Zach Wilson Surprised Dolphins Teammate Tua Tagovailoa by Revealing His Ancestry

Zach Wilson is part Polynesian from his father's side.

Zach Wilson Surprised Dolphins Teammate Tua Tagovailoa by Revealing His Ancestry

Tua Tagovailoa and Zach Wilson (Image via IMAGO)

If a football fan is asked to name two common things about Tua Tagovailoa and Zach Wilson, the obvious answer will be that they are both quarterbacks who play for the Miami Dolphins. No one will guess that both are of Polynesian descent. Even Tua found it difficult to believe that someone named Wilson from Utah shares the same heritage as him.

Tuanigamanuolepola Donny Tagovailoa hails from Ewa Beach in Hawaii and completed his early education in Honolulu before moving to Alabama for college. According to records, Tagovailoa was twice named as the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019 and the Polynesian Pro Football Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023.

So, who won the Polynesian College Football Player award the year when the Miami Dolphins drafted Tagovailoa? It was Zachary Kapono Wilson of the BYU Cougars. The word ‘Kapono’ is Polynesian, which translates to ‘righteous’ in English.

Dolphins reporter Joe Schad asked Wilson to reveal what the relationship between him and Tagovailoa is. Wilson’s answer did not disappoint.

I don’t think Tua knew I was Polynesian. My pops was born and raised in Hawaii, we have a little Polynesian in the family. Those ties, just being in Hawaii, we kind of talked about that a little bit.

Zach Wilson said

Wilson was born to Mike and Lisa Wilson. Mike is half Polynesian, which makes Zach a quarter Polynesian. As unbelievable as it may sound, Lisa’s genes definitely out-muscled Mike’s.

Zach Wilson has three brothers and two sisters. All the Wilson brothers are involved in the football world. Zach’s younger brother, Isaac, is the quarterback for the University of Utah football team, while Josh and Micah were linebackers at BYU. His two sisters are Whitney and Sophie Rose.

Zach Wilson took a jab at his former team, the New York Jets

Wilson entered the league as the second overall pick for the Jets. Analysts and fans viewed Wilson as their savior who would finally end their decade-long wait for a playoff game.

Zach Wilson Surprised Dolphins Teammate Tua Tagovailoa by Revealing His Ancestry
Zach Wilson (Image via IMAGO)

The Jets were built to win games, with young players such as Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall emerging as stars in the offense. However, general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh’s questionable decision-making cost the team big time.

Douglas then contacted his friend Aaron Rodgers to be the quarterback. The idea was for Wilson to sit back and learn from the Hall of Famer. However, Rodgers tore his ACL, and Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos following Rodgers’ first year in the Big Apple.

He barely played in Denver and subsequently ended up as Tagovailoa’s backup in Miami during the offseason. Wilson, still only 25, revealed he’s learned from the experience in New York.

I went through the entire New York experience [and now I am] trying to be more myself and focus on just enjoying the game, enjoying learning, enjoying the failures, the process, everything that comes with it, not getting too hard on yourself when you make a mistake, just trying to learn and do my best and get better.

Zach Wilson said via Desert News

Wilson played 34 games for the Jets. He threw 566 completions (57% completion) for 6239 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 25 picks. A fresh start in Miami may be what he needs.

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