The Opening 2016: Elite 11 Day 1

BEAVERTON -- July 6, 2016 -- Oregon target Tua Tagovailoa releases a pass during Day 1 of the Elite 11 workouts at The Opening football camp, held Wednesday at Bo Jackson Field on the Nike World Headquarters campus. Billy Gates/Staff

(Billy Gates)

UPDATE - How'd the meeting go with Tua Tagovailoa? Find out here

Oregon Ducks coach Willie Taggart didn't mince words at his introductory news conference Thursday when asked about his plans for the future of the program.

"Buckle up, because it's going to be fun," he said.

He wasn't kidding.

According to 247Sports reporter Justin Hopkins, Taggart is set to visit Alabama commit and the nation's No. 1 dual-threat quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, in Hawaii in the near future.

For those new to Oregon football recruiting, the 6-foot-1, 212-pound signal-caller, who earned the Elite 11 MVP this summer, has been a hot-button recruit for more than two years.

Growing up, Tagovailoa was tutored by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Marcus Mariota, eventually building a legacy of his own at Mariota's Saint Louis School.

Early in his prep career, the young pupil dreamed of an offer from the Ducks, and considered his own commitment a foregone conclusion if an offer materialized.

"At first I thought he was going to go to (Hawaii), so I was thinking of staying home too," Tagovailoa told The Oregonian in December of 2014. "But when Marcus committed to the Oregon Ducks, I switched everything. If I got the opportunity to go to Oregon, they'd be at the top of the list."

The dynamic playmaker quickly made a name for himself, earning impressive offers from Texas Tech, UCLA and USC.

But, at the time, they didn't interest him.

"It's a really great feeling," he said. "It's good, but I feel like I've set my mind already on where I want to go. I don't want to change anything. I just want to follow in the footsteps of Marcus. I feel that Oregon is the place for me with that offense - being able to throw, being able to run. I feel like I fit perfect there."

Unfortunately, an offer from Oregon - or even contact - was slow-developing, and led to frustration from Tagovailoa.

"It's kind of hard when I'm not keeping in contact or I have no contact. It's hard to say that now, because of that," he told The Oregonian in April 2015. "I don't know if they are showing interest at any point in time. I know it's kind of early, especially since they have a recruiting process, but... it's all right."

It wasn't until the Hawaii prospect had committed to Alabama that the Ducks finally pulled the trigger.

But it was too little, too late for Tagovailoa.

Taggart is turning over a new leaf, and is clearly checking on a few prospects Oregon's last regime failed to reel in, including Sherwood's David Morris and Tagovailoa.

The countdown to Signing Day is about to get interesting.

-- Andrew Nemec

anemec@oregonian.com

@AndrewNemec