mortell did add one thing.

"Tell him we're going to be watching this year," he says, "so the pressure's on."

In December 2014, Mortell -- a former walk-on punter turned Minnesota holder -- sat in his apartment, waiting on all-conference honors to come out the following day. He knew they'd recognize the best quarterback, the best running back, the best receiver in the Big Ten. They'd even recognize the best punter and kicker and return specialist.

So Mortell sarcastically turned to his roommate, a non-student-athlete named Cavin Metzler, and said, "I hope they select me as first-team holder."

"Yeah," Metzler said. "That'll be the day."