Tua Tagovailoa became an instant Alabama legend Monday evening when the true freshman QB entered the national championship game and led the Crimson Tide to a come-from-behind 26-23 victory over Georgia.

He also did it at a listed 6-foot-1, 219 pounds.

Why is that important? Well, the NFL comparisons started rolling out in the hours after Tagovailoa’s national introduction. And in case you’ve managed to tune out all draft talk ever, height is kind of important to those NFL types. So it should come as no surprise the comparisons to Russell Wilson (5-foot-11) have already started thanks to radio personality Colin Cowherd, who called Tagovailoa a “left-handed” version of the Seahawks QB. That's a typical comparison for a shorter mobile quarterback. It could also have some merit.

Looking really far ahead to Tagovailoa’s NFL future, he has one big advantage over other QBs his height – hand size.

When measured at the 2016 Army All-American Bowl, Tagovailoa’s mitts checked in at 10.13 inches, outstretched, from pinky to thumb. That was larger than all but 12 players at the Army Bowl that year. For perspective, Georgia QB Jake Fromm, the other true freshman signal caller in the national title game, had 8.75-inch hands.

Hand size isn’t the end all be all for a quarterback. Sam Darnold, likely to be a top 5 pick in the 2018 NFL draft, started at USC with only nine-inch hands.

But it is a critical measurement according to ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit.

I feel like the size of a QB’s hands is more significant than his actual arm strength. Interesting info on Tua. Makes sense watching him throw with such accuracy. Thanks for the info. https://t.co/egDE1iqp71 — Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) January 11, 2018

This seems to have translated in the NFL over the years, especially in regards to quarterbacks on the shorter end of the spectrum. Drew Brees (10.25 inches), Wilson (10.25 inches) and Brett Favre (10.38 inches) had massive hands, according to the New York Times. Keep in mind, the average length of a male hand is 7.44 inches.

Tagovailoa, really only 6-foot¾ when measured NFL Combine style at the Army Bowl, does have big hands. That might help explain his 64 percent completion rate as a true freshman. Then again, Fromm, at 6-foot-2, finished 2017 completing 62 percent of his passes, so maybe not.

Either way, the way-too-early comparisons of a college quarterbcak to Wilson aren’t being overstated for once.

Both Tagovailoa and Wilson do have massive mitts.